04-06-2020, 05:12 PM
California poised to ban sportfishing in some areas. Rural towns worried about coronavirus spread
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California is poised to close the spring sportfishing season in some counties in response to worries that anglers will spread COVID-19 to rural communities.
The state’s Fish and Game Commission will meet via teleconference Thursday to decide whether to grant emergency powers to Charlton Bonham, the director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The move would give him the authority to postpone the sportfishing season through May in certain areas, Bonham said Monday in an interview with The Sacramento Bee.
The proposal would allow Bonham to stop or delay the fishing season only in certain regions at the request of local and tribal governments and health officials. He said the move isn’t unprecedented. Many popular waterways were closed to fishing during California’s last historic drought to protect fish from over-harvest as water levels dropped.
“Instead of all at once and a mammoth (statewide) closure,” he said, “we’re going to do something different.”
About [color=var(--lc)]1 million licensed anglers regularly fish California’s waterways through the year, making the state one of the country’s [color=var(--lc)]most active fishing states[/color]. California routinely stocks [color=var(--lc)]more than 700 lakes and rivers with trout for anglers to catch[/color].[/color]
Bonham, an avid fly fisherman and surfer, said he understands why Californians want to get outside, but at the same time, anglers need to understand they could be making the COVID-19 crisis worse if they don’t practice social distancing.
“I myself want to go outdoors and recreate, but I’ve decided personally my duty is really to stay home, stay healthy and help save lives,” he said. “On one hand, the outdoors is a place of solace and reinvigoration, for some folks, it’s very spiritual. We need those things in these desperate times. Conversely, if we’re not responsible and thoughtful of how we’re being outside, we can increase the risk in a moment of crisis.”
The Fish and Game Commission meeting comes after rural county officials last week urged Bonham to close the inland fishing season out of fears too many out-of-town anglers would bring the new coronavirus into rural communities, stretching their limited supplies and running the risk of overwhelming their tiny hospitals.
Last week, the state delayed the [color=var(--lc)]recreational coastal salmon fishing season through at least April, in “response to physical distancing requirements and widespread closures of launch ramp facilities, charter boat operations and restrictions to harbor and marina access.”[/color]
While the Newsom administration has closed all parking lots at state parks to try to limit crowds, a number of local boat ramps and other popular fishing access points remain open. Photos on social media have shown large crowds of anglers gathering. On Monday, [color=var(--lc)]Yuba and Sutter counties moved to make fishing a “non-essential” activity.
[/color]
Bonham said there are no immediate plans to suspend the remainder of California’s spring turkey hunting season or close parking areas at state wildlife areas, though officials are monitoring them to ensure they don’t get too crowded.
‘INCREASED AND IRRESPONSIBLE PUBLIC USAGE’
Some rural officials are worried that if the season is allowed to continue, anglers would continue to gather in violation of both state and local social-distancing orders. Some of them have gone so far as to issue local orders urging out of towners and people with vacation homes to stay away.
“Increased and irresponsible public usage of public lands by those who either ignore or misunderstand the orders put forth by public health officials … is creating unique challenges,” Staci Heaton, of the Rural County Representatives of California, said in Thursday’s letter to Bonham.
Heaton noted that [color=var(--lc)]rural communities are particularly at risk of being overwhelmed by a surge in COVID-19 patients. Many small hospitals have just a handful of ventilators necessary to keep patients breathing, and they are particularly at risk of having a shortage of healthcare workers should they start to come down with symptoms of the disease.
[/color]
“For a large number of rural California counties, controlling the movement of people – particularly urban/suburban non-residents drawn to rural recreation locales – is making it nearly impossible to control the spread of the Coronavirus into communities which lack the capacity to provide healthcare to their residents who may become infected,” Heaton wrote.
Mono County, a tourism-dependent region in the Eastern Sierra, is among the counties leading the push to close the fishing season down.
Beginning the last Saturday in April, when the spring fishing season opens, thousands of anglers come to the town of Mammoth Lakes before fanning out to catch trout in the region’s pristine Sierra lakes and streams, said Supervisor Stacy Corless.
Opening morning is so popular in Mono County, locals call it “Fishmas,” said Corless, whose county [color=var(--lc)]has already shut down all tourism-related businesses including hotels and the Mammoth Mountain ski resort.[/color]
‘PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GO CRAZY’
Along with closing the season, Mono County also has asked the state to suspend the practice of stocking fish in local lakes with trout raised at state hatcheries.
“We’re asking to put the whole thing on hold,” she said. Mono County has just 14,000 residents but has already seen 19 positive coronavirus cases and one death.
So far, Mammoth Lakes’ small, 17-bed hospital hasn’t been overwhelmed, but Corless is worried it might be if the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread through the community.
JD Richey, a South Lake Tahoe fishing guide, said he understands those concerns, but he is nonetheless saddened by the potential fishing-season closure and what it means to the more than 1 million licensed California anglers like himself.
“On one hand, you absolutely need to try to nip this thing in the bud, and the sooner we get through this, the sooner we can all be back fishing and doing the stuff we love,” he said. “That being said, people are going to go crazy, myself probably included.”
Richey said taking his inflatable boat out on Lake Tahoe on solo fishing trips is one of “the only things keeping me sane. I’m a little concerned if they shut everything down that people are going to go nuttier than we already are all going.”
California isn’t the only state to consider suspending fishing. Late last month, [color=var(--lc)]Washington state closed fishing statewide.[/color]
Meanwhile, some other states are taking a different approach. For instance, the governor of Texas [color=var(--lhc,var(--lc))]included hunting and fishing in a list of “essential services.”[/color]
This article has Unlimited Access. For more coverage, sign up for our daily [color=var(--lc)]coronavirus newsletter. To support our commitment to public service journalism: [color=var(--lc)]Subscribe Now.[/color][/color]
California is poised to close the spring sportfishing season in some counties in response to worries that anglers will spread COVID-19 to rural communities.
The state’s Fish and Game Commission will meet via teleconference Thursday to decide whether to grant emergency powers to Charlton Bonham, the director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The move would give him the authority to postpone the sportfishing season through May in certain areas, Bonham said Monday in an interview with The Sacramento Bee.
The proposal would allow Bonham to stop or delay the fishing season only in certain regions at the request of local and tribal governments and health officials. He said the move isn’t unprecedented. Many popular waterways were closed to fishing during California’s last historic drought to protect fish from over-harvest as water levels dropped.
“Instead of all at once and a mammoth (statewide) closure,” he said, “we’re going to do something different.”
About [color=var(--lc)]1 million licensed anglers regularly fish California’s waterways through the year, making the state one of the country’s [color=var(--lc)]most active fishing states[/color]. California routinely stocks [color=var(--lc)]more than 700 lakes and rivers with trout for anglers to catch[/color].[/color]
Bonham, an avid fly fisherman and surfer, said he understands why Californians want to get outside, but at the same time, anglers need to understand they could be making the COVID-19 crisis worse if they don’t practice social distancing.
“I myself want to go outdoors and recreate, but I’ve decided personally my duty is really to stay home, stay healthy and help save lives,” he said. “On one hand, the outdoors is a place of solace and reinvigoration, for some folks, it’s very spiritual. We need those things in these desperate times. Conversely, if we’re not responsible and thoughtful of how we’re being outside, we can increase the risk in a moment of crisis.”
The Fish and Game Commission meeting comes after rural county officials last week urged Bonham to close the inland fishing season out of fears too many out-of-town anglers would bring the new coronavirus into rural communities, stretching their limited supplies and running the risk of overwhelming their tiny hospitals.
Last week, the state delayed the [color=var(--lc)]recreational coastal salmon fishing season through at least April, in “response to physical distancing requirements and widespread closures of launch ramp facilities, charter boat operations and restrictions to harbor and marina access.”[/color]
While the Newsom administration has closed all parking lots at state parks to try to limit crowds, a number of local boat ramps and other popular fishing access points remain open. Photos on social media have shown large crowds of anglers gathering. On Monday, [color=var(--lc)]Yuba and Sutter counties moved to make fishing a “non-essential” activity.
[/color]
Bonham said there are no immediate plans to suspend the remainder of California’s spring turkey hunting season or close parking areas at state wildlife areas, though officials are monitoring them to ensure they don’t get too crowded.
‘INCREASED AND IRRESPONSIBLE PUBLIC USAGE’
Some rural officials are worried that if the season is allowed to continue, anglers would continue to gather in violation of both state and local social-distancing orders. Some of them have gone so far as to issue local orders urging out of towners and people with vacation homes to stay away.
“Increased and irresponsible public usage of public lands by those who either ignore or misunderstand the orders put forth by public health officials … is creating unique challenges,” Staci Heaton, of the Rural County Representatives of California, said in Thursday’s letter to Bonham.
Heaton noted that [color=var(--lc)]rural communities are particularly at risk of being overwhelmed by a surge in COVID-19 patients. Many small hospitals have just a handful of ventilators necessary to keep patients breathing, and they are particularly at risk of having a shortage of healthcare workers should they start to come down with symptoms of the disease.
[/color]
“For a large number of rural California counties, controlling the movement of people – particularly urban/suburban non-residents drawn to rural recreation locales – is making it nearly impossible to control the spread of the Coronavirus into communities which lack the capacity to provide healthcare to their residents who may become infected,” Heaton wrote.
Mono County, a tourism-dependent region in the Eastern Sierra, is among the counties leading the push to close the fishing season down.
Beginning the last Saturday in April, when the spring fishing season opens, thousands of anglers come to the town of Mammoth Lakes before fanning out to catch trout in the region’s pristine Sierra lakes and streams, said Supervisor Stacy Corless.
Opening morning is so popular in Mono County, locals call it “Fishmas,” said Corless, whose county [color=var(--lc)]has already shut down all tourism-related businesses including hotels and the Mammoth Mountain ski resort.[/color]
‘PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GO CRAZY’
Along with closing the season, Mono County also has asked the state to suspend the practice of stocking fish in local lakes with trout raised at state hatcheries.
“We’re asking to put the whole thing on hold,” she said. Mono County has just 14,000 residents but has already seen 19 positive coronavirus cases and one death.
So far, Mammoth Lakes’ small, 17-bed hospital hasn’t been overwhelmed, but Corless is worried it might be if the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread through the community.
JD Richey, a South Lake Tahoe fishing guide, said he understands those concerns, but he is nonetheless saddened by the potential fishing-season closure and what it means to the more than 1 million licensed California anglers like himself.
“On one hand, you absolutely need to try to nip this thing in the bud, and the sooner we get through this, the sooner we can all be back fishing and doing the stuff we love,” he said. “That being said, people are going to go crazy, myself probably included.”
Richey said taking his inflatable boat out on Lake Tahoe on solo fishing trips is one of “the only things keeping me sane. I’m a little concerned if they shut everything down that people are going to go nuttier than we already are all going.”
California isn’t the only state to consider suspending fishing. Late last month, [color=var(--lc)]Washington state closed fishing statewide.[/color]
Meanwhile, some other states are taking a different approach. For instance, the governor of Texas [color=var(--lhc,var(--lc))]included hunting and fishing in a list of “essential services.”[/color]
Let God lead the way!
Give a man a fish he eats for one day, teach him to fish he eats forever!
Give a man a fish he eats for one day, teach him to fish he eats forever!
