Question: I heard this asked on the radio last season while fishing for salmon in Monterey. The answers from mostly experienced and knowledgeable anglers were mixed. No one seemed to be certain.
Here's the situation: Two anglers, both legally licensed, one rod trolling per angler, barbless hooks, one lure per line. The anglers take turns hooking up and fighting the fish. Soon they have three legal salmon on the boat. One angler has a limit, and the other angler needs one more and wants to catch his own. The question: Can the two anglers continue trolling with the two rods out?
My reading of the ocean regulations is yes, they can because there is nothing in the regs saying the angler with a limit must stop fishing while the boat/anglers are not over limit. If the next one to hook a fish was to fill the boat limit, then the angler with the limit would not be able to even touch the rod. However, since catch-and-release fishing is not prohibited, both can continue to fish until the last fish is netted. Do you agree?
— Dave R.
Answer: Yes, boat limits apply. Boat limit: When two or more persons that are licensed or otherwise authorized to fish in ocean waters off California or in the San Francisco Bay District ... fishing by all authorized persons aboard may continue until boat limits of finfish are taken and possessed aboard the vessel.
Q: How can I sign up to become a Hunter Education Instructor?
A: Applicants must meet the following requirements:
• Be at least 18 years old;
• Complete the hunter education course prior to submitting an application;
• No felony convictions;
• Complete a course of study prior to taking a supervised exam covering the basic topics of hunter education.
The testing process to become a certified instructor takes about two hours and applicants must score 80 percent to pass. After passing the exam, volunteers take an oath and work with an experienced instructor before leading their own class.
To retain current HEI certification, an instructor must teach one class per year and attend one conference. More information can be found at www.dfg.ca.gov/huntered, or speak with one of our wildlife officers at the upcoming Fred Hall Shows in Long Beach or Del Mar.
Q: If I am fishing with both flat and rigid types of hoop nets in one set, do I need to fill out two lines on my lobster report card (e.g. one line with a gear code for flat and one line for the non folding type)?
— Dixon C.
A: Yes. According to Travis Buck, a Department of Fish and Wildlife environmental scientist, Instruction 2 on the lobster report card says "make a separate entry for each location fished and each type of gear used." You'll see under gear codes that flat hoop nets are gear No. 1 and rigid hoop nets are gear No. 2. So create separate lines for each type of net, and record the corresponding number of lobsters retained for each type of net. Thank you for paying attention to this detail.
Also, hunters and anglers can now report harvest data online at: www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/harvestreporting/. You will be able to enter your 2012 lobster report card data online. Thanks and good luck lobster fishing.
Q: Can I bring USDA processed black bear meat into California from Colorado and Nevada from USDA plants to sell here locally?
— Anshu P.
A: No, California Fish and Game law prohibits the sale of the pieces or parts of any bear in California, and it makes no difference if the item was a bear that was killed in California or in another state and imported into the state.
Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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