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Picture Of The Month



SD2OR with a trophy fall walleye

Topic: Homer harbor  (Read 4230 times)

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Low_Sky

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Location: Anchorage, AK
  • Date Registered: Oct 2015
  • Posts: 521
KK, thanks for the knowledge bomb on Eastern/Western Stellars sea lion.  That said, I'm with Rudy.  If I'm bobbing in the ocean on a plastic boat a mile from shore, a grizzly bear that swims getting curious about my kayak is a threat to my life.  I gave them a wide berth on the water a couple weekends ago, but it sounds like this group that's hanging around the spit is starting to get curious.  Regardless of its protected status, I would want to give any pinniped that big a wide berth, and would get fishing gear out of the water ASAP if I knew they were interested in me and be ready to deter them in defense of my life. 

I also want nothing to do with orcas.  They're huge, intelligent, and playful.  I don't know if a kayak looks like a toy to them or not, but I do know that I DO NOT want them doing to my kayak what I have seen them doing to power boats on YouTube.  What's "cool" in a 24' PB and "scary" in a zodiak might be "life threatening" in a kayak.
2016 Hobie Revolution 16
2014 Perception Triumph 13


crash

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Location: Humboldt, CA and Ashland, OR
  • Date Registered: Jan 2012
  • Posts: 812
Oh yeah...nobody tell my wife about the possible dangers out there, otherwise I won't be able to come out and play anymore.   :'(

My wife just asks me if my life insurance is paid up before I head out the door.

You should be able to use non lethal deterrents against ESA listed pinnipeds that are dangerously close to you, no?  IT's way more dangerous for them to get habituated to free meals from kayaks than it is for them to get pepper spray in the face.

I have seen a video of a sea lion taking a salmon out of a net of a kayaker in Shelter Cove, California.  I've also been charged by a bull California sea lion but he feinted at the last second.  There was a great white shark attack on a kayaker two days ago in Monterey, CA.

We get into the food chain when we get into the ocean.  Not necessarily at the top.  And there is competition.  We should be able to defend ourselves and our catch via non-lethal deterrents in the normal course of the day without getting hassled.  The DWR/DFW should employ lethal deterrents when non-lethal methods fail. 

You would think this would be simple and non controversial.


kardinal_84

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Perseverance Pays!
  • Kayak Fishing Southcentral Alaska
  • Location: Anchorage, AK
  • Date Registered: Mar 2011
  • Posts: 4216
Lol...ok, the Steller Sea Lion (SSL) got me going. 

KK, you are absolutely right and I don't want to come off as being on the other side of the provider of true and factual information because I am not.  You are absolutely correct in pointing that out. 

I think a few of you that know me might be thinking "Huh?  Man, that name calling of basically NOAA and NMFS researchers doesn't seem like kardinal..."

I am just so fed up with the Endangered Species Act restrictions due to the Western Distinct Population Segment of the SSL.

 My testimony to congressional comittee a few years back for those who might wonder why I take the position I do... 
http://naturalresources.house.gov/uploadedfiles/tsukadatestimony10.17.11.pdf

https://youtu.be/M1FzE7AZT5M?t=1h47m52s
Personal Chauffeur for Kokatat & Hobie Fishing Team member, Ryu .

Personal fishing sites of Alaska Kayak Angling adventures of my son and I. I am NOT a guide.
guidesak.blogspot.com
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Klondike Kid

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • The Eagle Whisperer
  • Alaska Outdoor Journal
  • Location: Kenai Peninsula, AK
  • Date Registered: Sep 2016
  • Posts: 488
LOL................Well, I'm just the messenger.  And like you Rudy I do my homework even if the results are not favorable. ::) And am no fanatic tree hugger regardless of my educational background.

Note that I did not detail my own personal plan of actions or what I intend to have onboard my own craft for my own safety concerns. I will do what I feel is necessary to prevent the end of my life. With GoPro cameras running not only on my own kayak but perhaps others nearby, what actions I take will be justified....if not in court then in my own mind. And that is all that counts. Every individual has their own level of threat tolerance and what is just an ass-puckering experience for one might be life threatening to another.  You don't turn your back on Alaska or it will kill you. (A sea lion could submerge you and your pfd just long enough to drown you or give you massive wounds from an attack.) I just bought a waterproof case for my halibut/shark gun as well as my 12 gauge flare gun, also have 22 blanks used in nail guns somewhere in the garage, and I believe I may have a supply of waterproof firecrackers from years ago somewhere about.

The best defense is a good offense and a show of strength....or perhaps just respect for the human. The commercial fishermen know all about that rule.   ;)
The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Take a Kid Fishing and Hook'em For Life!  ~KK~


jmbx2ditto

  • Rockfish
  • ****
  • Location: Fairbanks, AK
  • Date Registered: Jun 2015
  • Posts: 193
KK, I went ice fishing this weekend. Hit a few different lakes in the Valley and blanked on all of them. 36" everywhere. It's gonna be a long spring until we have still fresh water to play in.


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Can't wait to move to the Peninsula... 36" ice-- no problem. I come from the land of auger extension.
But I'm still focused on the Salt. Only time out last year was the Kayak Classic.

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katinalaska

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Date Registered: Apr 2016
  • Posts: 93
I fished for only a couple of hours yesterday. There were 4 -foot swells yesterday afternoon messing with my tendency for motion sickness. I normally take meds for that if I think it's going to be rough, but didn't predict those swells! Anyway, I didn't get any hits. I didn't see the whale or the sea lions that had been hanging around. Maybe they'll stay gone for awhile. Shane didn't fish yesterday, but Jim House did and he only caught 1 from his boat. I hope some fish decide to eat on Saturday!


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AK Trapper

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: Wasilla Alaska
  • Date Registered: Mar 2017
  • Posts: 64
Rudy, federal overreach in wildlife management is a re-occurring theme in this part of the North West.  Wish there was more federal interest in correcting the century long failure of the Pacific Coast Salmon recovery programs in WA, OR, and CA.

Interesting that when federal managers and low 48 citizens discuss Alaska, they act as if the people who live here should not tread on "their wilderness" and are all for "preserving" every aspect of Alaska instead of focusing on sustainable communities and habitat recovery where they live!

Federal management decisions, that impact economic activities, should have an airtight scientific case before the decision.  Was there any studies to determine the health of the ground fish fishery off the coast of Adak before making the leap that Steller Lions were nutritionally impacted by commercial fishing?  Not an expert on Sea Lions but I can think of several other reasons unrelated to commercial fishing that would result in recruitment issues for the population.

Jonathan


AK Trapper

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: Wasilla Alaska
  • Date Registered: Mar 2017
  • Posts: 64

Katinalaska ,
I appreciate the report and am sorry to hear you got skunked! Hope the fishing off the spit improves this weekend for all of us; 5-10MPH winds projected for Friday and Saturday don't sound encouraging. At least they're supposed to be from the NE which shouldn't impact spit fishing too much...

See you there,
Jonathan


kardinal_84

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Perseverance Pays!
  • Kayak Fishing Southcentral Alaska
  • Location: Anchorage, AK
  • Date Registered: Mar 2011
  • Posts: 4216
Thanks for the report Kat!  Its always tough this time of yer.  Remember, that in a beautiful almost tropical derby last year, less than a third of the anglers caught a fish during the derby.  This year, the powerboats are syaing it is a lot tougher.  Rather it being a negative, I am trying to think of it as a positive.  That one fish you do get lucky and catch, would definitely have a higher chance at winning with fewer fish. 

Rudy, federal overreach in wildlife management is a re-occurring theme in this part of the North West.  Wish there was more federal interest in correcting the century long failure of the Pacific Coast Salmon recovery programs in WA, OR, and CA.

Interesting that when federal managers and low 48 citizens discuss Alaska, they act as if the people who live here should not tread on "their wilderness" and are all for "preserving" every aspect of Alaska instead of focusing on sustainable communities and habitat recovery where they live!

Federal management decisions, that impact economic activities, should have an airtight scientific case before the decision.  Was there any studies to determine the health of the ground fish fishery off the coast of Adak before making the leap that Steller Lions were nutritionally impacted by commercial fishing?  Not an expert on Sea Lions but I can think of several other reasons unrelated to commercial fishing that would result in recruitment issues for the population.

Jonathan

Jonathan.  Yes and no.  They sure seemed like they had a lot of studies...but at the time, very little actually observations were conducted in the area they said were affected.They had extrapolated models from other locations to base many of their conclusions on.  Furthermore,  when trying to justify fishing closures to increase nprey abundance, they used single species models.  In short, they were trying to increase Atka Mackerel and Pacific Cod biomass.  They conveniently left out that over 25% of Atka Mackerel mortality is due to Pacific Cod predation.  They just said, stop fishing and both will increase implying very roughly speaking that humans were the only source of mortality which is bogus. 

Furthermore...13 out of 14 indicators for nutritional distress they examined (pup natality, pup weight, pup count, female weight, etc) did not indicate nutritional stress.  One did. ONLY one.. yet they concludednot only that it was nutritional stress, but fishing must be the cause.  That's just nuts.  13 out of 14 dentists say sugarless gum prevents cavities...well one dentist didn't think so...so I conclude sugarless gum causes cavities  (<===made up example). 

It was so bad that the the independent review by "independent experts" selected by NMFS themselves blasted the report as being biased and non-scientific in conclusion.  Yet, thousands of lives were affected. 

Here's the beginning of an article, I added the emphasis http://www.alaskapublic.org/2012/09/07/independent-reviewers-shred-steller-sea-lion-biop/:

Independent Reviewers Shred Steller Sea Lion BiOp
By Stephanie Joyce, APRN Contributor -  September 7, 2012


Credit: Mikeetnier/National Marine Mammal Laboratory
An independent panel tasked with evaluating the scientific merits of a federal assessment of the endangered Western population of Steller sea lion has released its finding. The general consensus: the government’s science doesn’t pass muster.
Personal Chauffeur for Kokatat & Hobie Fishing Team member, Ryu .

Personal fishing sites of Alaska Kayak Angling adventures of my son and I. I am NOT a guide.
guidesak.blogspot.com
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Klondike Kid

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • The Eagle Whisperer
  • Alaska Outdoor Journal
  • Location: Kenai Peninsula, AK
  • Date Registered: Sep 2016
  • Posts: 488
Rudy, federal overreach in wildlife management is a re-occurring theme in this part of the North West.  Wish there was more federal interest in correcting the century long failure of the Pacific Coast Salmon recovery programs in WA, OR, and CA.

Actually that PNW group and those hatchery programs may have a large impact on Alaska's ecological upset in forage fish abundance. Then toss in record El Niño events with a cycle now occurring on a 3-4 year time frame and its a veritable nightmare to sort out what might be the single most factor impacting wildlife and sealife. A half dozen "factors" having only a 10% impact EACH on the overall "picture" adds up to a 50% impact in the final result. Don't discount a growing population of whales which are now wintering in Alaska and have been in Cook Inlet all winter for the last 3 years. Even more pronounced in SE waters with winter whales hammering forage fish species.

Thanks for the report Kat!  Its always tough this time of yer.  Remember, that in a beautiful almost tropical derby last year, less than a third of the anglers caught a fish during the derby.  This year, the powerboats are syaing it is a lot tougher.  Rather it being a negative, I am trying to think of it as a positive.  That one fish you do get lucky and catch, would definitely have a higher chance at winning with fewer fish. 

Ah, but don't forget those thousands of dollars of give-away prizes participants have a shot at. If you "land" a $250 halibut rod/reel or a charter trip you are money ahead and a winner too. You are correct about the lack of catch by the derby anglers and that is the way it is every year. On the flip side, the Homer Elks derby last October weighed in 2300 pounds of king salmon in the 2 day event. I think that derby, now that no recording of kings on your license begins September 1st is going to vault their competition through the roof with participants. They are a bunch of good guys funding charitable causes too.


Furthermore...13 out of 14 indicators for nutritional distress they examined (pup natality, pup weight, pup count, female weight, etc) did not indicate nutritional stress.  One did. ONLY one.. yet they concluded not only that it was nutritional stress, but fishing must be the cause.  That's just nuts.  13 out of 14 dentists say sugarless gum prevents cavities...well one dentist didn't think so...so I conclude sugarless gum causes cavities  (<===made up example). 

Well Rudy you know all too well that if the wind isn't blowing in the right direction, i.e. the scientific facts don't add up to the researchers' liking, they start playing games with semantics and inferences....as in your example....there is no way a sugarless gum can prevent cavities....unless its laced with fluoride or Listerine, which it is not.  The gum might not cause cavities but it sure doesn't prevent them when a person has a dozen other variables (eating all kinds of foods & drink and proper hygiene) that enter the equation for cavity production.  Researchers have been known to conveniently ignore those other perhaps more significant factors as you point out.

As I just discovered in my research of Gulf of Alaska forage fishes, a NOAA study concluded that capelin were the most abundant and significant source of protein as a forage fish for predators with the largest concentration in the central GOA and more specifically around Kodiak Island. That was an eye opener. Reading into their life cycle on another paper they spawn near shore in May through July but their water temperature tolerance range has been documented as 5°C - 10°C (41°-50°F). The two previous years of El Niño had near shore waters in the 60's. I suspect we are going to see a major crash in the capelin population. This species tends to fluctuate widely perhaps as a result of El Niño events. With smelt spawning in freshwater they may not be as susceptible to environmental changes unless it affects their own food supply. But herring on the other hand spawn on kelp and rocks in the "hot" water. Hmmm.

About the Deterrent List....note that when it comes to NON Stellar Sea Lion critters, the seals are fair game!! HA!  We encounter those along Cook Inlet beaches frequently. They better watch out!

The harbor is finally looking better. But the temps predicted means an extra layer of insulation might be needed. Time is getting short...only nine days left before kings will need to be recorded!! Glad I'll be proxy fishing for an elder this year to extend my fishing time.
The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Take a Kid Fishing and Hook'em For Life!  ~KK~


Lawngjohn

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: Soldotna, Ak
  • Date Registered: Jan 2016
  • Posts: 83


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gravesjacob

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • Location: kenai peninsula
  • Date Registered: Oct 2015
  • Posts: 217
2017 Hobie Outback
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13th place Homer King Derby 2016

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