The White Seabass are Free! Press release from the BAC

The Balboa Angling Club will assist the Hubbs- SeaWorld Research Institute in releasing nearly 7,200 juvenile white seabass into local waters off Newport Bay on Saturday, October 26, 2013. The juvenile fish were cultured and raised at HSWRI’s fish hatchery in Carlsbad, CA, then transferred to Newport Grow Out Pens in March 2013, where they have been raised to a length of approximately 8 inches. Each fish has a tag inserted into its cheek so that HSWRI can monitor the movement and survival of the fish after release. To do this they rely on fishermen to turn in the heads of seabass that they catch at the landings.
This event and associated collaboration is part of the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program (OREHP). OREHP is the result of an extraordinary partnership between HSWRI, the California Department of
Fish and Wildlife, and the fishing community to restore the depleted populations of recreationally and
commercially important marine fish.

From the 1950s to the 1980s, annual party boat catches of white seabass in California dropped from more than 55,000 to less than 3,500. Partly as a result of that, in 1983, the OREHP Advisory Panel identified white seabass (Atractoscion nobilis) as the most appropriate species to initiate this long-term research program. Since much of the program funding is generated by fishing license fees north of the Mexican border and south of Point Arguello, HSWRI’s fish culture, tag and release, and assessment activities are focused in Southern California.

The Balboa Angling Club would like to thank this year’s WSB Coordinator, Ryan Griffin and the volunteers who made this year’s White Seabass Program a success:
Jock Albright Bruce Dodd Chris Turgeon Charlie Albright Dave Martin Greg Taite
Tim Humphrey
Kevin Luong
John and Victoria DeFrenza
 John Zartler 

We’d also like to thank Paula Sylvia this year’s Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute Coordinator and welcome next year’s coordinator Derek Miranda.

This past June, the Balboa Angling Club initiated the Adopt-A-Fish Program to help raise funds for the White Seabass Project. These donations are 100% tax deductible and so far the proceeds have covered all the fuel, mooring insurance and vessel registration paid to date. This program will continue and we hope that you’ll contact us and send your donation to the Adopt-A-Fish program. Please make checks payable to Pacific Fisheries Enhancement Foundation and send to:

Pacific Fisheries Enhancement Foundation C/O Balboa Angling Club 200 “A” Street Balboa, CA 92661
With your help, we can continue this successful program for another 20 years or more!