Fish Experiment Could Send Stocks Up : Dana Point is Part of Program to Replenish Sea Bass Numbers in Southland Waters

Most of the news about ocean fish stocks these days is bad, but an experiment being carried out in Dana Point offers a glimmer of hope.

Depleted fishing grounds are a national problem, with waters in the Pacific suffering from overfishing and offshore development, and an entire area off the East Coast suddenly closed. The Dana Point Fisheries Enhancement Program is the latest part of an experiment designed to replenish the ocean off Southern California. It is a project that deserves encouragement and support.

The program sponsored by the state Department of Fish and Game, is part of a series of planned growing pens along the coast. In the pens, baby sea bass that have been raised in a hatchery can be protected and fed until they are released into the open sea.

The goal of the project is eventually to replenish the ocean the way lakes have been. It began as a research project involving various species of fish, and recently focused on white sea bass.

The Hubbs Sea World Research Institute in San Diego began by hatching sea bass from about 100 spawning fish caught in the wild. Once the eggs are fertilized, they are moved to indoor incubator tanks where the fish hatch in two days. Once baby fish reach two inches, they are trucked to growing pens like the one in Dana Point. The fish are released and in five years are expected to be big enough to catch legally. There are limits on what anglers can take per day.

Marine biologists want to see if they can enhance wild stock, and are financing the program with a tax on fishing licenses. If this program is successful, it could be one way to help restore balance and fish to the waters. It shows that there is an awareness of the limitation of resources in the ocean, and it is good that after all the bad news, the depletion of fishing stock is getting some attention.