Other Side of the WSB Article... - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Saba Slayer · 02-05-2016, 07:19 PM

I received this in responce to the negative article about the Hubbs WSB project...

Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute supporters:

You may have recently heard or read about a blog on VoiceofSanDiego.com surrounding HSWRI’s white seabass replenishment program (OREHP/Ocean Resources Enhancement Hatchery Program) which is managed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). The DFW has contracted with our Institute for more than 30 years to run many facets of the program including the fish production aspects. The statements in the blog are based primarily upon the personal and unsubstantiated opinions of a single DFW employee. The DFW assures us that his opinions do NOT represent those of the DFW. HSWRI has always conducted its research according to the highest standards possible and will continue to do so.

As a long-standing supporter of the Institute, many of you have helped to sustain the white seabass program in addition to your generous support of our other research initiatives and I wanted to personally provide you with the attached counterpoints to the misleading information presented in the blog.

I have also included an op-ed that has been submitted to the Voice of San Diego authored by HSWRI Trustee Bob Fletcher. As stated in the op-ed, Bob is not only a Trustee of our Institute, but also the former Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Fish and Game (now Fish and Wildlife), retired President of the Sportfishing Association of California (a post he held for 20 years), a former member of the Department of Commerce’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee, and former U.S. commissioner on the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. Bob has been associated with OREHP since its inception in 1984 and helped to craft the underlying goals and strategies that have guided the program over time.

Please feel free to contact me with your questions at 619-226-3870.

Thank you for your continued support.

Don Kent

Saba Slayer · 02-05-2016, 07:22 PM

Here is the op-ed letter written by Bob Fletcher...

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON FISH HATCHERY’S SUCCESS
ROBERT C. FLETCHER

VoiceofSanDiego’s recent “news story” about the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program, (OREHP) and its state-contracted operator, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (Hubbs) was mind-boggling in its misrepresentations. A piece that far off target is obviously intended only to create a bad impression and a classic example of, “My mind’s made up, so don’t confuse me with facts.”
As someone who has spent his whole life in the marine fisheries arena, and is intimately familiar with the hatchery program and with Hubbs, I need to offer a far more reasoned perspective on a valuable and innovative scientific stock enhancement program
Let’s start with a few facts. OREHP is one of the nation’s largest marine fish enhancement research programs, launched in 1983, thanks to state legislation authored by then- Assemblymember Larry Stirling, as well as private donations. In 1984, the OREHP Advisory Panel identified white seabass – a severely depleted species in Southern California waters – as a target for assessing the feasibility of long-term replenishment. From the get-go, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (formerly Fish and Game) has contracted with Hubbs to operate the program, including producing the fish.
Wild white seabass broodstock – caught and donated by recreational anglers – provide the eggs that are hatched at the hatchery. From there, the young fish are tagged before being taken to grow-out net pens built in coastal waters and maintained by volunteers. When the fish reach eight inches in length, they are released into the wild, to help build the wild population.
OREHP has a 32-year track record. Hubbs’ contract has been renewed annually without fail. Nearly 100 percent of the funding program comes from the recreational anglers who asked to be taxed to fund the program! Facts are stubborn things, and those are the facts.
Now a strong opinion, from someone who also spent 15 years on the Pacific Fishery Management Council. OREHP has been of huge benefit to the white seabass stocks off the coast of Southern California, even at its modest, experimental scale of production.
The white seabass fishery had been devastated by early use of commercial purse seine nets, as well as the loss of in-shore bays and estuaries critical for nursery habitat. From the 1950s to the 1980s, annual party boat catches of white seabass in California dropped from 55,000 to less than 3,500.
Today, white seabass from OREHP have survived as long as 15 years in the wild and been caught as far as 340 miles from their original release site. All the recreational anglers I know believe OREHP has been of great benefit and has clearly helped jump-start the replenishment of the wild population.
Hubbs has shared its results in scientific and other forums, in peer-reviewed journals, in detailed public-document reports and in countless presentations. Hubbs created the “White Seabass in the Classroom” program to familiarize children with the environmental importance of our ocean resources. And Hubbs is consulting with state of Florida on a hatchery program modeled after OREHP.
Hubbs is world-renowned for the quality and integrity of its marine science for many reasons. That is why I find it so disturbing to see its work and intentions questioned.
Let me briefly address two of the skeptics’ issues.

Fish, like any animal (and plant) species, have wide variability. In humans, we see tall people, short people, people with noses of various sizes, with differently colored hair and skin ... and varying degrees of health. Is natural variation the same as deformity? Of course not!
Yes, some of the white seabass will not be robust enough to grow to full size in the wild. When that happens in wild populations, they become food (prey). When that happens in OREHP, if it seems severe, they are “culled.” Not just individuals, but potentially an entire group of fish.
The so-called news story also criticized Hubbs for euthanizing populations of fish that appeared to suffer from disease or other defects. Now that’s just damned if you do and damned if you don’t – releasing these fish is bad, but so is culling them? You cannot have it both ways.
Hubbs’ intent is to breed populations of white seabass that closely reflect the wild populations, to ensure they are as healthy as possible and to get them in to the wild to rebuild the stocks.
Is it perfect in every regard? What human endeavor is?
Is this grand experiment making a difference? Absolutely! And that is what people need to know!
Fletcher is former Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Fish and Game (now Fish and Wildlife), retired President of the Sportfishing Association of California (a post he held for 20 years), a former U.S. commissioner on the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission and a Board member of Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute.

momo fish · 02-05-2016, 08:24 PM

Thanks Jim... Having seen multiple stockings over time, I could not believe the original article statements about deformities.

Glad this was rebutted, but naysayers will be naysayers regardless..

Jacurley45 · 02-11-2016, 02:50 PM

I do fondly remember the school trip to Carlsbad's WSB farm/hatchery as a kid. I didn't really see anything that's out of norms ie breeding more deformed wsb as all I saw was healthy and huge wsb.

Geno Machino · 02-11-2016, 02:55 PM

Thx for the update Jim!

Geno

taggermike · 02-11-2016, 08:47 PM

What would you expect Don't Kent to say about the program he helped start and has such a huge vested interest in? To blame these issues on a "Single Fish and Wildlife employee with personal and unsubstantiated opinions" is simply blaiming the messenger.

This "employee" is a senior fish pathologist that examines every group of fish before they leave the hatchery and again before the fish are released in to the ocean. This PhD has seen and examined more wsb than any one else and should be considered the expert and authority on wsb health. His assertions are not opinions and are not unsubstantiated. There is data that backs up what he is saying. He is very professional, keeps impeccable notes and records, and has no reason or ulterior motive to put him self out on a limb unless he knows there is a problem. Attacking this individual for finding deformed fish rather than using facts and data to refute his claims tells me that some thing is wrong.

Criticizing, or even questioning, the wsb program immediately puts that person in the enemy category. Questions should be asked and fact based answers should be given. Not personal attacks or repetitions of the same PR feel good stories from a decade ago. Mike

blitzburgh · 02-12-2016, 08:29 AM

Good stuff Jim. Thanks!

Baja_Traveler · 02-12-2016, 08:48 AM

Everyone needs to realize that the DFW has been infiltrated by EnviroNazis bent on eliminating hunting and fishing in the state of California. Nothing that happens in the department is based on science anymore. When you have commissioners of the DFW who at the same time are paid board members of Project Coyote it speaks volumes to where we are heading...

02-05-2016, 07:19 PM	#1
Saba Slayer Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Palos Verdes Posts: 1,857	Other Side of the WSB Article... I received this in responce to the negative article about the Hubbs WSB project... Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute supporters: You may have recently heard or read about a blog on VoiceofSanDiego.com surrounding HSWRI’s white seabass replenishment program (OREHP/Ocean Resources Enhancement Hatchery Program) which is managed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). The DFW has contracted with our Institute for more than 30 years to run many facets of the program including the fish production aspects. The statements in the blog are based primarily upon the personal and unsubstantiated opinions of a single DFW employee. The DFW assures us that his opinions do NOT represent those of the DFW. HSWRI has always conducted its research according to the highest standards possible and will continue to do so. As a long-standing supporter of the Institute, many of you have helped to sustain the white seabass program in addition to your generous support of our other research initiatives and I wanted to personally provide you with the attached counterpoints to the misleading information presented in the blog. I have also included an op-ed that has been submitted to the Voice of San Diego authored by HSWRI Trustee Bob Fletcher. As stated in the op-ed, Bob is not only a Trustee of our Institute, but also the former Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Fish and Game (now Fish and Wildlife), retired President of the Sportfishing Association of California (a post he held for 20 years), a former member of the Department of Commerce’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee, and former U.S. commissioner on the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. Bob has been associated with OREHP since its inception in 1984 and helped to craft the underlying goals and strategies that have guided the program over time. Please feel free to contact me with your questions at 619-226-3870. Thank you for your continued support. Don Kent __________________ Jim / Saba Slayer

02-05-2016, 07:22 PM	#2
Saba Slayer Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Palos Verdes Posts: 1,857	Bob Fletcher's Letter Here is the op-ed letter written by Bob Fletcher... SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON FISH HATCHERY’S SUCCESS ROBERT C. FLETCHER VoiceofSanDiego’s recent “news story” about the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program, (OREHP) and its state-contracted operator, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (Hubbs) was mind-boggling in its misrepresentations. A piece that far off target is obviously intended only to create a bad impression and a classic example of, “My mind’s made up, so don’t confuse me with facts.” As someone who has spent his whole life in the marine fisheries arena, and is intimately familiar with the hatchery program and with Hubbs, I need to offer a far more reasoned perspective on a valuable and innovative scientific stock enhancement program Let’s start with a few facts. OREHP is one of the nation’s largest marine fish enhancement research programs, launched in 1983, thanks to state legislation authored by then- Assemblymember Larry Stirling, as well as private donations. In 1984, the OREHP Advisory Panel identified white seabass – a severely depleted species in Southern California waters – as a target for assessing the feasibility of long-term replenishment. From the get-go, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (formerly Fish and Game) has contracted with Hubbs to operate the program, including producing the fish. Wild white seabass broodstock – caught and donated by recreational anglers – provide the eggs that are hatched at the hatchery. From there, the young fish are tagged before being taken to grow-out net pens built in coastal waters and maintained by volunteers. When the fish reach eight inches in length, they are released into the wild, to help build the wild population. OREHP has a 32-year track record. Hubbs’ contract has been renewed annually without fail. Nearly 100 percent of the funding program comes from the recreational anglers who asked to be taxed to fund the program! Facts are stubborn things, and those are the facts. Now a strong opinion, from someone who also spent 15 years on the Pacific Fishery Management Council. OREHP has been of huge benefit to the white seabass stocks off the coast of Southern California, even at its modest, experimental scale of production. The white seabass fishery had been devastated by early use of commercial purse seine nets, as well as the loss of in-shore bays and estuaries critical for nursery habitat. From the 1950s to the 1980s, annual party boat catches of white seabass in California dropped from 55,000 to less than 3,500. Today, white seabass from OREHP have survived as long as 15 years in the wild and been caught as far as 340 miles from their original release site. All the recreational anglers I know believe OREHP has been of great benefit and has clearly helped jump-start the replenishment of the wild population. Hubbs has shared its results in scientific and other forums, in peer-reviewed journals, in detailed public-document reports and in countless presentations. Hubbs created the “White Seabass in the Classroom” program to familiarize children with the environmental importance of our ocean resources. And Hubbs is consulting with state of Florida on a hatchery program modeled after OREHP. Hubbs is world-renowned for the quality and integrity of its marine science for many reasons. That is why I find it so disturbing to see its work and intentions questioned. Let me briefly address two of the skeptics’ issues. Fish, like any animal (and plant) species, have wide variability. In humans, we see tall people, short people, people with noses of various sizes, with differently colored hair and skin ... and varying degrees of health. Is natural variation the same as deformity? Of course not! Yes, some of the white seabass will not be robust enough to grow to full size in the wild. When that happens in wild populations, they become food (prey). When that happens in OREHP, if it seems severe, they are “culled.” Not just individuals, but potentially an entire group of fish. The so-called news story also criticized Hubbs for euthanizing populations of fish that appeared to suffer from disease or other defects. Now that’s just damned if you do and damned if you don’t – releasing these fish is bad, but so is culling them? You cannot have it both ways. Hubbs’ intent is to breed populations of white seabass that closely reflect the wild populations, to ensure they are as healthy as possible and to get them in to the wild to rebuild the stocks. Is it perfect in every regard? What human endeavor is? Is this grand experiment making a difference? Absolutely! And that is what people need to know! Fletcher is former Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Fish and Game (now Fish and Wildlife), retired President of the Sportfishing Association of California (a post he held for 20 years), a former U.S. commissioner on the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission and a Board member of Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute. __________________ Jim / Saba Slayer

02-11-2016, 02:55 PM	#5
Geno Machino "Relax" Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: O'side Posts: 553	Thx for the update Jim! Geno __________________

02-12-2016, 08:29 AM	#7
blitzburgh Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Menifee Posts: 2,509	Good stuff Jim. Thanks! __________________ ”The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it.” ~Thomas Jefferson.........maybe

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02-05-2016, 08:24 PM	#3
momo fish Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Camarillo Posts: 1,491	Thanks Jim... Having seen multiple stockings over time, I could not believe the original article statements about deformities. Glad this was rebutted, but naysayers will be naysayers regardless..

02-11-2016, 02:50 PM	#4
Jacurley45 Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Escondido Posts: 47	I do fondly remember the school trip to Carlsbad's WSB farm/hatchery as a kid. I didn't really see anything that's out of norms ie breeding more deformed wsb as all I saw was healthy and huge wsb.

02-11-2016, 08:47 PM	#6
taggermike Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chula Vista Posts: 1,589	What would you expect Don't Kent to say about the program he helped start and has such a huge vested interest in? To blame these issues on a "Single Fish and Wildlife employee with personal and unsubstantiated opinions" is simply blaiming the messenger. This "employee" is a senior fish pathologist that examines every group of fish before they leave the hatchery and again before the fish are released in to the ocean. This PhD has seen and examined more wsb than any one else and should be considered the expert and authority on wsb health. His assertions are not opinions and are not unsubstantiated. There is data that backs up what he is saying. He is very professional, keeps impeccable notes and records, and has no reason or ulterior motive to put him self out on a limb unless he knows there is a problem. Attacking this individual for finding deformed fish rather than using facts and data to refute his claims tells me that some thing is wrong. Criticizing, or even questioning, the wsb program immediately puts that person in the enemy category. Questions should be asked and fact based answers should be given. Not personal attacks or repetitions of the same PR feel good stories from a decade ago. Mike

02-12-2016, 08:48 AM	#8
Baja_Traveler Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Table 17, Bay Park Fish Co. Posts: 943	Everyone needs to realize that the DFW has been infiltrated by EnviroNazis bent on eliminating hunting and fishing in the state of California. Nothing that happens in the department is based on science anymore. When you have commissioners of the DFW who at the same time are paid board members of Project Coyote it speaks volumes to where we are heading...