According to a commercial fisherman a torn fishing net was the source of thousands of dead sardines on Rio del Mar State Beach. David Tibbles, an eyewitness, opined that there was a strong southwest wind on Saturday and one boat there was filling up with fish when he got caught in shallow water and his net got tangled. He told that the net ripped, dumping a portion of the catch into the Monterey Bay. He said two boats where in the area where the spill occurred, and that he did not know which boat’s net was torn.
Tibbles was San Luis Obispo County-based fisherman who has been plying the state’s waters for more than 40 years. He said that it is really a shame, but there’s nothing you can do about it. He also told that the sight of the fish washed up on the beach Saturday had many residents crying foul.
Stacy Patyk of Seacliff informed that birds and sea lions are starving, yet there are big fishing boats coming out to the shore every single day, most of the day. State Fish and Game officials, however, said they would be hard-pressed to establish a link between those sea lion deaths and the commercial fishing industry since the deaths started well before the commercial sardine season.
It is said that since spring, the Marine Mammal Center in Moss Landing has rescued more than twice the number of sea lions than during the same period last year. She told that the center is cooperating with other scientific organizations to find out what’s causing this. Dan Perry, State Parks lifeguard, informed that Fish and Game does not limit the proximity to shore that boats can go, State Parks prohibits vessels from going within 1,000 feet of shore to protect swimmers and to give lifeguards time to react in case a boat runs into trouble.
