New fishing rules for Cape Perpetua and Cascade Head marine reserves begin Jan. 1, Dec. 9

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is reminding sport and commercial anglers that harvest restrictions at two marine reserve sites, Cape Perpetua and Cascade Head, will take effect Jan. 1, 2014. The new rules prohibit harvest activities, such as fishing and crabbing, within the boundaries of the marine reserves, and are similar to harvest restrictions already in effect at the Otter Rock and Redfish Rocks marine reserve sites. To help commercial fisherman plot the boundaries of all the marine reserve sites, ODFW and the Oregon State Police will be distributing electronic thumb drives during this season’s crab hold inspections. The thumb drives include the boundary coordinates for each site, as well as directions for installing the boundary coordinates on to a plotter. Anglers can view and print a summary of the harvest rules, with maps and boundaries, for the marine reserve sites on the Oregon marine reserve website at: www.oregonocean.info/marinereserves/rules. Similar information is also available in the recently released 2014 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations. For more information about Oregon’s marine reserves and the related harvest restrictions, call ODFW’s Newport Office at (541) 867-4741.