On Nov. 8, a container ship crashed into one of the towers of the San Francisco Bay Bridge, spilling thousands of gallons of oil into the bay.

According to the State Department of Fish and Game, Gov. Schwarzenegger has suspended fishing until Dec. 1 in the spill zone, which has been defined as including all San Francisco Bay waters west of the Carquinez Bridge, excluding rivers, streams, creeks and their tributaries.

It also includes a three-mile-wide section of the Pacific Coast between the Point Reyes Lighthouse in Marin County and San Pedro Point in San Mateo County.

DFG warns against eating fish caught from the San Francisco Bay oil spill area while the state is evaluating its safety, say state public health officials who are testing fish for chemical contamination.

Fish and shellfish caught from waters outside the spill area remain as safe to eat as before the spill, but marine life from the spill area should be avoided until the evaluation of its safety is completed.

DFG has collected almost 1,000 crabs, mussels, herring and surf perch from a variety of locations and depths both inside and outside the spill zone and has sent that marine life to laboratories for testing.

The marine life collected includes both Dungeness and rock crabs, and the collection locations range from Bodega and Tomales bays to Angel Island, the Berkeley Pier, Ocean Beach, and the Marin and San Mateo County coasts.

These locations include both the spill zone and areas outside of the spill zone for comparison purposes. Results of the tests are expected toward the end of next week.

Health officials are asking people to stay away from shore areas until cleanup efforts are completed. After beaches are re-opened, people who find oil deposits along the shore should report them to cleanup officials by calling (415) 398-9617.

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has issued the following safety advice for beaches in the spill area:

• Avoid direct contact with spilled oil, which can cause skin irritation. Prolonged contact can cause rashes.

• If you get oil or tar on your skin, wash it off with soap and water, and be certain to wash your hands before eating.

• If you get oil on your clothing, wash it in the usual way. There is no need to use harsh detergents, solvents or other chemicals to wash oil from skin or clothing.

• Do not burn driftwood or other debris that may be contaminated with oil.

• Use common sense. Do not swim in water with an oil slick and do not swallow water from the area. Oil-contaminated water can cause choking and lead to severe pneumonia if it gets into the lungs.

• There is no risk of adverse health effects from breathing air near spilled oil, unless there is prolonged exposure to fumes in closed spaces.

Although some beaches have been re-opened, oil is continuing to wash onto beaches that have been cleaned up, and this is expected to continue for months. It is possible that some beaches may be opened and closed several times as they are cleaned, re-oiled and then cleaned again.

As of this week, nine Bay Area beaches had been re-opened, but 18 remained closed.

A list of closed and opened beaches is available at www.coscobusanincident.

com.

Fish, crabs and other shellfish from outside the spill zone are generally safe to eat. But women of childbearing age and children should follow pre-spill guidelines for mercury exposure and limit to one meal per week consumption of sport fish caught from areas without specific advisories.

Pheasants of the Forest

Over the extended Thanksgiving weekend I finally had the chance to get in some pheasant hunting. Matt Schwanebeck and I, along with our two German shorthair pointers, made a trip up to one of our favorite Wilderness Unlimited properties near Colusa.

After the season has been open for a couple of weeks, surviving birds get pushed into the less-accessible areas. So on this third weekend, we concentrated our efforts on the heavy woods and marshy areas.

Our only opportunity came when a big rooster flushed wild on us in a wooded area. I took a hopeful shot as it dipped and darted between the tree limbs, but to no avail. Those forest pheasants are the smart ones, and they really know how to escape trouble in there!

Despite our lack of success, we had a great time hiking around and watching the dogs work on a warm, beautiful fall day. Traipsing through the woods, we saw all sorts of wildlife — owls, hawks, falcons, deer, dove and the occasional pheasant.

It was a great day just to be out there enjoying the outdoors.

Matt headed up to the same property again the following day with another hunting buddy.

They were able to track down a rooster along the edge of one of the marshy fields we scouted the day before, and that pheasant became a nice dinner for the weary hunters!

Guy Carl is a CPA and partner with Brotemarkle, Davis & Co. Accountants and Advisors in

St. Helena.

Contact Guy at GC.outdoors@sbcglobal.net.