Watchin' some.....

[charlie_the_tuna]

light tackle sight fishin' for wahoo. guy just hooked one 30 feet behind the boat...... about a 35 pounder. beautiful fish. dying to catch one.
got the fever bad.

[tsubaki]

No need to come in the South Atlantic waters.
They fixing to be on the SAFMC extinct list.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by tsubaki

No need to come in the South Atlantic waters.
They fixing to be on the SAFMC extinct list.

Which means (of course) that the biomass is probably better than it's been in the last 100 years but the "experts" think they need "protecting"

[THEFERMANATOR]

Originally Posted by Destroyer

Which means (of course) that the biomass is probably better than it's been in the last 100 years but the "experts" think they need "protecting"

What has happened is since this has been such a large sport fish industry where catch and release has been practiced heavily without alot of landings, they are now basing teh allowed catch limits off of there new numbers of total fishermen on the water(ANYBODY with a boat regardless of what type is counted) and how many are landed. Since the landings are so low they have come to the conclusion that they MUST be undergoing overfishing and be protected. Welcome to modern fisheries science. If you cathc them you get penalized for getting to many, if you release them you get penalized for not bringing in enough. If you are surveyed at the ramp and refuse to cooperate they will mark you down as having limits of everything, nothing, or that you're poachers, if you cooperate they will spin it and say the limits are too high and too many are coming in or if you don't have all your targeted species limited it is because the biomass is too low and the limits need to be reduced. We as fishermen have sat by too long, and now I'm afraid anybody who goes out and brings home a decent catch(not wiping out a reef but simply a night or two's meals) will be targeted as a poacher.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by THEFERMANATOR

What has happened is since this has been such a large sport fish industry where catch and release has been practiced heavily without alot of landings, they are now basing teh allowed catch limits off of there new numbers of total fishermen on the water(ANYBODY with a boat regardless of what type is counted) and how many are landed. Since the landings are so low they have come to the conclusion that they MUST be undergoing overfishing and be protected. Welcome to modern fisheries science. If you cathc them you get penalized for getting to many, if you release them you get penalized for not bringing in enough. If you are surveyed at the ramp and refuse to cooperate they will mark you down as having limits of everything, nothing, or that you're poachers, if you cooperate they will spin it and say the limits are too high and too many are coming in or if you don't have all your targeted species limited it is because the biomass is too low and the limits need to be reduced. We as fishermen have sat by too long, and now I'm afraid anybody who goes out and brings home a decent catch(not wiping out a reef but simply a night or two's meals) will be targeted as a poacher.

So true... They are doing the same thing up here on the East Coast. Fluke are at an all time high, and they were talking about closing the fishery because the biomass hasn't hit the 2012 tonnage they wanted... meanwhile there are more damn Fluke then you can shake a stick at. They are doing the same thing with Black Sea Bass... seems they need "Protecting" also. About the only thing they seem to be on target with is Weakfish (Sea trout). That fishery is in trouble and needs to be closed, not because of the recreational fishermen but from the commercial draggers that are destroying the bottom where they spawn. Setting their nets as soon as they leave port and just creating havoc... but that's ok, cause they aren't the "bad" sportfishermen, they have to make a living. It makes my blood boil.

[Stinky_Hooker]

Ahh like the Gulf Coast "endangered red snapper". Limits down to 2 but you cant justify the trip out anymore because after your catch you limit (about 15 minutes) you cant get past the snapper that are chewing rod tips off to try and catch triggers or grouper. Not worth going anymore. Rediculous.

[phatdaddy]

stink, i was flounder fishing in the bay, 15' water, with a sting ray grub and caught 2 legal snapper.

[redfish chaser]

I agree that the data used does not always make the best outcome. The people making the decisions are not the people in the field. The decision makers sit behind desk, read reports, listen to the tree huggers and watch out for there own BACKSIDE (politically). The reason is the tree hugger will spend the effort and time to go ply their case, however misinformed or misguided, to the decision makers. While the rest of us wait till it really twists our arm into action. No different than our present condition our country is in right now. People are just waking up now to realize our country is getting ready to fall on its face.
But the subject of limits and the data that sets them is really still up to us. We just have to speak in extremely large numbers to be heard.
As hard working Americans, most of us don't cry until you hit our pocketbook. So thats where we have to hit the government if we want to be heard. Fees from registrations, fuel (taxes), supplies (taxes), repairs (taxes) and maintenance is how our government survives. If we slow the flow of that money they have to listen. But we have to suffer to do this, no boating, no fishing, ohhhhh , wait now I'm talking crazy, no boating, no fishing? Man, I don't know if I can handle that.

[twofootitis]

Even counting people fishing from piers. Here in NC the piers will be counting fisherman daily for the gov't. Sickening how they are prepping us to give the fish to the guys with the most money ie. catch shares.

[Stinky_Hooker]

I have no doubt Phatty.