Fishing Blog

By Bob Marshall

Can the oceans’ wild fish stocks survive today’s world of commercial fishing?
 
For more than a decade, that question has been the driving concern of many marine conservationists, anglers, and the recreational fishing industry. The combination of new, highly efficient find-and-catch technologies, along with constant market pressures from the world’s exploding population, has overwhelmed the reproductive capacity of some species. Just as troubling, pursuit of market species often results in a huge by-catch — the capture, death and discard of untargeted species, including not only threatened fish but also marine mammals. Because that equation that shows no signs of changing, it threatens the future of some fish species.
 
That’s why the results of a pilot program that took place in the Gulf of Mexico have some conservationists and commercial fishermen hopeful for the future. Using highly selective gear instead of their traditional longlines, commercial fishermen targeting yellowfin tuna and swordfish saw their by-catch drop by as much as 91 percent, and most of what they did catch unintentionally was released alive. Most importantly, the fishermen saw they could make a profit fishing this new, sustainable way.
 
The results are especially important for the troubled bluefin tuna population. The Gulf is one of two spawning grounds for Atlantic bluefins and one of the by-catch species impacted by Gulf longliners.
 
“If we want to keep fishing in an area with known high by-catch, we have to change the way we fish,” said David Kerstetter, Ph.D., a researcher at Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center who led the program, which was funded by grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation. “Yellowfin tuna and swordfish populations are healthy in the Gulf. We want to keep them that way so these fishing communities – commercial and recreational – and survive.”
 
Typical longline rigs stretch for 30 miles, with 750 hooks. Studies show 51 percent of all fish hooked by longlines in the Gulf are by-catch, including sea turtles and marine mammals, and 65 percent of those discards are dead from handing on the lines too long.
 
Yellowfin fishermen in the study used “green stick gear,” which operates much like big-game sportfishing gear. A stick (sort of like a vertical outrigger) pulls five to 10 plastic squid baits bouncing across the surface about 300 to 400 feet behind the vessel at around 5 to 7 knots. The surface baits stay out of the feeding zone of non-targeted species, such as bluefin tuna. And keeping the baits close means fish are hauled to the boat quickly.
 
Only 16 percent of the green stick catch was by-catch, and all of it was released alive.
 
Swordfish boats used buoy gear, which feature one or two branch lines with hooks under independent, lighted or radar-reflecting floats. A typical set sees the fishermen deploy 12 to 15 buoys with 600 feet of water between them. The gear is actively monitored, so when detection gear shows a fish is hooked, the fishermen can quickly track and retrieve the catch.
 
During the test period, buoy gear by-catch was only 9 percent, and only 7 percent of those died.
 
Getting the fish in fast was one of the big keys for conservation as well as profit, Kerstetter explained. The longer a fish stays on the line, the less chance it has of survival if it must be released. And the fresher a fish is brought aboard, the higher the quality of its flesh, and the higher price it brings at the dock.
 
That’s important as well, because while the test showed selective fishing like this can be profitable for fishermen, large-volume less-efficient methods still bring in more money.
 
The results of the program were explained during a “Sustainable Seafood Luncheon” hosted by the Gulf Restoration Network at Gautreau’s Restaurant, one of New Orleans’ premier dining spots. Invited guests included commercial fishermen and sportfishermen, restaurateurs, chefs, conservation groups, grocers, and seafood dealers. That demographic was no accident.
 
“If we’re going to make this work economically for fishermen, we have to have a market that demands sustainably-caught seafood,” Kerstetter explained. “It’s like the dolphin-safe tuna movement. If we have people who care about conservation, and know they also will be getting higher quality fish, then we can create a market for sustainable fisheries.”
 
Kerstetter and the conservation groups are hoping NOAA can be convinced to use some of the fines coming in from the Deepwater Horizon disaster to fund a gear conversion program to help fishermen switch to sustainable fishing methods.
 
“We believe ultimately sustainable fishing will be more profitable for the industry, as well as allow us to keep fishing for these fish,” he said. [Read more...]

With this blasted cold weather that wont seem to go away I got to thinking, how cold it too cold to fish.  I have fished in -12 degrees before (with no wind) that that no wind makes all the difference in the world.  I only lasted about an hour or so before I got off the water.  We all fight the ice on the fly rod which I think is the single most frustrating thing when fishing in freezing temps.  The next biggest thing has to be the hands getting cold.  I am not a glove guy, I have tried many different types of gloves but I would just rather have my hand free and fight the cold then to have my gloves get in the way all the time.  Next I would say our the feet.  I double up on socks and also move around a lot when fishing so my feet don’t get that cold but I have fished with people that have the hardest time keeping the feet warm.  With your feet I would suggest don’t have your boots too tight to allow blood circulation.  This questions still remains, specifically referring to river fishing, how cold is to cold?  What do people do to stay warm in the winter? Lets hear from you…. [Read more...]

It’s funny how much people look into and research the types of bait you need for a fish.  I guess a fish that doesn’t eat worms isn’t going to want a worm for bait, so it’s important to use the right type of bait depending on where you go fishing.  I love animals, so sticking a living creature with a hook through it’s body is not something I really enjoy eoing.  Even if it’s a slimey worm or a tiny anchovie, it still seems cruel.  how woudl you like ot be hooked to a line and tossed into water in hopes of a bigger fish or creature to eat you.  Not my kind of thing. [Read more...]

I am often asked what tips I can offer for fishing; best lures, best rod and reel, best location, and I always start off with the same advice: keep a logbook. This may not seem like much of a tip at all, but in all reality it is in my opinion one of the best things you can do to become a better fisherman. This is the same advice that my dad gave to me many years ago. Even today when I ask him, he tells me to consult my logbook. [Read more...]