Gordon wrote:
Why are commercial fishing boats going so cheep.
No local fish stocks. We caught them all.
Having been deeply involved with West Coast fisheries, blanket
statements like this are irritating to say the least.
Yes, I agree. My "...caught them all..." is a gross simplification.
Yes, some fisheries have problems but many others are very healthy.
"...some..." "...very healthy..." If a person takes a historical look
at all stocks in aggregate either world wide or in your own back yard,
the Oregon Coast, you'll find there are more stocks are either
extinct, on the verge of crashing, have to much bycatch, or simply too
costly to fish.
Example, how about Dungeness, salmon, Y-Tail, Widow, POP, basically all
Sebestes complex, Halibut, O-Flats, sturgeon, smelt, shad. And that's
just Oregon. Oh, yea but what about those trashfish (under utilized
species) such as Hake (AKA Pacific Whiting)? Oh yea, Lets see...
Russians fishing within 3mile until the FCZ was created Now the EEZ.
Then the JVs of the 80s. Then US boats only about 1991. The Ocean
Phoenix (world's largest processor) The F/T "bird boats", the
Jaeger and Hawk swooped down to Oregon in-between Pollock seasons for
some summer Hake sport. What's up now?? NMFS steps in and says
slowdown, the hake are going to crash. The catchers and surimi plants
say FU. We want more tonnage!
Uh, what happened with the great cod grounds of the NE?????? Where are
all the Columbia river salmon? Since you are an old timer to the Oregon
Coast, you no doubt remember Astoria before the OR-WA bridge? That
whole area by the ferry dock was all fish canneries. Now just a few old
sets of pilings where all those canneries stood. Why did the canneries
close?!?!?!?!?!?
But you are correct I made a gross statement. After:
1) the potatoes farmers take all the river water,
2) the loggers take the timber that cooled the streams and created
erosion that silted the salmon reds (spawning beds),
3) the ranchers run cattle on the streams again causing bed silting
and reduced shade that increases stream temperatures,
4) Towns filled in the wetlands and marshes where the juvenile salmon
stayed for protection, food, and rest,
5) Jo blow puts another 100mt of weed & feed on the lawn just to get it
greener and it runs off into the stream,
6) Don't even mention all the bumper chrome shops, ship yards, and
other business that use the rivers as a sewer,
7) Harbor and California Sea Lion populations increasing to normal and
healthy populations. They got to eat too,
8) How many damns on the Columbia River system? And is it 10% of all
juvenile salmon die passing down stream through each damn? And there
are how many damns?????
9) Commercial boats always crying about the unfair NMFS quotas.
10) Technology on boats that can now search and catch a single fish
and turn it into product. Bauder and Toyo machines capable of mincing a
Pollock minnow into surimi. Or as I heard one F/T factory manager say,
we striped the roe and killed all the breeders, we caught all the
teenagers, and now I got to make these puppies into product. these fish
are so young they aiint even got their eyes open. We aint gonna haf
nuthin left to catch!
You're right I did make a blanket statement when many other factors
have contributed to a disastrous decline in EVERY commercially viable
species and the concomitant bycatch.
Go to this site, pick your download speed, then wait a bit. The first
part is a long intro but it will get into it. Warning, it is quite a
lengthy discourse but well worth watching.
http://www.uwtv.org/programs/displayevent.aspx?rID=2515
Gordon
Please Gordon do not believe those people who have a vested interest in
catching more fish. Its like asking the Fox about the effectiveness of
hen house security. In other words, go out to Yaguina Head (since you
are an old time commercial fisheman) and see how many sea otters you
can catch. Or Just off there, take your little dragger and see how
you'ld do after a couple trys at "Chicken tow."
Bob