On Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:50:49 -0500, thunder
wrote:

On Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:20:07 -0400, Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:


One final thought - we, and I mean all tournament fishermen, need to
reevaluate the landed tournaments and go towards the X series billfish
and shark tournament model - on board judges who film, document, measure
and tag all catches which are then released back into the eco system.

That seems to be the wave of the future. It does take some time for
minds to change. Look at bass fishing. When I was a kid, a bass was a
meal. These days, at least around here, it's a rare instance when a bass
is kept. They are almost always released with the hope they can be
caught again. Same with a trout, once the put and take openers are gone.

I think quite a few sportsmen are coming around to seeing that ocean fish
are too valuable alive, to be caught only once.

True, but it's still the big bucks landed tournaments that take the
monsters out of the system where they are most needed.

I remember back when largemouth were considered "trash" fish - like
bullheads - 'po folk et 'em. :)

One of the biggest problems we're seeing up here, and while the
various Departments of The Environment in New England states don't
publicly acknowledge it, poaching of striper and ground fish stocks
goes on and on - mostly Russians, Poles, etc - mostly immigrants from
that area of the world - reselling into their own ethnic markets and
shops year around without any interference except for the occasional
bust. Enforcement of landed poaching is almost non-existant.

And I feel a rant coming on - I'll stop now. :)