Pat, I would not say that they are not responsible for some of the decline in certain fisheries because they were the ones doing the actions, but I will say they were perfectly legal in doing what they were doing. They did what people did back in the day because they didn’t know any better or it was a handed down tradition. Just like when we used to catch the h$ll out of the little spottails and trout in the fall back in the 80’s and our fathers before that. That wasn’t a problem back then because there just weren’t enough people doing it to impact the fishery. That changed with bigger boats and motors that were more affordable. I kind of agree with 23 here that just because it was legal and a tradition, it doensn’t mean that it is right to keep doing. I don’t think the answer is to make shrimping illegal, maybe just give fewer licenses. It is coming with shrimp baiting too!!
Funny you mentioned the flounder on the shrimp boats. Back when I fished alot, I could tell when the shrimp season opened later that the flounder fishing was better by the numbers inshore. I think it gave the flounder a longer window to migrate back inshore before being caught in the nets. Don’t know if that is true, but it seemed to be!
quote:[i]Originally posted by patientmaker
Worked on the shrimp boats for many years and I saw very few redfish ever caught. Now flounder were caught regularly and never thrown back because there was no minimum size Most of the trout caught were weakfish. Speckled were not a big bycatch either, but when they were, they were also kept and sold. The by catch numbers for pinfish,
croaker, menhaden, spot and whiting were huge, but there are no restrictions on these I dont believe. Please dont blame the shrimpers for things for which they arent responsible.
Started shrimping as a kid in 1975 as step son of Captain Magwood and last worked boats in early 90’s. My only real point was that the reds especially were not impacted by the shrimpers as many people think. BTW, great catch 23 and Sells! Thats a nice haul! To heck with all the whiners!
Oh yeah, Spanish were a big bycatch also. Again, they were sold not thrown away. RWL, U R right that they did affect some species tremendously. IF they had a large affect on reds, thats news to me. As far as regulation goes, when a scallop population was found off of charleston in the 80’s, it was rapidly overfished by shrimpers who re-rigged for scalloping. They were not regulated, and within a couple years the scallops were gone. It also used to be legal to drag nets for snapper, grouper, etc until regs were put in place. If not, our offshore bottom fishing would be probably non-existent by now. Again, lack of regs on the shrimpers did cause lots of problems with fish populations over the years…but redfishspotailchannelbass…not so much.
Started shrimping as a kid in 1975 as step son of Captain Magwood and last worked boats in early 90’s. My only real point was that the reds especially were not impacted by the shrimpers as many people think. BTW, great catch 23 and Sells! Thats a nice haul! To heck with all the whiners!
I only asked that because I wonder what the bycatch numbers were in the 80s/90s vs today, being that the population today is so much greater…
Less shrimp boats so less bycatch I would guess…I too went many times on shrimp boats and never remember all the “reds and trouts” killed by them, remember stuff pushed over and watching it swim away or being scooped up by birds or shark…do remember a few “weak” fish too pat…maybe if they had been “stronger” they could have been a little faster…but did catch a few flounder with gigs in them…lol…just a joke guys …now that trawlers Have turtle excluders I think there less bycatch also
but this isnt about trawlers …
sorry this post got away from its original subject guys…
I don’t know how this turned to a shrimp boat bashing, but the general public is very misinformed about what fish are REALLY impacted by a shrimp trawler. Shrimp nets now must have turtle excluders as well as fish excluders. you would be hard pressed to have enough fish at the end of a trip for a family of 4 to make a meal.
I cannot–for the life of me–understand the people who cry about a redfish dying but will kill 20+ sheeps or flounder??? I honestly just don’t get it. Maybe for the inshore guides bc that is what most target and it gets them the paycheck…
Anyways good job on your night. That is nothing short of impressive. And for the record, I don’t keep many but I love the taste of blackened redfish.
i’ve been following this one and have mixed feelings. always enjoy reading sells and 23sail’s posts. my fam back in the day used to catch crap loads of “fluke” (summer flounder) and keep them all when up north… and we’re talking more than 20. that was a long time ago. try the same spots now (which are in jersey) and you won’t find that type of fishing (we did actually used to have big fish fries so none went to waste but i don’t have big fish fries down here so no reason for me to that). i personally don’t do that but i sure as hell am not going to whine about someone who does catch that many and feeds the fam or has fish fries. if someone has a permit to sell like sells, no prob with that either! hell, how cool is that that a guy went out at night and stabbed fish with a fork rather than net the hell out of fish (not throwing any fire at shrimpers… only at boat fleets like the ones in NC who discarded thousands of stripers because they “hit their limit”). unlike sheep, flounder have a size limit (i put a few cents here and there on that sheeps head regs topic)… plus i feel comfortable here with that limit because there really aren’t a lot of people targeting flounder that are able to catch that many and there sure aren’t a lot of night stalking giggers as there are day rod & reelers. great catch guys… if i say i hate you it’s because you have some awesome flounder fillets and i’m just jealous.
i’ve been following this one and have mixed feelings. always enjoy reading sells and 23sail’s posts. my fam back in the day used to catch crap loads of “fluke” (summer flounder) and keep them all when up north… and we’re talking more than 20. that was a long time ago. try the same spots now (which are in jersey) and you won’t find that type of fishing (we did actually used to have big fish fries so none went to waste but i don’t have big fish fries down here so no reason for me to that). i personally don’t do that but i sure as hell am not going to whine about someone who does catch that many and feeds the fam or has fish fries. if someone has a permit to sell like sells, no prob with that either! hell, how cool is that that a guy went out at night and stabbed fish with a fork rather than net the hell out of fish (not throwing any fire at shrimpers… only at boat fleets like the ones in NC who discarded thousands of stripers because they “hit their limit”). unlike sheep, flounder have a size limit (i put a few cents here and there on that sheeps head regs topic)… plus i feel comfortable here with that limit because there really aren’t a lot of people targeting flounder that are able to catch that many and there sure aren’t a lot of night stalking giggers as there are day rod & reelers. great catch guys… if i say i hate you it’s because you have some awesome flounder fillets and i’m just jealous.
Well said! And adios, Adios. Dont read if we bore you!
I don’t think the shrimp boats have anything to do with the spot tails either Pat. I also don’t have any problems with what anyone is doing here. Just curiosity on my part.
What ever happen to the rock shrimp we used to see ?
Sorry RWL, been away from site for a few days. I know we used to head to Fla in Nov or Dec to catch the Rock shrimp. A lot of hard work for less pay than white and brown shrimp. I honestly dont know if they still do that or not. Ill find out!
can I ask the difference if 23 gigged these and had a fish fry or if he purchased these from sellsfish and had a fish fry or if he drove to another seafood market and bought these to have a fish fry or if he and his fam/friends drove to a resturant and ordered the fish from a menu?
My guess: from the look is he is calling stonoman an idiot… But I would certainly hope not… Since stonoman said “it’s legal…”
This is just sad that people can’t post reports without the peanut galleries throwing in their 2 cents of bashing or jealousy. Whether they be offshore, inshore, or surf. Why can’t anyone ever be postive and say “Good Job” or “Nice catch” I see a few posts lik that, then a bunch of aruging about the fishery and how this one person single handedly just killed the entire population of flounder in Charleston… This is why people stop coming to CF.com
Congrats on the haul sells. I would love to have a night like that.
lol…just a joke guys …now that trawlers Have turtle excluders I think there less bycatch also