The more I read up on nthis the more confused I get.
It looks like the recs and comms are on the same team against the internationals/importers.
Apparently the long liners are going after tuna ($6/lb) and not catching swords ($3/lb) and the US is having to buy imported Swordfish to meet demand numbers.
I’ll read more on this and post what I find in a day or two.
Like I said before, I'm not trying to dog anyone. It just seems that the claim that the SAFMC makes that recs catch 40% of the harvest is ludicrous. I asked them to show me the data and they couldn't!
Life is like a piece of ■■■■■…no matter if it sinks or floats…you always get flushed in the end
Guys, get over the 60/40 split I mentioned. I said I was talking conceptually and to not focus on my “facts”. I made up 60/40 just to illustrate the issue.
ICCAT is involved here. I don’t think ICCAT has anything to do with Snapper and Grouper.
Guys, get over the 60/40 split I mentioned. I said I was talking conceptually and to not focus on my “facts”. I made up 60/40 just to illustrate the issue.
ICCAT is involved here. I don’t think ICCAT has anything to do with Snapper and Grouper.
Greg, I think you might be more accurate than you think. I seem to remember the splits they were talking about in the snapper/grouper scoping meeting being 60/40 or possibly 70/30. Hell, even at 30 % I think it is a stretch…sorry…STRETCH.
Life is like a piece of ■■■■■…no matter if it sinks or floats…you always get flushed in the end
Nut…the more I read the more I find how completely different this is than NMFS and the Snapper/Grouper issues we are facing.
ICCAT is international. We are alotted a quota as a country (rec and comm together). If the US does not reach quota then it may be given to the foreign boats.
When I say 60/40, I’m not talking about how much each sector catches, I’m talking about how much each sector is supposed to catch to keep our quota domestically.
Another problem is peoplenot reporting their catches. It is very important for us to report our landings!!!
Guys, get over the 60/40 split I mentioned. I said I was talking conceptually and to not focus on my “facts”. I made up 60/40 just to illustrate the issue.
ICCAT is involved here. I don’t think ICCAT has anything to do with Snapper and Grouper.
I think the comparison to the grouper/snapper issues and the commercial/rec allocation %'s within the fishery is still similar to the ICCAT quotas for each country…
i.e.: there’s that paradox between catching and reporting enough so that your particular sector can keep being allowed to catch what it does and if not, then another entity, whether a commercial dude or a foreign country will be given your allotment.
I know each management system and species is very different, but there are still the same problems and the same kind of guesswork involved with deciding who can and will harvest what.
From what you have been saying in this thread, do you mean to say that it is good if recreational guys are out there catching them since the US longliner guys are catching fewer lately (focusing on tuna instead)… so that when we report these catches, we will at least be helping to hold onto the US’s share of the global quota?
Seems like that would keep the price of foreign swords a little higher, if any affect at all, since we’d be keeping some country(s) from having a higher supply and thus a lower price… which in turn could keep swords more valuable and possibly a target for longliners when and if the tuna fall back in a few years or something.
Just throwing that out for the sake of argument.
What do you think???
I doubt our fishery can have much effect on the global supply and price… similar to how our shrimp fishery doesn’t.
All I know is people buying fish from the stores is killing our oceans.
Whether it’s caught by a domestic boat or a boat out of Panama it’s all coming from the same stock.
I do think that poor domestic regulation is better than awful international regulation. So from the “lesser of two evils” attitude it is better for us to keep as much of the quota “in house” as possible.
I plan on doing a lot more reading when I get time.
With all that said…who knows what the hell is really going on.
Interesting article regarding the FDA and how it influences what fish the international LLers target.
“Importers of swordfish, tuna or mahi mahi, the largest of which are likely to have unacceptable levels of mercury, will switch to smaller fish that can pass the mercury test, the report said. Once the importers have passed the five consecutive analyses, they switch back to the large fish. The report quoted one F.D.A. seafood expert as saying that over half of the imported swordfish probably contains unacceptable levels of mercury.”
When I was around 10, my Dad arranged for us to spend a day on a commercial swordfishing boat out of Edgartown, Mass. Summer-1947.
In those days, a typical commercial boat was 40 foot clinker built with a 25 foot mast equipped with lookout hoops and a long bowsprit. The crew consisted of a Capt and Mate. We fished in daylight.
When we reached the fishing grounds, the mate climbed into the hoops to watch for swords swimming on the surface. When one was spotted,the Mate cried out “Skilligalee!” and pointed at the fish. The Capt conned the boat towards the fish while the mate slid down the forestay to the pulpit, grabbed a harpoon and waited to spear the fish.
If he was successful, and often he was not, the fish would run and a buoy was chucked overboard-just like Jaws.
Swords were large in those days, several hundred pounds not uncommon; it was tough to bring one ashore successfully.
Very hard way to make a living for the crew; fish had a sporting chance and the fishery wasn’t impacted much.
Looks like things have changed a lot in 60 years.
Fished Edisto Banks on Monday and saw 3 commercial boats stacked up on a point along the banks. We were trolling along edge and they were stationary (maybe anchored) with what looked to be a big downrigger and single line off the back. It was hard to make out at our distance but we got with in maybe a hundred yards when one of them broke lose and came right for us. We tried to hale them on the radio but got no response. It looked like they were heading to cut our lines (at full throttle) when the backed off real sudden and did a quick turnaround. We are not sure what, if we did anything wrong and they never waved us off or anything…but we must have pissed them off in a major way…Anyone got an clue?
Thanks for the input…not sure I understand pulling around anchors concept at planing speed. What are Miamis? Muledriver could you elaborate? Thanks in advance.
Miamis and Bandits are same thing reals loaded with wire line to feel the bite. Swing the handle mash button fish comes to the surface. Pulling around on anchor is moving to different spot while towing anchor. Here is a note for future reference they dont wave because they dont care too. Best thing to do is not pull right up on them. I com. fished summers during college know a bunch of guys and I only troll close by the ones I know. Also just because they were at the edisto banks doesnt mean they were from the area. Cruising at 8 knts allows you to go a long way, boats could have been from Little River to St. Augustine.
Back to Sword fish.
Going to Palm Beach for New Years I let you guys know what the fleet looks like.