Is anyone interested in having a discussion about positive solutions for our fisheries? Does anyone have a vision for the future of our fisheries? Fishery managers are asking us to have these discussions among ourselves and take a more proactive role in fishery management.
Keep Only What you can eat, Freeze Nothing…Usually goes in the trash…Take a picture and through the rest back
Woodfloats?
I agree most frozen fish end up in the trash. What would you think about full retention fisheries with no discards during July and August when water temperatures are high and oxygen levels are low resulting in high discard mortality rates? There should still be possession limits during this time, but no size limits. We could have data collection centers set up and arrange for unwanted seafood to be donated to soup kitchens or food pantries.
Hmmmm…Let’s see…How about along with your fishing license, you get a SCDNR produced, dvd collection, along with some coupons for a couple of packs of frozen fish, caught and processed in China. On any given weekend, you watch a dvd, or two, then go to the grocery store, purchase some filets with your coupons, and have a fish fry. Sound 'bout like what you’re looking for?
It isn’t like the State’ and Federal fishing regulations aren’t confusing, and intrusive enough, already! Who’s gonna pay for a couple of guys to stand around, on call, in every county, in case some poor angler has a couple of fish to donate to the food pantry? Maybe Game Wardens? LOL…Right! Let it go Dude, folks like you have pretty much ruined fishing for the rest of us already!!
…Politicians aren’t the “Oldest Profession”, but the results are still the same!!!
Mixed Nutz, how will full retention fisheries when discard mortality rates are highest force fishermen to eat frozen imports? Fishery managers say they need more data. Maybe instead of writing tickets for undersized fish, LOE’s could set up data collection/donation centers at public boat ramps for two months.
Just because most frozen seafood ends up in the trash does not mean I want to take your freedom to keep a limit of fish. In fact, I would like you to be free to keep more of what you catch by limiting the tons of voluntary and regulatory discards currently wasting millions of pounds of seafood.
Apathy ruined fishing. It is time for us to cast off apathy and get involved by offering positive solutions rather than just negative complaints.
Okay…You win…I misunderstood your logic! Now, I get it though. In order to reduce regulation, what we need is more legislation?..Now am I getting warm? Do you know that Nature has a way of controlling the population of fish/wildlife, with or without the help of mankind? As much as 80% of the population of Mourning Dove’s here in America will die each year of starvation, whether hunted or not. From the reports I’m reading here, I feel hat the bottom dwellers at our nearshore, and offshore reefs might be soon meeting that same fate, if not allowed to be harvested at substantial, yet sustainable, rates.
…Politicians aren’t the “Oldest Profession”, but the results are still the same!!!
You are getting warmer Mixed Nutz, but do we really need legislation to promote common sense regulations that limit waste? Why can’t reasonable fishermen have open discussions and stand united in support of positive solutions? Not everything has to be forced by law. Enough people peacefully supporting or opposing an issue can convince our elected and unelected public servants to do as we ask. Some issues just take more people getting involved than others. Do you have any positive solutions to suggest?
You’re loosing me bro’. How do you propose that we fulfill your objective of “common sense regulations”, without legislation? A voluntary basis? Not sure that would be very beneficial? By the way, who are the Fishery Managers you speak of, Local, State, Federal, and why, all of a sudden, do they give a (**() about what the anglers have to say about any of this?
…Politicians aren’t the “Oldest Profession”, but the results are still the same!!!
Getting a waver so we can weigh in 27 inch fish in tournaments. 23’s are harder to come by every day.
FINS prostaff-http://www.finsfishing.com/
We can influence ANY public servant IF enough citizens stand united. We can convince fishery managers at the state and federal level to implement common sense regulations without an act of Congress or a State Legislature IF enough of us can find something to agree on. If most of us are divided and the rest are apathetic, we are all going to continue losing our freedom to fish. NOAA recently released a document stating that many recreational quotas will be dedicated entirely to dead discards within the next decade. Kind of like the Red Snapper fishery was until last year when the SAFMC finally decided to remove the size limit and allow some retention for a very limited time.
Does anyone really think it is a good idea to allocate 45,000 pounds of Black Sea Bass or 81,000 pounds of Gag Grouper quotas to dead discards this year? Closures and arbitrarily high size limits account for most of those dead discards. I propose we set aside 10% of each quota that has discard deductions along with half of the poundage allocated to dead discards for by-catch allowances of undersized fish and during closures. We should be allowed a minimum of one fish and up to 10% of a possession limit to be undersized. There should be a minimum of one fish and up to 10% of an open season possession limit as a by-catch allowance during closed seasons. Aligning opening dates for co-occurring species like Gag Grouper and Black Sea Bass would also help and be the easiest thing to get done quickly through the SAFMC’s RA14 that will be voted on this year. The council asks for our comments. If enough of us submit comments supporting similar things, they will listen.
coosawkane, what do you think about offering non-transferable tags for sale with each license so fishermen could keep at least one or maybe a few oversized Red Drum each year? The big drum should have to be tagged immediately and taken to an official weigh station where data can be collected. The tags could also be used for catch and release tournaments.
I’m on your side freefish7, but I’m not sure how one will convince the local Game Warden that your undersize fish in the cooler are a-okay, because you, and some unknown “fishery manager”, say it is? And, I’m NOT for more legislation/regulation, rather LESS of it!!
…Politicians aren’t the “Oldest Profession”, but the results are still the same!!!
quote:Dang it, you keep referring to doing something "without" legislation, then post a comment about non-transferable tags for over slot Reds. If so many tags are doled out, and kept accounted for. What difference does it make who catches the allotment of fish? I'm trying to stay with ya', but you're making it confusing.
Originally posted by freefish7coosawkane, what do you think about offering non-transferable tags for sale with each license so fishermen could keep at least one or maybe a few oversized Red Drum each year? The big drum should have to be tagged immediately and taken to an official weigh station where data can be collected. The tags could also be used for catch and release tournaments.
…Politicians aren’t the “Oldest Profession”, but the results are still the same!!!
The SAFMC does not need permission from Congress to remove or change size limits or possession limits. LEOs will enforce whatever regulation the council comes up with.
I am fine with straight possession limits for large drum.
We need ways to allow for a limited harvest of almost anything at any time. Some species will have higher possession limits than others based on stock size and pressure level.
Once we properly manage quotas to avoid total closures and excessive discards, we need to focus on enhancing our fisheries with things like artificial reefs.
Cool, and thanks for the insight! Keep up the good work, and let us know how we can assist you in your efforts. Sorry for my original crassness, but I mistook your concern as being on the wrong side if these issues!!
…Politicians aren’t the “Oldest Profession”, but the results are still the same!!!
Thanks for the spirited discussion Mixed Nutz. I am on the side of fish, fishermen, and freedom. I think most of us are on the right side and we just need to start coordinating our efforts so we can all keep our freedom to fish and eat them.
I would love to see the SAFMC completely shut down and the money that was being used to fund that organization be dispersed into the State DNR to be used for funding the State’s effort to manage their own fisheries.
State should own and manage it’s fishery out to 200 miles.
NOAA should not have any management authority over the states but instead should only act as an adviser with scientific data.
I believe if a MPA is created it should be required by law to be dispelled within 3 years and returned to the fishermen. I believe it should be no larger than 1 square mile with the four corners being the same distance apart (diagonally). No MPA can be created within 5 miles of an existing MPA. At no time can there be more than 5 MPAs within a states authority.
I’ve got other ideas but they also require removing Federal agencies from authority over our fisheries.
I’d buy a tag to keep a couple of over slot spot tails.
On the bad frozen fish. Y’all amaze me. Only fish in my freezer that went bad was from a broken freezer and a week away from it.
I just can’t understand how someone would throw good food in the trash? I’ve stretched frozen fish out to a year frozen in water and it was still fine. In my community, if anyone has a surplus of frozen food on the verge of going bad we share it, I hate waste.
< Evil is simply the absence of God >
Exactly Fred67. If any fish sits in my freezer for over a month I call some friends over and have a fish fry. There is no excuse for throwing away frozen fish. I also write what’s in the bag and dating it after vacuum sealing it.
RDW, those are all great ideas. I took part in the Marine Resource Education Workshop last month. They asked those of us at the workshop to reach out to other fishermen so we can be more involved in the management process. I am also working with Dr. Duval on the SAFMC’s Visioning Project. We have a very real chance to achieve some of what you described IF enough of us will get involved.
Fred67 and UGABradn, glad to hear you try not to waste seafood. I think with a little education and cooperation with soup kitchens, we could stop most fresh and frozen seafood from being wasted. Please do not think that I am in any way saying you should not be free to put some fish in your freezer. I have fish in my freezer right now and have survived on frozen fish during hard winters. I have also given frozen fish to friends who asked me for some food.