I just wanted to let everyone know that I have been a fisherman since I was 11. I worked summers as a kid setting nets and clamming. I started working on a charter boat at 16 and did that for over a decade. I commercially fished in the winter and worked my way up to owning my own snapper/grouper boat. I am not some college kid or charity worker. I am a fisherman who is trying to do what I can to help our fisheries. I got involved after I was forced to target nothing but triggerfish and jacks while discarding every other fish of any value for months at a time. My primary goal is to properly manage quotas to avoid multiple extended closures and excessive regulatory discards.
I’m guessing of course, but, do you reside in South Carolina?..My guess would be North Carolina. But, I’ve been, way wrong, before. Not a problem at all, just wondering?
…Politicians aren’t the “Oldest Profession”, but the results are still the same!!!
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Originally posted by freefish7 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.
I agree most frozen fish end up in the trash.
Hard to hold you serious when you talk about surviving off frozen foods and then agreeing frozen fish get thrown away.
If I had nothing better to do, I could see donating to a food kitchen, but as it is any extra from me gets “donated” to my neighbors and family. And if I ever found out any got wasted, they would never be given anything else from me.
So what is really your agenda?
< Evil is simply the absence of God >
Mixed Nutz, I am from North Carolina.
Fred67, when I worked on a charter boat and commercially fished in the winter as a younger man I stocked my freezer when I could and ate fish when I could not afford anything else. I could have survived without the fish in my freezer, but I would have had to ask for help or give up on my dream of being a fisherman. I know from working around charter boats that many customers would throw out frozen fish they had left from the year before to make room for what they caught that trip. I try not to waste seafood and am sure you do also. We just need to encourage others to do the same. Not everything has to be a law. Peer pressure and education can accomplish many goals at least as well or better than the threat of force.
My goal is a responsible harvest of healthy fisheries with very little waste.
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Originally posted by freefish7My goal is a responsible harvest of healthy fisheries with very little waste.
Well I can’t argue with that. But I can wonder with the reduction in DNR agents how we all can police the rogues that have no concern for any laws or our fisheries. I also hate the limited few in charge of our fisheries, that think they know what’s best for the masses. BSB and Snapper come to mind.
We CAN influence the public servants in charge of OUR public resources IF enough of us will find a few simple solutions we can agree on and stand united in support of them.
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmond Burke
Please check out my SAFMC Visioning Project comments post.
I don’t know…I’m skeptical, Do you work for NOAA? If not, where do you gain your knowledge of the traits, and by catch, of anglers here in South Carolina?
…Politicians aren’t the “Oldest Profession”, but the results are still the same!!!
I do not work for NOAA but I am being considered for a seat on the SAFMC Advisory Panel. I also attended the Marine Resource Education Program last month. I am trying to have discussions with as many people as I can so we can stand united behind a few positive solutions that benefit everyone and the resource we all love. I do not claim to know every detail of fishing practices in every area. I do believe a few basic guidelines can be applied to fisheries across the globe.
- Establish reasonable quotas.
- Manage those quotas so they are filled without excessive regulatory discards.
- Collect accurate data to use in credible stock assessments and the management of quotas.
It is how we achieve this that needs to be discussed by the stakeholders in different regions. NC, SC, Georgia, and Florida are all controlled by the SAFMC. I support state quotas and allowing each state to do what is best for their citizens. That is not the reality we are dealing with at this time so we need to work with what we have.
As for Red Drum, NC also has a slot limit that produces excessive discards of big drum. I would like to see a tag program for NC like the one I asked if you guys would support in SC so we can limit waste and collect better data.
Do you guys think I am not who or what I say I am? Do you agree or disagree with the three basic guidelines for managing fisheries?
FF–I have over 50 bags of frozen fillets from this spring portioned for two in my chest freezer. I vacuum seal, date, and freeze within 24 hrs of catching.
Not one piece will go to waste. I eat it throughout the year, give to friends & family (who always call to tell me how great it is and how they cooked it), trade for venison etc. The beginning of march next year I will eat the last of it and do it again.
Point is–don’t just assume frozen fish wasted. The last thing we need is more regulation in recreational fishing–it has really gotten out of controll and makes me worry about the future of what I love to do.
Pat Condon
I hope that no one is doubting your stated goals. IMO, fine tuning the Mag/Stevens Reauthorization (2014 or 2016??)is the way to do it. Your stated goals are probably already in the current management scheme, but somehow may have gotten lost in all the clutter. Improving recreational catch data would be a huge plus, but is going to cost lots of $$$ to collect and analyze the data. Also, the Council and various Advisory Panels currently have many commercial/recreational fisherpeople on them.
Not sure what red drum has to do with all these, as they are managed by the state within state waters. The SC statehouse would have to act to make changes to red drum size and catch limits.
Sea Hunt 207CC,Yam 150
www.abfishcharters.com
breadandbobbers, I am not assuming all frozen fish gets wasted. I am not saying you should not be allowed to freeze fish. I am saying we should encourage people to eat what they catch or give it away. Education and peer pressure work.
Beaufort Boy, I am working on issues in both state and federal waters. I don’t think it would be all that expensive to collect landings data electronically if it is set up right. The SAFMC wants us to be more involved in offering solutions. We could have BSB and grouper opening together on May 1 next year if enough of us speak up now. We should not passively support wasting millions of pounds of seafood with our silence. We should offer psoitive solutions to limit that waste or eco-charities will. Their solutions will include catch shares and area closures.