LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
From Key West to Kennebunkport, east coast anglers are up in arms over the latest incursion that National Marine Fisheries Service has thrust into the recreational fishing community. The NMFS announced earlier this week that they would permit only circle hooks to target billfish in fishing tournaments along the east coast for those using natural bait or combination artifical and natural baits.
This has been a sore subject among the billfishing community participants for several years now. It began when an enviromentalist group petitioned to have the white marlin included on an endgangered species list. To draw support for their cause, unsupportable flawed data was offered as proof of severely depleted stocks of the popular sportfish. What made the data so unreliable was the very nature of white marlin. Being true pelagic species they cruise the open ocean and random sampling of certain areas can not take into account variation of their movements. It also fails to include the presence or lack of presence of bait stocks in a given area at sampling time.
Under pressure to do something from the group, the NMFs proposed shutting down the recreational fishery for white marlin all together for a period of years. In reality such a move would have effectively no impact on the stocks, as the number killed by sportsmen along the entire Atlantic coast annually is a smaller number than are killed by accident in a single misplaced longline set or single days net bycatch in open waters.
Multiple interests instanly responded to the threat of a shut down, citing the deep economic impact the industry and several communities would endure. Still the enviromentalists pressed on and levvied law suits against NMFS for not labling the fish endangered. Rather than face the suits , Fisheries officials began a negotiation process. Public outcry necessitated the fisheries to include their input as to their decision making process.
Debates and public meetings outlined several proposals that could quell both sides of the debate. At the public meetings, NMFS outlined a proposal that would include the use of circle hooks for the white marlin fishery. Circle hooks were brought into the discussion as an alternative to the standard "J" hook because of the lower mortality rate they provide. It has been demonstrated that the circle hook most often sets in the jaw or corner of the mouth in areas that do not cause the long term damage that deeper places can. Artificial lure manufacturers instantly jumped into the game pointing out that circle hooks were virtually 100% ineffective in conjunction with their product. Extensive and expensive research by NMFS found that their claim was indeed valid and exempted artificial baits from the circle hook rule. The findings validated that because no "drop back" was involved with lures and that fish seldom swallowed them. That deep potentially life threatening hook placement was not as likely as with a natural bait that is usually "fed" or "dropped back" to the fish.
The use of circles would have impact on the numbers of caught fish. The hook up ratio being far lower with their use than traditional "J" hooks. The resulting economic impact would be felt by people throughout the industry directly and indirectly as the frustratingly low hook up percentage coupled with astronomical fuel prices will force many to give up the sport.The passage of a measure such as this would have little if any impact on the health of the white marlin stocks but it represented a willingness for compromise by the sportfishing community.
As the debates centered around only white marlin and the circle hook use in strictly natural bait situations, the public input was limited to that alone. Now in underhanded fashion, NMFS has handed down an altered resolution that carries the circle hooks to combination artificial/ natural baits and continues past white marlin to include sailfish and blue marlin. Neither species or the combination baits had been brought before the public for their input.
Outraged by the blatant deception on the part of NMFS, anglers are now up in arms and are preparing lawsuits of their own that could bankrupt the cash strapped agency in legal fees alone. For some enraged by this, just the latest in a long line of confrontations with NMFS, blocking the circle hook and multiple billfish species is only the tip of their iceberg. Growing public sentiment is outraged by the encroachment of the NMFS into the recreational fisheries.
"The agency was instituted to deal with commercial exploitation of vulnerable stocks and the protection of endangered species. They have spilled over their bounds and are causing multiple millions of dollars worth of damage to the industries surrounding sport fishing. Its time to push them back into the role they were created for. There are individual state laws to deal with the sport end of the industry..." Was stated recently by one outraged angler.
Other sentiments echoed that statement and went on to include, "Hogarth and his band of thugs need to be removed from power. Their abuse of it makes them unfit to serve in any public office."
A charter boat captain in Palm Beach, Flordida had this to offer. "Its utter BS! Sailfish are not a commercial entity and NMFS has no business dictating to us on how we fish. We voluntarily use circles on kites because of the long drop we get off them. It keeps the fish from being gut hooked but dead bait is a deifferent story. The hook up ratio is far lower using them. Too low! On big baits and blue marlin its next to impossible to hook them using circles! The same goes for combos."
Yet another boat owner in Ocean City, Md. had this to add, "Look around this marina. There is a quarter billion dollars of machinery used primarily for tournament marlin fishing. Thats billion with a "B" ! Now with circle hooks that produce only one third the hook ups or less than "J" hooks how long do you think these guys are going to want to dump that kid of money in the sport."
Capt John Eppenheimer, spokesperson for Sportfishermen.com a 5000 member organization had this to offer, " A large portion of our membership is made up of tournament billfishermen and see this as an obstacle to their ability to feed their families. The much lower hook up rate utilizing circle hooks will disuade passengers from wanting to compete in the tournaments. Other members are involved with small lure manufacture that would be adversely affected by the "combo" inclusion under the present circle provision. Yet another portion of our membership is involved with the services end of the equation. Marinas, bait and tackle outfits, restaurants and hotels will feel the adverse effects with certainty. Lets not forget the boat builders and dealers who will loose due to the thoughtless actions of NMFS. The numbers are not small. Millions and millions will be lost if they enact this new rule as it is presented."
Persons upset by the recent developments and or the involvement of NMFS in recreational affairs are strongly urged to join their fellow anglers and voice your opinions and comments to all the parties listed on the NMFS contact list.
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/contact.htm
- Home
- Forum
-
Fishing Reports
- Alabama Fishing Reports
- Alaska Fishing Reports
- Canada Fishing Reports
- California Fishing Reports
- Central America Fishing Reports
- Connecticut Fishing Reports
- Delaware Fishing Reports
- Florida Fishing Reports
- Georgia Fishing Reports
- Hawaii Fishing Reports
- Louisiana Fishing Reports
- Maine Fishing Reports
- Maryland Fishing Reports
- Massachusetts Fishing Reports
- Mississippi Fishing Reports
- Mexico Fishing Reports
- New Hampshire Fishing Reports
- New Jersey Fishing Reports
- New York Fishing Reports
- North Carolina Fishing Reports
- Oregon Fishing Reports
- Rhode Island Fishing Reports
- South Carolina Fishing Reports
- Texas Fishing Reports
- Virginia Fishing Reports
- Washington Fishing Reports
- Directory
- Media
- Resources
- Contact Us
- Advertising
- What's New?
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Tuna Taxi
