Captain Tred Barta - FISHING: Calcutta Kill Tournaments

[Capt. Jon Tennant]

Would that be a live or dead tuna fish in your Avatar?

stone dead... same as the one from last thurs. I'm proud to be a commercial fisherman and have been for the better part of my life. I offer no apologies for what I do. I do it for the money, period. However, I don't place myself upon some pedestal and tell other people they are wrong for doing the same thing I do. This is exactly what the kill tournament "sport" fisherman do, but in all realty they are no different than myself..... killing for money..... ie: COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN.

It's time to call a spade a spade.

[MountainM]

I think its just kinda sad how people kill BFT in and out and they are on the way out too, nobody even comments on that.

Cheers,
Doug

[Fritz]

stone dead... same as the one from last thurs. I'm proud to be a commercial fisherman and have been for the better part of my life. I offer no apologies for what I do. I do it for the money, period. However, I don't place myself upon some pedestal and tell other people they are wrong for doing the same thing I do. This is exactly what the kill tournament "sport" fisherman do, but in all realty they are no different than myself..... killing for money..... ie: COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN.

It's time to call a spade a spade.

delete delete delete ......Never mind, but being lectured by a socalled commercial fisherman about conservation is a joke. Sportfisherman and their wallets and organizations have done more for the resource than you guys could ever dream.

[Capt. Jon Tennant]

delete delete delete ......Never mind, but being lectured by a socalled commercial fisherman about conservation is a joke. Sportfisherman and their wallets and organizations have done more for the resource than you guys could ever dream.

i see you found the soap box real fast... I have not said or lectured anyone about conservation. simply stated the facts....

IF YOU ARE KILLING FISH FOR MONEY, THEN YOU ARE COMMERCIAL FISHING.

If this bruises the mighty egos, to bad. I wasn't lecturing anyone on conservation, so don't lecture me on the same. It seems everyone has one reason the kill tournaments are good.... MONEY. I don't give two damns how the money helps crews or local economies. Maybe opening all the now closed swordfish grounds would bring mucho green in to the local economies along ports up and down the coast. I sure it would really help out all the captains and crew of the long liners pocketbooks. do you really think that makes it good or right??? Well guess what.... the kill tournaments are no different if money is the only argument that can be made to keep on killing....

[Fritz]

i see you found the soap box real fast... I have not said or lectured anyone about conservation. simply stated the facts....

IF YOU ARE KILLING FISH FOR MONEY, THEN YOU ARE COMMERCIAL FISHING.

If this bruises the mighty egos, to bad. I wasn't lecturing anyone on conservation, so don't lecture me on the same. It seems everyone has one reason the kill tournaments are good.... MONEY. I don't give two damns how the money helps crews or local economies. Maybe opening all the now closed swordfish grounds would bring mucho green in to the local economies along ports up and down the coast. I sure it would really help out all the captains and crew of the long liners pocketbooks. do you really think that makes it good or right??? Well guess what.... the kill tournaments are no different if money is the only argument that can be made to keep on killing....

It may be somewhat about the money, but its also about the egos. Why do you post your catch? I will tell you why, you needed to puff yourself up as the great Tuna Slayer because that is what fisherman of all types do. Come on, if its only about the money there are a lot easier ways to make it. Most guys with million dollar rigs and their carrying costs will never get even with tournament winnings. Its about the sport and bringing fish to the scales at tournament time adds to the drama. Most of the year, billfisherman release their catch, unlike the average comm. I say we should award all the stocks to their highest and best use the Sportfishermen. Tackle, boats, marinas, mechanics, suppliers, bait, restaurants, hotels, fuel docks etc. All put alot more green into the ecomony than any longliner or commerical fisherman ever did or will. Don't take it personal, but it just makes good business sense. Being a businessman, you can understand that right? Here is an irrefutable fact- The farmers of this country feed the world, but the commercial fishing industry has become such a miserable failure many guys can barely feed their own families. If it were not for fisheries management, Bluefin and alot of other fish would have vanished long ago. Soapbox, you bet and its a great big one. Please, spare us the rediculous comparisons you try to make between the average Billfishermen and commercial fishermen.

One more thing, the personal attacks only show the weakness of your argument. But if you want to dialogue about facts, I will be happy to google up some real good ones for you. You see it easy to get on that proverbial soapbox when you have all the facts on your side.

[Capt. Jon Tennant]

It may be somewhat about the money, but its also about the egos. Why do you post your catch? I will tell you why, you needed to puff yourself up as the great Tuna Slayer because that is what fisherman of all types do. Come on, if its only about the money there are a lot easier ways to make it. Most guys with million dollar rigs and their carrying costs will never get even with tournament winnings. Its about the sport and bringing fish to the scales at tournament time adds to the drama. Most of the year, billfisherman release their catch, unlike the average comm. I say we should award all the stocks to their highest and best use the Sportfishermen. Tackle, boats, marinas, mechanics, suppliers, bait, restaurants, hotels, fuel docks etc. All put alot more green into the ecomony than any longliner or commerical fisherman ever did or will. Don't take it personal, but it just makes good business sense. Being a businessman, you can understand that right? Here is an irrefutable fact- The farmers of this country feed the world, but the commercial fishing industry has become such a miserable failure many guys can barely feed their own families. If it were not for fisheries management, Bluefin and alot of other fish would have vanished long ago. Soapbox, you bet and its a great big one. Please, spare us the rediculous comparisons you try to make between the average Billfishermen and commercial fishermen.

One more thing, the personal attacks only show the weakness of your argument. But if you want to dialogue about facts, I will be happy to google up some real good ones for you. You see it easy to get on that proverbial soapbox when you have all the facts on your side.

do you have any other reasons that make it right, other than money and egos? I understand it make business sense, but does that somehow make it right? Do the catch and release formats not serve up enough self-importance to satisfy the egos?

[Fritz]

do you have any other reasons that make it right, other than money and egos? I understand it make business sense, but does that somehow make it right? Do the catch and release formats not serve up enough self-importance to satisfy the egos?

As a matter of fact I do. Its called competition. All you have to do is look at the South Florida Sailfish tournaments. Without the big dollars and drama of the scales, they just don't draw the crowds and numbers of boats as the big money events. Could I live with an all release format as long as observers were on the boats? Yes, but nothing beats the drama of the scales and I fully admit it.
Could you live without hunting Bluefin? I am betting yes, but you kill em' at least in part to be able to throw them on the dock and pound your chest and that's the plain and simple truth. I only wished you guys released as many Bluefin as the billfisherman release marlin and sails.

[IhaveaBream]

I only wished you guys released as many Bluefin as the billfisherman release marlin and sails.

agree with this 100%. by the time my grandkids are fishing i doubt they'll get to see a BFT unless i lend them my photo-album

[armbreakerrods]

Too many people fishing these days and if we dont stop the killing of our breeder sized fish,say goodbye to them all soon enough.

http://armbreakercustomrods.com/

[Fortunamate]

I think its just kinda sad how people kill BFT in and out and they are on the way out too, nobody even comments on that.

Cheers,
Doug

ok i fish for bluefin tuna and the regulation alow one small fish one medium and as many giants as you cna catch most of the fish cought this year were medium and we can only keep one we were releasing prob atleast 3 to 4 fish a day im not gunna lie there are not as many as there were but the amount of small ones we saw late season this year there comin back