Dr Block BFT meeting this Mon 22nd!!!!!

[Proheat]

Barb Block is a hack scientist, piggy-backing on other ppl's ideas and work. Ask the Hatt boys she stiffed for charter fees how much they like her. There are far better in the field that she is. Best regards,

Washashore

Washaway!- You pretty much always have an asshole comment about peoples posts. Dude, I have bitten my tongue with many of your comments, but today, I've had enough. I've read most of all your comments that you have written and have come to the conclusion that just like Marty said......You are a miserable guy. This is being said lightly, I think you are far worse that that. You don't have to always agree with everyone and everyone is welcome to thier own opinions, but lighten up dude!!!

ARE YOU A MISERABLE GUY EVERY DAY? OR JUST YESTERDAY?

THANKS FOR SHARING SUCH VALUABLE INFO WITH US

Marty- don't waste your breath on him dude- He's not worth it!!


We have alot of better quality members here on this site to share with, than to waste our time with him!!

[O-SEA-D]

Went to the meeting with my buddy Lee Buck Saltwater Redneck.

Got there right at 5:00 pm. Barbra Block was walking around talking to everyone. They had beer, sodas, pretzels and pizza for everyone. About 5:30 we moved into the lecture hall.

Saw Dale Britt, Glenn Lofton, Thomas Woods, Fred Walker, Joe Shute and a few others I recognized.

I will try to explain this the best I can.

Dr. Block had a great Powerpoint presentation set up for us. She talked about the different Migration patterns of GBFT. She talked about the difference between the Eastern and Western stock of GBFT. Seems that they go down the the Gulf of Mexico and spawn in a certain area every year. They swim right through NC waters in the summer after they spawn in the GOM and we don't even know it.

The electronic pop up tags are put in the fish surgically. They record presure, temperature, light and location. This is what they use to track the fish to see where it goes.

BTW...there is a $500-$1000 reward for returned tags. The electronic tags will be located by the anal fin. The Green and White tags will be on top of the fish around the dorsal fin.

A GBFT does not spawn until they are about 90" plus and about 9-12 years old.

One big problem out there is in the Gulf of Mexico, there are Longliners fishing out there catching the GBFT in their LL's. So, the spawning fish are being killed in large amounts there. Usually around April-June.

Another big bottle neck sort of speek is over in the Mediteranian Sea. The GBFT are in the Med. very thick. They are being slaughtered over there. They also have a much higher quota then we do.

Migration patterns of the fish had many things in common. Both stocks of fish seemed to do the same thing year after year. Some fish cross over the Atlantic from West to East and Vis Versa. Our fish stock travel the coast from the GOM to the Flemish Caps. One thing we learned is that the smaller fish don't go the the FLemish Caps because the water temps are too cold for them. Only the big GBFT go up there. That area is very productive for them as far as feeding.

Another problem area is the Middle of the Atlantic around the Islands out there. The GBFT like that area as well. Problem is they are been fished out there and there is nobody to keep tabs on them and record what they are killing.

From what was shown to us the easiest thing to do at this point to preserve the fishery is to close the GOM to fishermen especially LL's for a 90 day period April-June when the GBFT show up there to spawn.

Next we need some way of patroling the area in the middle of the Atlantic to keep the fish from being killed out there and not be accounted for.

The biggest area that needs to be restrictions put on it is the Med. However, if we can't get our own waters restricted we sure as heck won't get that area restricted.

Other ways they may preserve the fishery are things such as;

-Raising the minimum Commercial size limit on the fish
-Only allowing permits to boats that have fished for GBFT for many years. Stop the weekend warriors from buying a SCFL and a HMS permit and fishing for them.
-Get the GOM closed for a 90 day period when the GBFT shows up to spawn.
-Take some quota away from the Mediteranian.
-Patrol the waters in the middle of the Atlantic.

1 cool slide she showed us was the termperature of the water over the last 60 years. Back in the 50's and 60's when the fishing was great the water temperatures will cooler. Since then it goes warmer and then cooler. It goes in cycles of about 5 years of warm and 5 years of cold. What the slide showed us is about 10 years ago we were in a cold cycle. Since about 2002 we have been in a warm cycle. So, in a year or 2 according to their data we should be back into a cold cycle. So, our fishing may be much stronger in another year or 2 when the temperatures cool down again.

Attached is a picture that shows where the tagged fish go throughout the year.

Check out their website: www.tagagiant.org

[Capt-D]

Great Job John!

I'm glad someone could make it!

It would be awesome to get her on here for a Q & A one night.

-D

[SeaBiscuit]

Thanks for the great report of the meeting John.
I hope the cool water pattern prediction holds true and some conservation measures are enacted to help out. I would hate to see these great fish destroyed by our greed.
SeaBiscuit

[#1Gaffman]

This is a little off subject, but did she happen to say what time of year and what months these fish move up the coast.

I looked at the chart but couldnt really tell.
I have been trying to find out when these fish might pass through are waters(OC,DE,NJ). im sure they have to come by us to get north.

I was thinking maybe late april through may. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

[O-SEA-D]

This is a little off subject, but did she happen to say what time of year and what months these fish move up the coast.

I looked at the chart but couldnt really tell.
I have been trying to find out when these fish might pass through are waters(OC,DE,NJ). im sure they have to come by us to get north.

I was thinking maybe late april through may. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

According to their data, they are humping like rabbits in the GOM in April and May.

Looking at the chart they would be up your way June and July heading to the Flemish Caps.

[shoefish]

Really great report, thanks for the thorough post. If they don't breed until they are over 90", I wonder if it would make sense to move the quota to that or a little higher and give them a chance to reproduce a few times before we have at them. It would suck in the short term, but it kind of seems to be needed.

[SouthJerseyMarina]

Thanks for the summary O-SEA-D.

I heard Dr. Block speak last year, but would have enjoyed hearing more. I found her to be a sincere, passionate, advocate for BFT.

One thing she mentioned to our group that I didn't see in your summary was WHY the longlining must be controlled in the Gulf of Mexico. She told us that water temperatures in the Gulf are so much higher than the tuna is used to that they are under great stress just swimming in there to spawn. As a result of this stress, post release mortality is very high. This is especially true in the longlines that will cause a fish to fight for many hours before the line is retrieved. In fact she had trouble finding fish that were strong enough to put the tags into.

We need rules that are different in the Gulf because the fish behave differently when they are in there.

The website for her group is www.TagAGiant.org

Rick

[drake]

I think more so than the size limit being raised or closing the GOM, we have to address the Medeterrainian)bad spelling)...the US and Canada have like 2100mt quota or something like that, while the EU (eupoean union) have a 59000mt quota...they have a minium size of 5kilos, they don't care about their quota meaning they don't enforce it and at the ICCAT meeting this year they laughed at Hogarth and the other countries when they were told to take a quota cut...would have been 29000 mt i think...but in any case as the EU doesa they scoffed at us and the scientists that told them they were facing the collapse of the eastern stock, of which some of our fish swim...

Also the spawning in the med far outweighs the GOM...think about it since they started their fish penning or farms we just haven't seen the numbers of fish we usually see...except for Canada but they also have an abundance of bait (herring and mackeral)

by the way at that meeting Mexico demaded more quota or they would noit side with us next time...so about the GOM...do you think Mexico cares...we have a tough road ahead if we are ever to see the numbers we saw in the late 90's and early this century...

[Washashore]

How was Barb's presentation at ICCAT or even at the NMFS hearings? Anyone? Nope, she wasn't there-at either event. Best regards,

Washashore