SAMFC to examine the Dolphin fishery....

[tunatamer4]

As I understand it there are servile different types of specie of Dolphin, some that do not get bigger than 20 to 24". I'm not sure one could get "GOOD" data for a study.

Lee-
You are correct. I beleive the "Pompano" dolphin is one that does stay quite small, which may be what we consider the little "chickens" that plague us and reak havoc on our spreads. But I could be wrong.

[AtoZ]

According to Don Hammond, 99.99% of the small dolphin caught of NC are common dolphin, the kind that get big.

look at this link and see if you have ever caught a pompano dolphin.

http://dolphintagging.homestead.com/...nformation.pdf

[tunatamer4]

According to Don Hammond, 99.99% of the small dolphin caught of NC are common dolphin, the kind that get big.

look at this link and see if you have ever caught a pompano dolphin.

http://dolphintagging.homestead.com/...nformation.pdf

Thanks. I never really examined any of the shingles we catch to the extent of determining whether or not they are in fact Pompano or common. Looking at the photos though, I'd say that we are catching the common dolphin. I just knew there was more than one type and the Pompano didn't get nearly as large. Thanks again

[seapower]

Yes sir, I think we need more regulation's, more quota's. Sign me up. Be careful what you ask for!!!! If you think you should only be allowed to keep 6 fish, then YOU should only keep 6 fish. I do enjoy eating the fish I catch, don't waste any. Frank

[broadminded]

I have a bit of a diffrent thought about the matter than most of you do. I live in FL and I see first hand the harm being done to the dolphin. I think the problem is that there is a 20 inch limit on these dolphin. This being said, to catch your limit of 60 (of course only with enough people on board) you have to catch more than 80 dolphin. When we get in to them thick, at least one out of every three is short. When the fish is short or close to short it goes one of two ways. 1) you take him in and slam him on the floor where you then grab him and slam him against your cooler to measure it, then he slides out of your hand, then your tuggin on the leader to try to get your hook close enough so you can remove it without retying. Meanwhile the cockpit becomes a mess with one guy on his knees trying to get a smal fish off the floor so he can" release him" and hes geting wraped up with the other 5 guys in the boat which is dangerous. This usually happens 5-6 at a time so once your done with the fiasco above, your releasing a dead 19 inch dolphin.
The second way it could go is actually pretty common, I see it all the time and I hate it. I see a few guys fishing and just bailing dolphin over the side laying them onthe floor till they catch as many as they can before the school leaves or they catch them all. Once the school leaves, you see them measuring the small ones and tossing the dead small fish over the side. After that they put them back out to find the next school till they get their limit of legal fish. This is the opposite of conservation. Just because your only keeping 60 legal fish does not mean the other 20 or 30 or even the other 60 you killed to make your limit are released alive. If there were no size limit there would be a reduction in the actuall number of dolphin killed. I would rather let a 15 inch fish, thats most likely going to die upon release anyways, count toward my daily limit. There is nothign that makes me feel worse than seeing a fish released dead.
I say do away with the size limits. There will be less slaughter on the fish. more fish will make it to maturity. I would rather see a 15 inch fish count towards somones bag limit than see it float away while they are looking for more fish to kill.
My outlook might sound like I want to drop the size limits so I can keep a small fish... but weigh the pros and cons yourself and make your own desicion. Option A has size limits and on average will catch about 90 fish to make a 60 fish limit of legal fish. Thats potentially 90 dead fish. Or option B, keep the first 60 you get yoru hands on and let the others swim free. I just belive it is wrong to kill more fish than is needed. And I anticipate some comments about the size limit allows he dolphin to make it to maturity, but not if the fish is released dead. If we drop the size limits, i feel that the over all state of the dolphin fishery will be better off.

[tunatamer4]

This usually happens 5-6 at a time so once your done with the fiasco above, your releasing a dead 19 inch dolphin.
.

LOL. I'm not picking, but this comment just makes me laugh. You don't "release" a dead fish, you throw it back. A release is permitting it to live, or give it a chance anyway. Thanks for the chuckle.