Blue fin trip from beyond...

[Handymansd]

Wow, not anything to do with yak fishing but an interesting story just the same. You never know when in Mexico!

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/m...-1m24tuna.html

I wonder if this is the same patrol boat responsible for sinking that sport boat last year?

[tylerdurden]

That story was posted on BD.

IMO very bad form for those guys. I hate the seiners too, but running into one, then catching their fish and flaunting it online is a bit much. I mean how hard is it to hook and land a penned fish anyways . They made it seem like there were no serious consequences for their actions, and there probably will be, and still should be. Running into a tuna pen is a bad idea. We are guests in Mexican waters and don't lose that privilege. The seiners have more money to buy off the officials then we will ever have.

Everyone who fishes offshore knows the tuna seiners are everywhere, and often towing pens behind them. The seiners and the pens are often not well lit at night. I know it's not right, but that's the way it has been for the last couple years and just about everyone that has been offshore should be aware of it.

[h2ofishfo]

crazy i cant believe they let them fish the pens talk about a wide open bite.dud was smart to not let them board there vessel but if the guard didnt arrive in time they would have been in some doodoo

[dorado50]

I don't think this boat purposely ran into this pen! Traveling at night is not as easy as it seems. A good radar would have picked up both the boat and pen behind it. Whoever was at the helm most likely was asleep! I don't think these guys were flaunting anything, just telling there story. Seventy thou in damage is not so funny. The only good part about the story is the wide open fishing. I now only travel at night using a Flir night camera. It is like traveling during daylight hours. Todays technology makes life sometimes too easy! And by the way, that single panga out in no mans land could be trolling a 100 yard long line!!!

[bajadog]

US Coast Guard saved their bacon. That rescue probably cost us tax payers more than $100k.

[DENNYh]

they said on BD that the tuna pen was not properly lit, thats why they ran in to it.

[tylerdurden]

Originally Posted by DENNYh

they said on BD that the tuna pen was not properly lit, thats why they ran in to it.

The big boat should have been visible on radar even if the pen was not . The big boats often trail long ropes and pens behind them for hundreds of yards so give them a wide berth, especially at night. Again, it isn't right, but everyone should be aware of what is happening out there.

Of course those guys didn't purposely run into the pen, but no where in their story did they talk about how serious their offense was or talk about the consequences of their actions. They are lucky the boat didn't sink. They made everything seem A-OK when it really wasn't at all. The only good thing was the USCG looking out for our own.

I don't really like being on a PB at night out there. The seiners are a navigation hazard.

[cioppino]

I dont understand why the boat in tow did not try to get out of the way, bumb it up a knot or two and this would not have happened. You can never assume someone sees you and will correct their path, especially at night. Something wrong on both sides of this situation.


Seiners and semi trucks make navagating anywhere in Mexico at night a hazard. Meth kills.

[madscientist]

Tyler makes a very good point about the radar. They should have seen the tow vessel well in advance and been alert for something. They got very lucky that things weren't much much worse.

[Tman]

Originally Posted by madscientist

Tyler makes a very good point about the radar. They should have seen the tow vessel well in advance and been alert for something. They got very lucky that things weren't much much worse.

I totally agree, much less covering some ground, early a.m., with another boat in sight and not giving wide berth.

"Go ahead, but only 2" sounds like a recipe for disaster had the USCG not showed up...hope they plan to do some modifications on the boat and rename her.

[Useful Idiot]

There's a lot of operator error (negligence) here that they don't seem to be owning up to. The post on BD makes it sound like the seiner was in the wrong because they didn't see the lights on the pen, therefore the whole thing was a big joke. The grins on their faces as they harvest "every last bluefin" out of that pen and point at the federales about to haul their asses to mexican jail made me want to smack all of them. Showing some type of remorse or respect would be one thing, but posing for pictures and acting like stupid Americans throughout the whole ordeal?

These guys were completely and totally at fault IMO. It's generally a good idea to avoid the dimly lit object behind a big slow moving radar blob. Somebody was either sleeping, turned off the radar or was just a complete retard that shouldn't be operating a boat. Thank god the coast guard was there to bail them out, otherwise those grins would be gone real quick.

But hey, I'm sure they'll be back out there buzzing to the grounds in no time. I mean the coasties need work too right?

[bajadog]

too much perhaps?