Catch & Release Discussion

[dos ballenas]

Originally Posted by dsafety

Our fisheries and particularly La Jolla, may be in great shape today but that is due to a large degree to the fact that fishermen have become much more responsible than we were just a few years ago.

I doubt this, or that catch and release has anything to do with why there have been some nice yellowtail, wsb, and halibut caught around La Jolla in recent years. Especially since there have been even more sportfishermen(and kayakers) otw in recent years.

Are you talking about commercial or sportfishermen?

I can speculate about many other reasons which I think have had a more significant effect on the fisheries off southern California, but the fact is we still know very little about a lot of the species which have been stated here to be in great shape.

In reality, I think many of these local fisheries are sustainable, but nowhere near as good or great as they were in years past. Just because there weren't internet fishing forums ten years ago doesn't mean there weren't big yellowtail swimming off La Jolla, or big tuna just offshore.

There may have been less people around to enjoy La Jolla, or brag about it, but thats just the population... San Diego was a much smaller town not a long time ago.

Just like anything, yellowtail have good and bad years. Their populations will fluctuate naturally from year to year depending on many factors.

WSB may be a different story because they were heavily over fished by the inshore gillnetters until the 80', when nearshore gillnetting was banned. Since then wsb have been coming back, possibly due to many factors.

I don't see the wsb populations recovering because most sportfishermen are suddenly releasing them... in fact, many sportfishermen are still looking for their fisrt legal wsb.

The fishing may get good sometimes in La Jolla, and there may be a lot of fish caught, but I think these fish move up and down the coast more than we realize. I'm sure they have patterns and preferences. La Jolla is just one of their favorite restaurants!

[lamb]

Originally Posted by dos ballenas

I doubt this, or that catch and release has anything to do with why there have been some nice yellowtail, wsb, and halibut caught around La Jolla in recent years. Especially since there have been even more sportfishermen(and kayakers) otw in recent years.

Are you talking about commercial or sportfishermen?

I can speculate about many other reasons which I think have had a more significant effect on the fisheries off southern California, but the fact is we still know very little about a lot of the species which have been stated here to be in great shape.

In reality, I think many of these local fisheries are sustainable, but nowhere near as good or great as they were in years past. Just because there weren't internet fishing forums ten years ago doesn't mean there weren't big yellowtail swimming off La Jolla, or big tuna just offshore.

There may have been less people around to enjoy La Jolla, or brag about it, but thats just the population... San Diego was a much smaller town not a long time ago.

Just like anything, yellowtail have good and bad years. Their populations will fluctuate naturally from year to year depending on many factors.

WSB may be a different story because they were heavily over fished by the inshore gillnetters until the 80', when nearshore gillnetting was banned. Since then wsb have been coming back, possibly due to many factors.

I don't see the wsb populations recovering because most sportfishermen are suddenly releasing them... in fact, many sportfishermen are still looking for their first legal wsb.

The fishing may get good sometimes in La Jolla, and there may be a lot of fish caught, but I think these fish move up and down the coast more than we realize. I'm sure they have patterns and preferences. La Jolla is just one of their favorite restaurants!

Owyn, 100% with you

C&R is a great thing.
It's the fact that catching fish AND eating it is what lot's of sportfishermen are about. Nothing wrong with it, it's legal. We should stop pretending that we don't kill some fish when we do. If we keep talking that we do, I don't think the enviros will like us any better - we're still hurting "their" fish.

It seems to me that we all develop our own ways and preference for C&R over time. I used to be "shoot all that moves" kind of fisherman, D50 club. I'm not as "cruel" nowadays. I now like to release all bass, will let barely legal halibut live, mostly release those one year old summer YT rats. I occasionally eat them too, it's dictated by the current situation in the fridge/freezer. I never freeze YT. We eat it while fresh, leftovers we hand out to take care of good friends. I hear over and over how much they loved it. I throw a pitch how crazy close we're getting to having the opportunity to bring such a great fresh seafood treat to the table...

[FISHIONADO]

This won't be a popular opinion here but I think going fishing with the intent to catch and release is silly. Basically, you get your kicks out of fooling fish into biting your lure, allowing them to fight for their life and exhaust them, take them out of the water and possible damage them, then feel good about yourself for releasing a spent fish who is now a big target for other predators.

I stop fishing after I have 20+ pounds of fish. After a 40 or 50 lb fish I might not go out again for a couple of months. Not saying everyone should do what I do, just sharing another opinion.