Catch & Release Discussion

[dsafety]

Originally Posted by driftwood

Bob, If you were to go on a 3 day fishing trip for albacore wouldn't you want to catch your limit? Especially if you can only afford to do it once a year. My point is this... we should not be so quick to judge anybody unless you know all the facts. Everybody has different circumstances and schedules. some guys can only fish maybe 10 times a year. If that man comes in with 3 Y.T. on his yak in the same day who am i to judge?

I do agree with the ideology of catch and release. But lets not be so quick to judge anybody unless you know all the facts. Too many people tend to respond negatively based only on pure jeoulsy and i think that is ignorance.

Driftwood, you make a very good point. And my answer is that I would likely catch and keep my limit if possible and can or freeze my bounty for future consumption.

Your question is not quite fair, however. I see a big difference between a going long range trip to the somewhere in the middle of the ocean and taking care of our own back yard. The point that I am trying to get across is that for many of us just going fishing is the big joy. Catching, on those sometimes rare occasions that we get lucky is the payoff. Harvesting the fish if you don't need to is a decision that each of us needs to make then the situation arises.

Would I suggest that any of us release their first trophy fish. Hell no! But if the stars all align and you catch more than you can possibly use during a given period, the responsible thing in my opinion is to release the fish that you do not need. Maybe that fish that you did not kill on your last trip will be the only one that takes your bait on the next trip.

Let's be clear on my position here. I used to consider myself an environmentalist until that description was hijacked by a bunch of wackos. I still strongly believe that we need to take care of the plant if we want to continue to live here comfortably but believe that moderate solutions are preferable to drastic ones.

At home, I turn of lights that do not need to be on. In my garden, I try to use organic fertilizers whenever possible. When there is a water shortage, I try to reduce the amount of water that I use. I fish from a kayak in part because it is just about the most environmentally friendly way to get out on the water. Do these things mark me as some sort of a tree hugging nutcase. I hope not.

All I am trying to get across here is that we are damned lucky to have a resource like La Jolla where we can hang out with friends while enjoying the best climate on the planet and occasionally catching some spectacular fish. I don't want to lose that privilege and I would like my grandkids to have the same opportunity.

Bob