Don't think there's a single fishery which you can say is stronger today than it was 30 or 40 years ago. The internet has connected the world, I would venture to say the US exports more fish today than we did years ago.....especially tuna. Technology advancements in fishing have killed many fisheries. Remember years ago most captains who ventured off shore did so without the benefit of electronics and many of these skilled guys were able to find a wreck 60 miles off shore without electronics and GPS readings. Half the people who venture off today can't find a wreck with the benefit of electronics but there's a hundred more guys trying. Wrecks were like gold mines back then, loaded with huge fish for those who knew there whereabouts and how to get on them. It's actually amazing what some of these old time captains could do when you consider the tools they had to work with. Sailing at night to find what amounts to a needle in a haystack off shore without the benefit of modern day technology is incredible. Today with a growing worldwide population, consumers more health conscious (eating more fish), electronics that give everyone access to the ocean's bounty it's a wonder there's as many fish around as there are.

There are apps where you can view commercial boats fishing because I believe by law they have to have a transponder or some type of tracking device on board when they sail. My son showed me one last year which viewed the canyons. Pretty cool app where you could see the number of commercial vessels, where they were fishing as well as the name of the vessel. You wouldn't believe how many commercial guys there are out there......absolutely insane. And as technology advances and the world population grows, it's only going to put more pressure on the ocean's resources.

So enjoy trips where you put JUST a few tuna on the deck because it might just prove to be as good as it gets prospectively. One other thing to bear in mind. I would bet the people who actually get a chance to experience a trip offshore to the deep represents less than 1% of the world's population. Every trip the scenery alone is worth the time and effort, it really is a different world out there one that most people will unfortunately never get a chance to experience. No matter how many Bill Gates come along in our lifetime, hopefully they'll never be able to change that and man it is a priceless experience!