This made me sick to watch

[RussA]

Originally Posted by Capt Joe

Yep, and next week when the quota is 200 lbs, dipshit with the net will kill 2000lbs to get his 200 lb of jumbos.
And you think they give a shit? Never have and never will.

Thank You! I agree 100%

[HDMarc]

I guess that as long as those who dine at Red Lobster are happy with their "fresh fish", the rest of us can go pound salt...unbelievable

The reason they were in the bin is they were probably dead when they came up from the weight in the trawl. Listen to what the guys is saying, the bottom was paved. If so, why drag so long....answer so they can cull to get the better priced fish. No one can show that video and feel they have a leg to stand on as far as the need for do away with regulation. I understand the frustration but to go out and kill that many fish to keep only the ones which fetch the best price is completely idiotic. The reason regulations are needed is precisely because of the behavior on this video and this idiot attempts to use it to rationalize why regulations aren't necessary when he's proving the exact opposite point by exploiting the resource. If there weren't limits, every one of those fluke and maybe five times that amount would have been harvested until the price plummets at the market to a point where it's cost prohibitive to bring the catch back to the dock. And then they'd throw the by-catch overboard anyway. Quotas should be put in place. A limited season should be implemented with oversight. Recreational guys need to be part of the solution as well but when is the last time that anyone saw a recreational angler, charter or party boat throw 100 5 - 7 lb fluke overboard because they exceeded their limit. It's absolutely tragic how public resources are decimated by a few greedy bastards and the corrupt politicians get their pockets lined for making it possible!

Dakota

[Dino]

always tough to watch things like this, but you have to understand.. the rules that make this guy dump 4 totes of large fluke overboard dead discard, also prevent him and the rest of the fleet from dialing in on them, and hammering them for sale at market.

very similiar to the bluefin/longline issue at the moment.

which is worse, the wastefulness of discarding thousands of pounds of beautiful big bluefin every season, or a longline industry that is allowed to sell them, and home in their sets on the bluefin grounds instead of picking them up as bycatch when surface longlining for swordfish and yellowfin.


I'd rather have the dead discards.

I believe in small govt, but I also know there is nothing easy about regulating fisheries. And I think the bluefin, swordfish, striped bass and fluke situations are much better now, then they were when gov't just stayed out of it.

[rumster]

At the end of the day it`s all about dollars and cents and the little guy always gets screwed in a corrupt system like this. With great footage like this why can`t we collectively use this as a perfect example of a screwed up system that`s abused. Pictures speak louder than words and I think that in the right forum this could be explosive if we chose to flood a meeting and use documented footage like this to make a point.
Between fish and game being caught with their hand in the cookie jar a year or two ago using boats worth $150,000 or more that were purchased for the enforcement of our resources used for family outings on the taxpayers dime and this. I have had enough.
Gerry what can we do to make some noise?

[HDMarc]

Originally Posted by rumster

Gerry what can we do to make some noise?

For starters, you can follow along with Gerry's sticky post regarding the 2014 state regulations and send an email, get as many people you can to follow suit