Halibut!

halibut caught on helen h

I think its terrible that someone would keep an atlantic halibut considering there extremely scarce in the northeast.
I've fished for many years and based on my observations , if recreational fishermen weren't bound by size limits, catch limits , they would keep all the fish they caught.
I fish every weekend on my boat and I never see people throwing fish back (unless there under the limit ) never!

We recreational fishermen constantly complain about commercial greed, but we're just as bad.

There is still a viable commercial halibut fishery in the bay of Fundy The guys that go use tub trolls (300) hooks, they will set out 6 or 8 tubs and soak them for about 4 hours and then retreve them its a short season but it does pay off.

Sunny day?

Hey Sunny.......you are a recreational fishermen?.......on our side?

Please stop passing the ball to the other team!

the last post

I've been fishing (recreational) for the last 33 years, and I stand by my statement that I made about recreational greed. Recreational fishermen rarely throw fish back, unless they are required to. I go sea bass fishing on the Southeast grounds off Jones Inlet in the summer. The last couple of years you could catch all the seabass and porgies you wanted. Not once did I see a person throw any back . If this phenomonal fishing was only a few short weeks I could see taking alot. But the fish were there week after week and people still took more and more.
The same with bluefish. I never see people throw any back. and bluefish doesn't keep well in the freezer.

Sunnyday,

Having been a surveyer for the NMFS and interviewed thousands of fishermen at the dock when they returned from fishing, I can say from direct questioning, that many throw back fish and not just because of restrictions.

There is a huge difference between the taste of freshly caught fish and the stuff you buy which can be more then 2 weeks old in the supermarket. There is limits on almost every fish now so it is ok to keep only what will be consumed. The days of pails of rotting snappers on the docks are over.

Think about this on your halibut responce. The US allows small chicken atlantic halibut fillets to enter this country from Canada for sale. These fish never reached breeding age but you critisize a handful of fishermen who are lucky to take a mature fish that has replaced itself many times over. The rules have to be the same all over. Total ban or so realistic limits if the fish is to come back.

Capt. Marc

I see people releasing fish all the time, especially blues and bass. A lot of people do not understand the problem with the fisheries, but those who fish regularly understand and do practice c&r. The person who only fishes occasionally and does not understand c&r is not likely to do as much damage in the big picture as they are not fishing often. That does not make it right, but the damage is limited.

I have to disagree with you Sunnyday

I fish all the time and only keep what we are going to eat for dinner that night. To say that recreational fishermen NEVER throw back fish is totally false. For every idiot out there who keeps more than they can consume, there are guys like myself who do indeed conserve. Captain Marc is also a very reliable source. He would know better than any of us.

I don't know the details of the catch, but I think it's safe to presume the fish was taken in deep water. Hauling such a critter to the surface from those depths, boating it and getting the hook out probably isn't likely to leave the fish in the best condition to survive a release.

I'm not going to second guess the angler. To keep or release is a decision each angler has to make for themselves. Assuming no regulation or law was broken, it's up to the individual fisherman to decide whether to keep a fish or not. Under ideal conditions one would hope a rare catch would be released. But IMO as long as it's not violating any regs. if the angler wants to keep it that's his/her decision.

Jaiem
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