Sport Fishing June 2015

FOR EVERY HALIBUT THAT FISHERMEN TARGETING THEM ARE ALLOWED TO LAND, 13 WILL BE CAUGHT AND DISCARDED (KILLED) AS BYCATCH BY TRAWLERS. Anglers widely view federal fisheries management of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico as a travesty. About as egregious as it gets, many would say. But it could be worse. At least most Alaska fishermen would tell you that. And, I suspect, when it comes to Pacific halibut, you’d have a hard time arguing otherwise. To understand the management of economically vital Pacific halibut, you have to be aware of two broad categories of fishing responsible for most human-caused halibut mortality: 1) all those fishing for (targeting) halibut — sport-fishermen, charters, commercial longliners and artisanal hook-andline fishers, and 2) those fishing not for halibut but for other…

TWO EXPERIENCES on a kayak trip years ago helped me understand the importance of personal safety and fighting technique when targeting large fish. After playing out a little tunny to my ’yak, two hefty bull sharks raced up to my flailing fish and chomped on it as I watched helplessly. With a line-cutting tool, I could have slashed the leader and not risked being pulled into the blood-soaked seawater. Instead, without the tool, I was at the sharks’ mercy in a dangerous position that should have been avoided. Later that morning I learned quickly to keep sizable fish out in front of me and away from the boat. Trolling an Atlantic bumper, I hooked a 5-foot tarpon that weighed more than my kayak. The fish immediately went into a ft…

Kayakers must take all precautions, just like boaters, when it comes to safety gear. Vital gear includes but is not limited to a personal locator beacon (if out of cellphone range), VHF radio (to talk to buddy boats), personal flotation device, loud whistle and GPS unit. Always pack bottles of water, plus snacks like granola, fruit or protein bars to stay energized. “My most important items on trips are a dive knife and hand-held fares,” says Rob Alderman, a Wilderness Systems pro staffer, and operator of Outer Banks Kayak Fishing. “I strap my dive knife to the inside of my left leg in case I flip and get caught up in line. Flares are the best choice for signaling for help, better than a cellphone that can have spotty connection.”…

NIL ON THE BILL Q My boy Nick caught his first blue marlin in Bermuda, one of three released that day aboard the boat Off Piste. The day was special, as Dad got to wire the fish and catch one of his own estimated at 250 later in the day, which was part of a double-header. Dan Grissom caught the other one, which we estimated at 500 pounds. Nick’s fish, about 150 pounds, appeared to have lost its entire bill at some point. The area of flesh that usually surrounds the bill at the base was there, but the entire bill was gone. I’m not sure if it was hatched with the defect or lost the bill early in life. I’ve seen fish with partial bills, and even missing bills,…

(And Win Up to 10,800 Yards of Line!) SEND IN YOUR QUESTION and any relevant photos of your mysterious catch or observation for our experts’ ID and feedback. If we publish your question, and you have a shipping address within the United States or Canada, you’ll win a 3-pound spool of Berkley Pro Spec ocean-blue or fluorescent-yellow monofilament (1,000 to 10,800 yards, depending on line strength) or a 1,500-yard spool of Spiderwire Stealth braid up to 100-pound-test! Send questions and images via email to fishfacts@ sportfishingmag.com (include your hometown) or via post to Sport Fishing Fish Facts, 460 N. Orlando Ave., Suite 200, Winter Park, FL32789. SPONSORED BY SF FISH FACTS EXPERTS NORTHEAST Mike Fahay, Sandy Hook Marine Lab, New Jersey SOUTHEAST Ray Waldner, Ph.D., Palm Beach Atlantic University, Florida…

SEPTEMBER 2013 MARKED a drastic change in Gulf of Mexico fishing regulations when the region’s federal fishery managers decided that venting tools were no longer mandatory on boats targeting bottom species such as snappers and groupers. But why? No one wants to waste a bottomfish by releasing it with distended stomach and intestines, bulging eyes and bloated belly, just to watch it struggle and perish at the surface. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council wasn’t neglecting its duty to conserve bottom species. Instead, the change happened partly because NOAA tagging studies for Pacific rockfish found a better method to combat barotrauma: fish descenders. Fish-descender devices don’t require punctures with a hollow-needle tool, but instead attach to the fish’s mouth and take it back down to the depths using a…