No one said you needed a Captains license for a general Category permit, what we said was you needed the Captain's license for a Charter/headboat permit. Two different permits. 4K for the safety equipment is a lot closer to reality than the 2K someone else suggested.

"Good luck to anyone who thinks you can get all the required safety equipment for 2 grand"

A new solas required raft will cost you minimum $2500
My raft repack & inspect was $1238.00 alone this year. (once a brand new raft is 2 years or older inspections & repack are required EVERY year @ an average $600 - $800 per year and at 5 years it will be close to the amount I paid this year)
Epirb batter replace $310.00 (every 5 years)
New Commercial Solas flare kit $180.00 (every 3 years)
Not sure what most guys are paying for boat insurance but I can assure you once your ins co finds out you go commercial your rates will atleast double !
Every buyer pays by check, so then you can plan to get your accountant involved also !

Your right Ron, but then you can write off all your expenses and take a loss come January. That alone could wash the added cost.

Steve,
Being that my wife is a cpa I'm all set in the accounting lesson !
I was just pointing out the actual cost, someone threw out the $2000.
amount, thats not exactly close, and as I mentioned there are cost every year not just the initial purchase.

Take, take, take, take.... until it's all gone.

It's a shared resource, isn't it?. If there is a concern about trophy class fish, rec/charters/comms should all be reduced.

buckman, you forget that if someone makes money off of a resource, then you have an elevated level of entitlement to it and can say "screw everyone else."

:rotf2:

I make money off the resource, no one else should fish for them except me :rotf2:

One thing lost
 

in this thread is why it was closed in the first place. The recreational "trophy" North quota for 2010 was only 1.7 mt or or 3,750 lb. If you were to use a 200 lb avg weight that is only 18 fish. Looking back over the years this "trophy" has always only had a handful of fish. This wasn't a biological issue, but an accounting one.

The part that YOU forget,is that Comms can ONLY target fish over 73 inches.They can't take one home to eat,unless it's over 73.

Ronnie,where did you pay $180 for the solas flares?

Yes,
Hamilton Marine
http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/brow...182/4,239.html

Nope, didn't forget it at all. Also didn't forget that recs only took a reported 5 Trophy class fish in 2009.

If Trophy class fish are that much in trouble and considering Comms can ONLY target fish over 73", that's all the MORE reason that the Comms quota should be reduced or shut down.

Who says they're in trouble?The recreational quota has been reached.Therefore,it was closed.
5 trophy fish caught last year,huh?I saw a lot more than that posted on the various tuna forums last year.

5 "Reported" fish. There were more than 5 "trophy fish" taken by recs bragging on the internet with pictures.

I wouldn't take people's lack of reporting their catch as an indication of stock size.

Anyone think the recs need to organize and come together and fight the issues more the way the charter boat associations and commercials do instead of complaining on STUPID internet sites like this one and others !

As a new member of the charter/headboat category this year I'd put my investment in the $5k -$7k range for safety(raft, Epirb, suits, flares etc) , captains license (course) and all of the nonsense involved for charter license (TWIC, CPR, physicals).

So far I haven't recouped a dime. My hope was that I'd get a couple of commercial fish to help recoup the investment. Unfortunately the USCG licensing process took 6 weeks and I missed the good spring bite.

So yes, I have a vested interest in selling fish.

We do it's called the ABTA. I agree Ron.

Typhoon as for the real bite........ talk to me in mid October November. Its trophy seller city. The recs far outnumber the rest so it only makes sense to allocate likewise. Economicallly speaking recs spend way more than the rest in terms of tackle gear etc. due to the sheer numbers. Next year I'm going chartering.

"Next year I'm going chartering."
Matt,
I'll mate for you !

Sounds good to me.

Why should a comm be allowed to take home fish? You're not in it for food, you're in it for money.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Money=food=money does it not? Most commercial fishermen eat a lot of fish. Groundfisherman are allowed to bring home 20lbs of fillets that don't count against their quota.

If you don't like the rules, quit.

I only mentioned it,because,someone thought it would be a good idea to close the 73 inch plus,to ALL user groups.Someone who thinks that recs are somehow being treated unfairly.Even though the recs are the ones who went over their quota.

Um,yeah,again,this closure is for recs.

They made a ton of money off permits knowing 12 days after the permit sale deadline they would change the rules to the game. They knew well ahead the qouta was over. I think that's what upsets me the most. The Rec qouta for trophy fish was set at 1.7mt. Thats like 10 fish for 30K permits. They need to reset the qoutas. The Comms can't catch their share anyways, so what's tha big deal?:)

This fishery and its permitting/quota/reporting process has been mismanaged for a long time. Is why my rec permit was not applied for this year. Was waiting to see what class of fish was here before deciding which way to go.
The most recent regulatory change has made the comm sector appear to be a special interest group of the Obama administration. The NMFS took the money and then made the non recs the "elite" darlings.
There are and will continue to be a number of boats fishing without permits this year, until the ground rules are set for Aug-October, which many consider to be the peak season.
I know of many recs who, if they landed a trophy, would have no problem getting it over the rail of a special interest permit holder and getting it to market...... Just saying, it is the reality. As is the inherent mortality the new regs are going to have on the fishery, even with C&R....which is a joke with 50% of the yahoos out there....

Do you agree thre is no possible reason a Charter Boat neds to keep a 73" fish either. Charter boats are not commercial boats.

People that have their quota cut get upset
People that do not, don't

People that stick together win
People that split up and make themselves diffrent from others lose

that about sums it up right there.

Charter boats are commercial if they keep a 73 inch bluefin! Let me explain further, if the first fish they catch is under 59 inches and they keep it they are recreational and cannot keep any more tuna. If the first fish they catch is 73 inches or better they are commercial and cannot keep any tuna smaller than 73 inches on that trip. If they catch a 73 or better fish it must be sold to a licensed dealer.