Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger
Sounds good at first, but if you think about it, it's really a bad idea - much worse than throwing fish overboard.
If the comm can't make money on it, it's unfair to require him to spend money landing fish he can't profit from. I suspect it wouldn't happen.
If you compensate them, you will encourage them to increase by-catch, IOW fish in areas where they'll get lots of it.
Even if you could entice comms to bring this bycatch in without encouraging them to get more, that will penalize the comm that does a good job targeting specific fish and/or put the little guys out of business. Imagine what happens to the price and quota of striped bass when a couple herring trawlers bring in 20,000# of bass. Price plummets, quota is reached early and the hook and line guys are out of business.
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So you think it's a good idea to throw 20,000 pounds of dead fish over the side. That holding up the price of fish is more important then wasting fish. That it is more important to keep the quota available for commercial fisherman then it is to waste 20,000 pounds of fish.
Why is it unfair to require them to bring in the fish. They're given the privilege to fish for a public resource. We need to give them more reasons to avoid areas where there is a higher risk of by-catch. Let peer pressure within the commercial fishery fight out the issue and come up with answers. If they're caught throw dead fish over board then fine them and take their permit away. Sure you won't catch them all but it's better than nothing.
Right now there is no reason why they shouldn't fish high risk methods and areas. Just throw them over board, all I want is the money.
I've read post saying they're just a fish the fines shouldn't be large or put them at risk of losing their job. I work in an industry where if I falsify data they will pull your license and you will not be able to work in the industry for 5-years. What this really means is you will never work in the industry again. Plus the regulator can press criminal charges. So I don't have much sympathy.