Catch & Release - My Rant

[BigFish]

PS- Any fish you are buying in the market to consume is no different than someone catching and keeping it themselves! You cause just as much harm to the fishery be it cod, haddock, fluke, flounder, tuna....whatever! SO GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE!
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[JFigliuolo]

Originally Posted by BigFish

PS- Any fish you are buying in the market to consume is no different than someone catching and keeping it themselves! You cause just as much harm to the fishery be it cod, haddock, fluke, flounder, tuna....whatever! SO GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE!
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I would argue store caught fish takes a higher toll on the fishery. Figure dead by catch, and what gets tossed from markets/restaurants because it goes bad. How much fish REALLY dies for the fillet at get at the store?

[JohnR]

We, as a recreational group, kill a lot of fish, whether bound for the table or through post C&R mortality.

There are less fish out there - we see it with our own eyes - yet the fisheries managers put the targets in the sustainable levels (though in the lower ranges of sustainable methinks).

We need to do what we can to reduce our take to what is necessary and to foster a better post C&R mortality.

Balance, Daniel-san, balance.

[Sea Dangles]

Originally Posted by JohnR

We, as a recreational group, kill a lot of fish, whether bound for the table or through post C&R mortality.

There are less fish out there - we see it with our own eyes - yet the fisheries managers put the targets in the sustainable levels (though in the lower ranges of sustainable methinks).

We need to do what we can to reduce our take to what is necessary and to foster a better post C&R mortality.

Balance, Daniel-san, balance.

Just keep trying for the cup, the stocks will rebound eventually.
Or not...

[Rockfish9]

keep what you need... release the rest in a timely manner.. nothing wrong with a plate of fresh caught fish.... even frozen it's still is fresher and healtheir than anything you can buy in the store...

but anyone that doesn't think there is a lapse in year classes surely has their head in the sand... and IMHO, that is just what it is a lapse( poor year classses)not over fishing.. just because one area is producing well does not mean "all is well"....large fish are much scarcer along the majority of coast line than they have been in many years .. and as these fish grow old.. it's to be expected..it's not a bait issue... there are acres of mackerel, squid sand eels and more whiting than I have seen since the 70's.... the most encoraging thing is the number of small and medium fish ( to about 15lbs)....they are everywhere... even taking up huants normally patroled by much larger specimines.. I'm not saying the larger fish are gone... "50's" are still around .. even to the NH boarder....