SFC Fishing Forums - View Single Post - Find somewhere else for longliners to fish

reyespada · 04-13-2005, 02:49 AM

One of the main reasons longliners are chomping at the bit is because of the high fuel. Their other complaint is that they have few places to fish. These were both mentioned in the Sun Sentinel as reasons cited by long liners for trying to renter the Straits. We need to consider these reasons and try to propose policies that will put lonliners somewhere else besides here.

My good friend was longlining on the Southern Lady out of Palm Beach this year for swordfish off of south carolina and cape canaveral. He witnessed a good deal of slaughter and has not been back the last few trips. Through the course of talking to the captain at the dock when I dropeed my frend off, I learned that he is an avid recreational swordfisherman from Fort Lauderdale.

Anyway, I was told by the captian that he and the rest of the fleet had been fishing the windward passage between cuba and haiti before this year. This year the rules changed and our military stopped protecting the longline fleet from cuban and hatian patrol boats, who prior to last year were not enforcing the countries' boundaries because of our military presence in the area. This forced the longliners to go 200 miles offshore of South Carolina and Cape Canaveral which is much more dangerous and way less efficient during winter when seas are rough from nor'easters.

It would make sense to me that instead of putting the longlining fleet back in Florida that our federal goverment should be ensuring our fleets right to fish in open waters where they have traditionally caught fish AND that are NOT depended on by recreational anglers (like between Cuba and Haiti NOT IN FLORIDA). The bottom line is that recreational fishing is proving to be a more efficient use of our fishing resource than commercial fishing in Florida, where the economic value of recreational fishing is very high. Between Cuba and Haiti that is not the case.

If we dont propose different policies, our objections will finally wear out and they will be back in. We have to propose alternative policies to win the war. Simply saying no do do it wont last for long.

Also, we should also start talking about longline boats fishing with beeper buoys. One boat the Whitewater, has been fishing off of Miami using this technique, where they drop between 10 and 15 beeper buoys with two baited hooks on each. I witnessed him setting the gear off of Miami a few weeks ago. They are fishing this way to ensure compliance with the handgear regulations for directed swordfish permit holders, whihc probit more than two hooks on a single line. This reg was implemented at the insistance of IGFA and others who got wind of a "garden spool longline fishery" fishery being practiced by some of our very own sword buddies here in south florida. Basically, they were setting a mile of gear using a small handcrank spool with a mile of mainline, which was legal.

This is not the spirit of the handgear regulation (which applies to all recreational anglers as well) and NMFS should probably specifically prohibit this activity as it allows another 40 hooks a night in for the 1 boat alone. I heard more and more longline boats are considering doing this if they cannot fish elsewhere.

I dont like the idea of longlining in recreational waters, but commercial fishing does serve a purpose for those who can't go catch a swordfish to eat for themselves. They will not go away. So we need to find them some other place to go because they will in fact go somewhere.

If you ever want to read the official Swordfish regs issued by nmfs look at
go here
http://<br /> <a href="http://www.g...html</a><br /> and type in 50CFR635 in the search box.

[url]
http://frwebgate3.access.gpo.gov/cgi...ction=retrieve

These are the definiations for handgear and handline:

"Handgear means handline, harpoon, rod and reel or bandit gear."

"Handline means fishing gear that consists of a mainline to which no
more than two leaders (gangions) with hooks are attached, and that is
released and retrieved by hand, rather than by mechanical means."

Also check out the bottom of
http://frwebgate3.access.gpo.gov/cgi...ction=retrieve
which says:
"Except for persons aboard a vessel that has been issued a
limited access North Atlantic swordfish permit under Sec. 635.4, no
person may fish for North Atlantic swordfish with, or possess a North Atlantic swordfish taken by, any gear other than handline or rod and reel."

04-13-2005, 02:49 AM	#1 (permalink)
reyespada Banned Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 16	Find somewhere else for longliners to fish One of the main reasons longliners are chomping at the bit is because of the high fuel. Their other complaint is that they have few places to fish. These were both mentioned in the Sun Sentinel as reasons cited by long liners for trying to renter the Straits. We need to consider these reasons and try to propose policies that will put lonliners somewhere else besides here. My good friend was longlining on the Southern Lady out of Palm Beach this year for swordfish off of south carolina and cape canaveral. He witnessed a good deal of slaughter and has not been back the last few trips. Through the course of talking to the captain at the dock when I dropeed my frend off, I learned that he is an avid recreational swordfisherman from Fort Lauderdale. Anyway, I was told by the captian that he and the rest of the fleet had been fishing the windward passage between cuba and haiti before this year. This year the rules changed and our military stopped protecting the longline fleet from cuban and hatian patrol boats, who prior to last year were not enforcing the countries' boundaries because of our military presence in the area. This forced the longliners to go 200 miles offshore of South Carolina and Cape Canaveral which is much more dangerous and way less efficient during winter when seas are rough from nor'easters. It would make sense to me that instead of putting the longlining fleet back in Florida that our federal goverment should be ensuring our fleets right to fish in open waters where they have traditionally caught fish AND that are NOT depended on by recreational anglers (like between Cuba and Haiti NOT IN FLORIDA). The bottom line is that recreational fishing is proving to be a more efficient use of our fishing resource than commercial fishing in Florida, where the economic value of recreational fishing is very high. Between Cuba and Haiti that is not the case. If we dont propose different policies, our objections will finally wear out and they will be back in. We have to propose alternative policies to win the war. Simply saying no do do it wont last for long. Also, we should also start talking about longline boats fishing with beeper buoys. One boat the Whitewater, has been fishing off of Miami using this technique, where they drop between 10 and 15 beeper buoys with two baited hooks on each. I witnessed him setting the gear off of Miami a few weeks ago. They are fishing this way to ensure compliance with the handgear regulations for directed swordfish permit holders, whihc probit more than two hooks on a single line. This reg was implemented at the insistance of IGFA and others who got wind of a "garden spool longline fishery" fishery being practiced by some of our very own sword buddies here in south florida. Basically, they were setting a mile of gear using a small handcrank spool with a mile of mainline, which was legal. This is not the spirit of the handgear regulation (which applies to all recreational anglers as well) and NMFS should probably specifically prohibit this activity as it allows another 40 hooks a night in for the 1 boat alone. I heard more and more longline boats are considering doing this if they cannot fish elsewhere. I dont like the idea of longlining in recreational waters, but commercial fishing does serve a purpose for those who can't go catch a swordfish to eat for themselves. They will not go away. So we need to find them some other place to go because they will in fact go somewhere. If you ever want to read the official Swordfish regs issued by nmfs look at go here http://<br /> <a href="http://www.g...html</a><br /> and type in 50CFR635 in the search box. [url] http://frwebgate3.access.gpo.gov/cgi...ction=retrieve These are the definiations for handgear and handline: "Handgear means handline, harpoon, rod and reel or bandit gear." "Handline means fishing gear that consists of a mainline to which no more than two leaders (gangions) with hooks are attached, and that is released and retrieved by hand, rather than by mechanical means." Also check out the bottom of http://frwebgate3.access.gpo.gov/cgi...ction=retrieve which says: "Except for persons aboard a vessel that has been issued a limited access North Atlantic swordfish permit under Sec. 635.4, no person may fish for North Atlantic swordfish with, or possess a North Atlantic swordfish taken by, any gear other than handline or rod and reel."