longlines!?

[GrimReefer]

I was out last tuesday, the fishing was slow with a few bites late in the night between midnight - 2:30. Around 1:00am we got hooked up on the long float and reeled in about a 60lb. cuban night shark. The fish was hooked in the corner of the mouth so I tried to get my hook back. As I was retracting my hook I noticed a second hook in the same spot. I removed it also to notice a classic commercial looking hook and rigging. It was about a 15/0 circle hook with about 6ft. of mono dangling from the hook. The rig was still fresh with no rust on the hook. The crimp was done with a single press , (benchtool crimper) which is a little more than most of us recreational fisherman elect to use. Not sure if miles of baited hookes are being set around here but I'm catching fish with fishy gear in them.

[hannaman]

They are beeper bouy boats and they are allowed supposedly.

[Mike]

I think most of the beeper buoy guys are to the north of fort lauderale...

[GrimReefer]

by "beeper bouys" do you mean commercial hand-line permits or is it the full Lindgren Pitmen super spool on the back of the Andrea Gail type set up?

[spinfreak]

Originally Posted by GrimReefer

by "beeper bouys" do you mean commercial hand-line permits or is it the full Lindgren Pitmen super spool on the back of the Andrea Gail type set up?

The following was posted by Ron a few months ago on FS (I have highlighted the important info, as wella s some interesting info)......

Originally Posted by Ron

There are no long lines working legally off florida! This is a fact!
There have been no Exempt Fisheries Permits issued for this area ....yet.

What is going on is completely legal for now, kind of like the loopholes in the net laws. It is legal for a swordfish permit holder to float individual bouys off our coast with no more than two hooks per bouy. I'm not saying I like this fact, but there are no lonoglines working with permits off our coast.

Some other facts. With the current loopholes in the law, a longliner can set with a hand retrieved longline. He also can float individual bouys with those two hooks, and we have had several commercial boats doing this for over a year now. The difference is they have been working North of most of us where they don't interact with the rec fisherman.
The boat fishing off Miami is fishing about 50 beeper bouys with double hooks and he tracks them a night then picks them up if they start moving like they have a fish, or they just get picked up in the morning. The boat fishing off the North drift actually pulls his bouys before the sun comes up and is rarely seen by any rec fisherman.

We need to be aware of this because it is getting thru a loophole which NMFS may close or may not.

The main thing is no one is fishing regualr longlines with any research permit or anything else.

The Miami boat has started loosing beeper bouys at $500 a pop and may have actually tracked some leaving the drifting grounds at a high rate of speed suggesting that one of us nasty rec boys picked up his gear. It won't take long for him to give up at 500 a pop for lost bouys.
One of the things we are looking into right now is the fact that some of the beeper bouy boats still have full longline gear on their boats while they fish thru the loophole. We thin this may be illegal and we are waiting on an opinion from NMFS enforcement. We alread have pictures of longlines at the dock with both types of gear on board. Obviously this give if nothing else, the appearance of poaching.


This type of fishery definitely infringes on the intent of the longline closure and NMFS may stop it because of that fact.

The reports of research permits operating off this coast are a misunderstanding of the facts. The only commercail boats like this are floating single bouys with those two hooks.

NMFS is currenlty reviewing at least one EFP application for longline taking of fish in the closed zone for research purposes. That permit has just been recieved and has not started in the review process. I will try to get a copy of this permit and let the forum know what is going on.

So who is spearheading any effort to watch whats going on??

The Southeast Sworfish Club, that's who!

If you care about this fishery, go to the web site, check out the dates of the next meeting, come and see what we do, and join so we can unite as one strong voice in DC to protect our fishery off this coast.

Over a year ago I posted and let the forum know that something was coming down to organize the fishery for recreational purposes. The Southeast Swordfish Club is growing to be the organization that will represent the recreational fishery in the Straits of Florida and the commercial side knows we are about to become a force to be aware of.

With each and every swordfisherman being represented with a common goal to protect our special stretch of water NMFS will have no choice but to listen to us.

Check out Swordfishclub.org to keep informed and of course Swordfishcentral for notices relating to our efforts. We are looking at a way to let members not close to meeting sites still be a part of the voice in DC to protect our fish. All the details haven't been worked out but we all need to form this solid single voice to keep our fishery protected from the scarey things already going on.

Join the Southeat Swordfish Club and make sure your voice is heard!

If you see a longliner with what you think is longline gear, get the name of the boat, time, location etc and we will make sure NMFS enforcement follows thru with action.

If one of these boats tells you they are doing research, get their name and we may get some action by NMFS over just that misrepresentation.

We will not let and Exempt Fishery Permit be issued without NMFS hearing from all of us during the review process and I can assure you again that no such permits have been issued to date.

[J.P Freeman]

its about time i see you on here mohron.

"sideways slapper on the 72io."

[Ron.38 Special]

I do know of one boat that may be fishing bouys on an irregular basis off the South grounds. There are a couple up North but they rarely see any other boats near them so we hardly know they are there.

The reports now and then about known longline boats out here are probably best explained by the fact that fuel is so expensive they have to take advantage of the Gulf STream to save fuel.

That puts them out here drifting on a slow troll to the North instead of burning $2.00+ fuel when mother nature will get you there. Most of the longline boats are fishing North and East istead of South of the closed zone.

Of course, we all have tried some strange gear and I'm sure there are some crazy thing out ther we haven't thought of yet. One thing for sure, no longliner is going to risk the fines etc that would come with fishing in a closed zone to catch fish at today's price.

[GrimReefer]

Thanks for the input there Ron, is that cliff with you in that picture. hit a sqid on the long float if im not correct. yellow glow stick!? catch em up