There seems to be a certain number of people who fish and believe saltwater anglers should release all the rockfish, marlin and bluefish they catch. They cite the popularity of catch-and-release in freshwater bass and trout fishing as reason to release all saltwater fish as well. I am particularly confounded by their statement that there is no reason to kill any billfish. I believe the latest winner in the White Marlin Open could produce several million reasons for killing his fish.
My son Roger belongs to a surf-fishing club in New Jersey, where the general membership holds forth with the idea that all striped bass should be released. They asked Roger if I released striped bass. He said, my dad releases every one, once he has his limit in the box.
I will put my history of working on fishery conservation issues up against anyone else, but I don’t believe fish are some sort of divinity that we must never kill.
I have been in trouble more than once for opposing making striped bass a gamefish with no sale by commercial watermen. If there are enough rockfish for recreational fishermen, then there should be enough for the watermen. Why should recreational fishermen be the only people allowed to eat stripers?
We saw what happened in New Jersey. They said they wanted no sale of stripers, for conservation purposes, but as soon as they got the no-sale, they created a system to divvy up the commercial quota among recreational fishermen. Then again, no one has ever accused the recreational fishing lobby in New Jersey of being conservation-minded.
The reason why the catch-and-release of largemouth bass has been so successful is because these fish, for the most part, live in impoundments. If they can’t go anywhere and no new fish can move in, they have to stay where they are, and if every bass caught was killed, where would the new stock come from?
The salt chuck is entirely different. Our fish move up and down the coast as well as in and off shore, mixing with the same species from different parts of the ocean and bay. Many of the fish we like to catch also have a place in the commercial market, so there are fishing pressures coming from various directions.
Not that many years ago, there were no regulations on most saltwater fish, and recreational fishermen wasted many tons of bluefish. They kept flounder that were too small to eat and generally ran wild with no restrictions.
Believe it or not, in 1989 when I took the job of executive director of the CCA of Virginia, we printed up posters and T-shirts that said “Happiness is a 12-incher,” referring to the minimum size for summer flounder. That was considered a radical position at the time.
In today’s world, we have regulations covering minimum size, bag limits and seasons for almost every saltwater fish targeted by recreational and commercial fishermen. I think for the most part, these regulations give sufficient protection to the species, and keeping your legal limit will not destroy any population.
Do we have cheaters in the recreational community? You bet, just the same as cheaters in the commercial community. Unfortunately, there are not enough law enforcement officers to keep these folks honest, and as long as there are fishermen there will be poachers.
To release or kill a legal catch boils down to personal choice. However, do not for any reason belittle a fisherman who keeps his limit and takes them home for supper. He or she has the same rights as everyone else, and your personal choice is not in any way binding on them.
Fishing report
With boats tied to the dock all week, the last reports we have are at least seven days old. However, those reports were pretty good.
The ocean structure from Site 11 to the Del-Jersey-Land Reef produced plenty of keeper sea bass. Most of the boats that fished in the ocean returned with limits caught on clams or squid. There were flounder and triggerfish mixed in with the sea bass.
Trollers working the Fenwick Shoals reported larger bluefish on small spoons. A few Spanish mackerel were taken before the storm, but I suspect they will have headed south once the water settles down.
Delaware Bay reef sites saw a mixed bag of blues, triggerfish, black drum, croaker and spot. Blowfish and oyster toads were also available for those who like that sort of thing. The Outer Wall and the Ice Breakers had some impressive sheepshead on sand fleas and green crabs. Closer to shore, one angler caught four keeper flounder and a nice speckled trout out of Roosevelt Inlet on fresh mullet.
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Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age. Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. He has been the regional editor for several publications and was the founding editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman magazine. Eric is the author of three books: Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast, The Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing and Fishing Saltwater Baits. He and his wife Barbara live near Milton, Delaware. Eric can be reached at Eburnle@aol.com.
