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I come over from pensacola fishing forum and sometimes frequent this site mostly just reading.I wanted to maybe get some opinions and ask some of the guys from a different area about what they thought.2 sailfish have been killed off pensacola pier in 2 days.This pier is 30 feet off the water.standing height would put your eyes at 36 feet from the fish.Now the only measuring device being used to kill these sailfish is hillbilly with a gaff standing back squinting at the fish and saying i think its legal.yEAH ITS LEGAL LETS KILL IT.We have a had a great run on sails this year and they have been landed from kayaks(pulledout of the water for 10 minute photo shoots ,and seems like pier fisherman are pretty eager to kill these fish.Is this right to gaff these fish being in doubt on the correct size.I have been bashed to no end ,called a whiner,cry baby blah blah blah but this really does concern me.Wouldliketo see what other guys might have bto say.I have already spoke with NOAA official and he was pretty upset to hear what was taking place.If they could measure the fish more accurately it would not bother me as bad but it does.The killing of a sail or any billfish is pretty pitiful but thess guys have a kill em all attitude and it makes me sick.here is a picture of 1 sail caught by kids.
Did some of sailfishing out or Sailfish marina in Palm Beach about every year in the late 90's and when a charter killed a sail and hung it up the old ladies would come out of the restaurant and raise hell about a dead sail. The bad part really was that fact that one charter captain told me that the taxidermist would give the captains bonuses for convincing the charter to kill the fish and have it mounted. The taxidermist truck driver told me most of the fish he picked up never made it back to the shop, they dumped them. was down a couple of years ago and didnt see one killed over a two week period
Speaking for myself, I don't like to see a sailfish-or any billfish-dried out. I wouldn't do it personally.
That said, everyone doesn't share my opinion, and if it's a legal fish, then I can't tell them not to do it.
Watching a billfish swim away after a clean release is a hell of lot more gratifying than seeing it dangling from a hook at the marina. Anyway, for me it is.....
wether or not they kill it is not my beef.I personally dont kill them but the way they are doing it is what bothers me.There will alot more killed that cold possibly be well undersized.There is no way for them to measure the fish at that distance.Is it fair to other sport fisherman?I think everyone is entitled to there limit but kill first measure later will result in several undersize dead fish that will be carried off the pier like it never happened.they have killed several in the past few weeks and only reported a couple openly
Food for thought: why is it OK to kill a swordfish but not a sailfish? Why is it OK to kill a bluefin tuna but not a sailfish?
From a fisheries management standpoint, sailfish stocks are in better shape than any other billfish. There is no commercial market, very little recreational take, high release rate, good survival rate of released fish, and little commercial bycatch in the Western Atlantic. Sailfish is actually pretty good to eat, so unless the fish was wasted, what's the problem? Tuna stocks are in more trouble than sailfish stocks, but I guess it's OK to kill tuna since they don't have pointy noses.
Food for thought: why is it OK to kill a swordfish but not a sailfish? Why is it OK to kill a bluefin tuna but not a sailfish?
From a fisheries management standpoint, sailfish stocks are in better shape than any other billfish. There is no commercial market, very little recreational take, high release rate, good survival rate of released fish, and little commercial bycatch in the Western Atlantic. Sailfish is actually pretty good to eat, so unless the fish was wasted, what's the problem? Tuna stocks are in more trouble than sailfish stocks, but I guess it's OK to kill tuna since they don't have pointy noses.
This thread has absolutely nothing to do with any other fish or if its ethical to kill.its about the tactics used to harvest the fish.do you assume your fish is legal before you measure it AFTER you have already killed it?If you was bringing a sword to the boat and it was 35 feet away would you assume it was legal shoot it with a harpoon and than get it to the boat and measure it?These are my questions
Oh, if its about the technique then hell no. They should not just guess and stick a gaff down 35 feet and stick the fish. One would think fish and game would be at a popular pier to check on such catches. i dont think i'd risk it, killing an undersized fish brings a pretty heavy federal fine i believe.
I agree with the OP. I would personally like to see that type of thing discouraged. I like the restrictions FL put on Goliath Grouper where you cannot have them in the boat if they are not of legal size.
I agree with the OP. I would personally like to see that type of thing discouraged. I like the restrictions FL put on Goliath Grouper where you cannot have them in the boat if they are not of legal size.
What the OP leaves out in this case is that the sail was gut hooked and bleeding badly and was most likely going to die anyways...so they did the ethical thing and killed it...and shared the meat with many folks who ate and enjoyed it. Sailfish is delicious, you should try it sometime.
Desperado is just a whiny blah blah, as he mentions himself being called numerous times...this should be obvious due to his misleading cross post here on THT.
He does bring up a good point tho. Why kill a sail if you're not going to eat it? Just bringing them into a boat for pics, then releasing, supposedly cuts thier survival rate significantly. From my perspective, unless its basically dead when you get it to the boat or pier, take the pics with it still in the water, then do a proper release.
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He does bring up a good point tho. Why kill a sail if you're not going to eat it? Just bringing them into a boat for pics, then releasing, supposedly cuts thier survival rate significantly. From my perspective, unless its basically dead when you get it to the boat or pier, take the pics with it still in the water, then do a proper release.
the thing is fish was hooked deep and bleeding and they did eat a legal fish...so why the fuss?
Not wanting to see dead billfish doesn't make someone a whiny baby. It makes them an informed fisherman. Rednecks who have no idea what goes on in the sailfish fishery doesn't make them cry babies either but it does make them un-informed.
Since one guy mentioned swordfish, I have caught a bunch of legal swordfish in the last 3 years and haven't killed one yet but I would also be honest and say that if I catch a big one, it will be harvested. Big meaning well over 100 lbs. Say what you will about me, it won't change my thoughts or my ethics.
Not wanting to see dead billfish doesn't make someone a whiny baby. It makes them an informed fisherman. Rednecks who have no idea what goes on in the sailfish fishery doesn't make them cry babies either but it does make them un-informed.
Since one guy mentioned swordfish, I have caught a bunch of legal swordfish in the last 3 years and haven't killed one yet but I would also be honest and say that if I catch a big one, it will be harvested. Big meaning well over 100 lbs. Say what you will about me, it won't change my thoughts or my ethics.
The fish was not gut hooked and so what if it was bleeding.It was less than a 8 minute fight BUT that does not say anything about the measuring method on that sail or the one that was killed yesterday.I am going beyond the call of duty to do my part to ensure no more sail fished are GAFFED because some one says its "looks" likes it could be legal.I kn ow for a fact undersize sails have been hauled off the pier and it disgust me.I really dont think there will be any ganging up here since alot of the people here are real sportsmen and realize the delicacy of the billfish fishery.
I feel they have as much justification to kill and eat it as those who killed a white marlin (or blue) in the White Marlin Open hoping for a shot at the "big money".
Here is one o my favorites.This is the kind of crap im talking about that is going on over here and this tpe of behavior is being praised.Notice shes on the beach.she paddled this fish all the way to the beach for the picture.pathetic
I personally hate killing bills. Blues, whites, sails, whatever. It's not up to me to decide the legality of a keeping a fish or not, but if it's simple ethics, then hell no.
Should there be something done to ensure that only legal fish are being caught? Absolutely.
The last picture is pretty outrageous. Even if an attempt was made to release that fish, there is absolutely no chance of survival. I guess all that can be done, seeing as to the absence of fish and wildlife, is for responsible sportsman to make their objections heard
The fish was not gut hooked and so what if it was bleeding.It was less than a 8 minute fight BUT that does not say anything about the measuring method on that sail or the one that was killed yesterday.I am going beyond the call of duty to do my part to ensure no more sail fished are GAFFED because some one says its "looks" likes it could be legal.I kn ow for a fact undersize sails have been hauled off the pier and it disgust me.I really dont think there will be any ganging up here since alot of the people here are real sportsmen and realize the delicacy of the billfish fishery.
how do you know if the fish was not gut hooked or not? And it was longer than an 8 minute fight because the fish peeled off close to 400 yards of line. Besides isnt every fish that is gaffed done so because it "looks" legal???
I come over from pensacola fishing forum and sometimes frequent this site mostly just reading.I wanted to maybe get some opinions and ask some of the guys from a different area about what they thought.2 sailfish have been killed off pensacola pier in 2 days.This pier is 30 feet off the water.standing height would put your eyes at 36 feet from the fish.Now the only measuring device being used to kill these sailfish is hillbilly with a gaff standing back squinting at the fish and saying i think its legal.yEAH ITS LEGAL LETS KILL IT.We have a had a great run on sails this year and they have been landed from kayaks(pulledout of the water for 10 minute photo shoots ,and seems like pier fisherman are pretty eager to kill these fish.Is this right to gaff these fish being in doubt on the correct size.I have been bashed to no end ,called a whiner,cry baby blah blah blah but this really does concern me.Wouldliketo see what other guys might have bto say.I have already spoke with NOAA official and he was pretty upset to hear what was taking place.If they could measure the fish more accurately it would not bother me as bad but it does.The killing of a sail or any billfish is pretty pitiful but thess guys have a kill em all attitude and it makes me sick.here is a picture of 1 sail caught by kids.
your statements are a perfect example of what's wrong in this country: snobbish elites trying to impose your will on law abiding citizens. just because these "hillbilly kids" are fishing off a pier and may not have the means you do shouldn't disqualify them from catching a sailfish which is well above 57 inches or whatever legal is these days.
Last edited by luna sea II; 10-17-2009 at 06:19 AM.
Reason: gramar
Desperado79 - What do you use for bait when you fish and what type of fishing do you do ? Just curious
PETA and other tree huggersw think you are unethcial and cruel just for fishing -
if the fish is legal and you plan to eat it I have no problem - just because a few chest beaters who probably go out and catch and release lots of them wanna complain about a lucky guy on a peir taking a picture of one - well do you think its healthy for the fish to even be caught at all even though he is released by the chest beaters - stress is tough period - i know I wouldn't want to fight for my life and drug in then poked with a tag and let go and watch some chest beaters raise a flag for my catch - i would probably croak in a few dayas from burnout
bill
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