This is a Blog for the Fishing Anglers to find out about the latest in Fishing. Links to great New sites and New Tackle or Info On Fishing around the world.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
9 Foot Bluefin - Seized in Rhode Island - Illegal Fishing
Officials: 9-foot tuna seized from boat illegally fishing; captain issued criminal summons
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PROVIDENCE, R. I. (Gray News) - Officials say they recently seized a giant tuna from a boat that was illegally fishing in Rhode Island waters.
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said it recently seized a 9.4-foot bluefin tuna from a Massachusetts charter boat as the captain didn’t have the required state commercial fishing license.
According to the department, the fish was taken after environmental officers determined that the captain had paying clients on his vessel while fishing commercially for giant bluefin tuna without a proper state license.
Officers said they escorted the boat back to port while spotting that the captain had a recently killed tuna onboard.
The department said it sold the seized fish to a licensed dealer. The captain was issued a criminal summons for the alleged violations with the monies from the sold fish held in escrow.
Rhode Island officials said giant bluefin tuna along the coast are an indicator of a healthy ecosystem and environmental police officers are committed to protecting them for the benefit of adequately licensed fishermen who pursue these fish.
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Tuesday, September 20, 2022
NOAA Fisheries - Highly Migratory Species (HMS) permit
Anglers fishing for bluefin tuna need a federal Highly Migratory Species (HMS) permit and are required to report their catches. Bluefin tuna fishing is highly regulated. Catch bag limits and regulations often change to prevent overfishing so anglers are urged to check regulations before fishing trips. For information on regulations and how to apply for an HMS permit, visit https://hmspermits.noaa.gov.
Last Updated: Sep 16, 2022
Preliminary 2022 Commercial BFT Landings
Reported landings as of September 16, 2022, indicate the General category has landed 191.2 mt of the 225.8 mt September subquota. The Harpoon category is closed, and landed 76.2 mt of the 78.7 mt quota. The Longline category has landed 112.4 mt. Landing updates will be made as necessary.
Thursday, September 8, 2022
Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Boothbay Harbor Tuna Challenge returns with $30K first prize cash payout
Update - Winner Posted n FaceBook Page - https://www.facebook.com/boothbayharbortunachallenge/
Boothbay Harbor Tuna Challenge returns with $30K first prize cash payout
After a four-decade hiatus, the Boothbay Harbor Tuna Challenge returns next month with a big, big cash prize. On Sept. 3, up to 60 contestants paying a $750 entry fee will convene at Carousel Marina for a captains’ meeting on the Sept. 4-8 event.
Whoever lands the heaviest tuna will win $30,000. And there are other big cash prizes, as the challenge pays the five heaviest tuna catches. Second place pays $15,000; third, $7,500; fourth, $3,500; and fifth, $1,500. Carousel Marina’s new owners, the van deer Veens, are the impetus behind the tuna challenge’s return. On June 3, the van der Veen family bought Carousel Marina and Whale’s Tale pub, but the tuna challenge’s return began even before the business changed hands.
In January, Jax van der Veen, who manages Carousel Marina, began planning a community event to fill the void created by Fishermen’s Festival’s loss. She researched popular coastal Maine events and discovered the defunct Boothbay Harbor Tuna Tournament. She consulted with her father, Mike van der Veen, about past challenges. This led her to contact fishermen Dan Williams and Mark Brewer. This collaboration led to an idea about creating a major tuna fishing event benefiting the Fishermen’s Memorial. “We wanted to give something back to the community as a business owner,” Jax van der Veen said. “Something that would breathe new life into the community and benefit the public.”
As a non-profit organization, a board of directors was installed. Boothbay Harbor Tuna Challenge directors include Williams, Brewer, Jax and Michael van der Veen, Evan Hepburn, Russell Marinari, Kipp Farrin, Nick Ripley, Michele Barter, Peter Ripley, Nick and Kristin Page, Nick and Andrew Morley, John Shostak, Troy Lewis and Tom Clark.
Organizers hope to make a big splash with the event’s return. The challenge has already filled over half the 60 slots with 42 entrants who have paid the entry fee. “We’re looking at doing something really big. This is the largest cash prize in Maine, and we expect contestants from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Maine,” Jax van deer Veen said.
Fishermen are restricted to fishing in waters in Zone 1A which runs from the Massachusetts to the Canadian border. Hepburn expects the daily weigh-ins will generate a tremendous amount of excitement. He predicts some tuna will weight 800-900 pounds.“The idea is bringing fishing back to Boothbay Harbor. Fish weighed at the marina will draw crowds to town and generate revenue for many local businesses,” he said.
While the purse is a major draw, competition is also a driving factor for entrants. Williams fished in Boothbay Harbor Tuna Challenges in the 1970s. He is excited about the tournament’s return and about competing against other skilled fishermen and giant tunas. “This is not just about the money. It’s about competition,” he said. “You don’t realize what it takes to catch a fish like this. It’s a magnificent fight.”
Brewer is also a tuna fisherman. He described catching a large tuna as an epic struggle. “I’ve hunted deer and moose, but there is nothing like catching a tuna,” he said. “It’s the toughest struggle I’ve ever come up against. The tuna gives one helluva fight. It’s truly man versus nature,” Brewer said.
There is another tournament for younger fishermen. Mackerel Mania on Sept. 3 will have no entrance fee, but will provide prizes and every participant gets a T-shirt. The Boothbay Harbor Tuna Challenge has several local sponsors: Pat Farrin & Sons, Pinkham Gourmet Market, Harold W. Bishop Agency, Atlantic Edge Lobster and BACC Inc.
Jax van der Veen says more sponsors are welcome.
Brewer said the tuna challenges’s return wouldn’t have happened without the van der Veens. “It’s all very exciting, and we have a good plan, but none of this would’ve happened without the van der Veens,” he said.
On Sept. 9, there will be an end of the tournament banquet and lobster bake. The winner receives the $30,000 prize money and a trophy to keep for a year. The banquet is from 1 to 9 p.m. at Carousel Marina. The public is welcome. Tickets are $75 apiece.
For more information, visit the website, boothbayharbortunachallenge.com
Tuesday, June 7, 2022
What Are Scientists Learning About the Deepest Diving Creatures in the Ocean?
Animals-turned-oceanographers are helping biologists find out what they do when they get to the cold, dark depths
There’s only one word for it: indescribable. “It’s one of those awesome experiences you can’t put into words,” says fish ecologist Simon Thorrold. Thorrold is trying to explain how it feels to dive into the ocean and attach a tag to a whale shark — the most stupendous fish in the sea. “Every single time I do it, I get this huge adrenaline rush,” he says. “That’s partly about the science and the mad race to get the tags fixed. But part of it is just being human and amazed by nature and huge animals.”
Whale sharks are one of a select group of large marine animals that scientists like Thorrold, of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, have signed up as ocean-going research assistants. Fitted with electronic tags incorporating a suite of sensors, tracking devices and occasionally tiny cameras, they gather information where human researchers can’t. They have revealed remarkable journeys across entire oceans, and they have shown that diving deep is pretty much ubiquitous among large marine predators of all kinds.
Many regularly plunge hundreds and sometimes thousands of meters — to depths where the water can be dangerously cold and short of oxygen, there’s little or no light except for the flickers and flashes of bioluminescent organisms, and the pressure is immense, putting some animals at risk of fatal decompression sickness.
Click the link above for the complete Articular.
Great Read..
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Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Massive 832-Pound Bluefin Tuna Breaks Florida Fishing Record But Misses Record Book Due To Technicality
A group of fishermen in Destin, Florida just landed one of the largest fish ever caught in the state of Florida. The 832-pound Bluefin Tuna would easily be a Florida state fishing record if it wasn’t for a technicality. Regardless of the technicality, it’s still one of the largest fish ever caught in the Sunshine State and the pictures of this bluefin tuna are out of this world.
In order for a fishing record to be certified it needs to have been caught by one fisherman. The vast majority of recreational and serious anglers on the planet know this. It’s just part of the game. The same is true for Big Game fishing tournaments where there are typically designated anglers.
The reason this 832-pound Bluefin Tuna caught in Destin isn’t a new state fishing record is because the listed angler is “whole team”, meaning that everyone on the boat took turns fighting the fish. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I cannot tell you the number of times in my life that we’ve passed the rod around when fighting big fish. But it does mean this fish cannot be certified as a new fishing record despite breaking the previous record by several pounds.
832-Pound Bluefin Tuna Misses Florida Fishing Record On Technicality
Devin Sarver posted photos of the record-worthy Bluefin Tuna on Facebook. It tipped the scales at a whopping 832.2 pounds and it took fiver anglers 4.5 hours to reel in this absolute beast of a fish!
According to the board in the images and the caption on Facebook, the boat they were fishing on was named ‘Noname’ which is a perfectly cromulent name for a fishing boat. It took five fishermen 4.5 hours to reel it in before they brought it back to the Harbor Walk Marina where they weighed the fish on April 17, 2022.
Fishing for Bluefin Tuna in Florida is a gamble. There’s no guarantee you are going to catch one of these as it’s a pretty rare species in the Sunshine State. However, should you catch one there are some rules in place. Any Bluefin Tuna caught in Florida is supposed to be reported to NOAA within 24 hours of being caught. Furthermore, anyone fishing for Bluefin Tuna must have a HMS Angling Permit and that’s not just to keep the fish, if you’re out there targeting this species you still need that permit onboard the boat. Those permits are only $26 but you must apply for them on the NOAA website and it can take about 2 weeks to process.
How Does This Bluefin Tuna Compare To Other Fishing Records?
Bluefin Tuna is one of the biggest species of fish on the entire planet. IGFA keeps all fishing world records and they don’t separate Bluefin into Atlantic and Pacific like some subspecies of tuna. The IGFA all-tackle fishing world record for Bluefin Tuna is an unfathomably large 1,496-pound fish that was caught in Aulds Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada back in 1979.
The existing state fishing record in Florida for Bluefin Tuna is an 826.5-pound fish caught by angler Rick Whitley. According to For The Win, Whitley was also fishing out of Destin, Florida and that fish was caught back on May 8, 2017. Staying in the Gulf of Mexico but over in Texas, the Lonestar State record for Bluefin is 876-pounds and that record was actually broken last Summer.
But every serious tuna angler knows it’s the North Atlantic that yields the biggest bluefin tuna on the planet. If your goal is to catch one of these fish weighing over 1,000-pounds you’ll want to start in Cape Cod and head north from there to give yourself the best shot at a grander tuna.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Fisheries Off West Coast States: Highly Migratory Species Fisheries - NOAA Regulation Input -Bluesfin Tuna
Comment Direct Link
For related information, Open Docket Folder
Action
Proposed rule; request for comments.Summary
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is proposing to modify the existing Pacific bluefin tuna (PBF) Thunnus orientalis recreational daily bag limit in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off California, and to establish filleting-at-sea requirements for any tuna species in the U.S. EEZ south of Point Conception, Santa Barbara County, under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). This action is intended to conserve PBF, and is based on a recommendation of the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council).Dates
Comments on the proposed rule must be submitted in writing by May 6, 2015.Addresses
You may submit comments on this document, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2015-0029, by any of the following methods:- Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2015-0029, click the “Comment Now!” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
- Mail: Submit written comments to Craig Heberer, NMFS West Coast Region Long Beach Office, 501 W. Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802. Include the identifier “NOAA-NMFS-2015-0029” in the comments.
Copies of the draft Regulatory Impact Review (RIR) and other supporting documents are available via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov, docket NOAA-NMFS-2015-0029, or contact the Regional Administrator, William W. Stelle, Jr., NMFS West Coast Regional Office, 7600 Sand Point Way, NE., Bldg 1, Seattle, WA. 98115-0070, or RegionalAdministrator.WCRHMS@noaa.gov.
For Further Information Contact
Craig Heberer, NMFS, 760-431-9440, ext. 303.Supplementary Information
On April 7, 2004, NMFS published a final rule (69 FR 18444) to implement the Fishery Management Plan for U.S. West Coast Fisheries for Highly Migratory Species (HMS FMP) that included annual specification guidelines at 50 CFR 660.709. These guidelines establish a process for the Council to take final action at its regularly-scheduled November meeting on any necessary harvest guideline, quota, or other management measure and recommend any such action to NMFS. At their November 2014, meeting, the Council adopted a recommendation (http://www.pcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/1114decisions.pdf) to modify the existing daily bag limit regulations at 50 CFR 660.721 for sport caught PBF harvested in the EEZ off the coast of California and to promulgate at-sea fillet regulations applicable south of Santa Barbara as routine management measures for the 2014-2015 biennial management cycle. The Council's recommendation and NMFS' proposed rulemaking are intended to reduce fishing mortality and aid in rebuilding the PBF stock, which is overfished and subject to overfishing (78 FR 41033, July 9, 2013; 80 FR 12621, March 9, 2015) and to satisfy the United States' obligation to reduce catches of PBF by sportfishing vessels in accordance with Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) Resolution C-14-06. (http://www.iattc.org/PDFFiles2/Resolutions/C-14-06-Conservation-of-bluefin-2015-2016.pdf).Resolution C-14-06 requires that “in 2015, all IATTC Members and Cooperating non-Members (CPCs) must take meaningful measures to reduce catches of PBF by sportfishing vessels operating under their jurisdiction to levels comparable to the levels of reduction applied under this resolution to the EPO commercial fisheries until such time that the stock is rebuilt.” The proposed daily bag limit of two fish per day being considered under this proposed rule would reduce the U.S. recreational harvest of PBF by approximately 30 percent, which is consistent with the IATTC scientific staff's conservation recommendation for a 20-45 percent PBF harvest reduction and meets the requirements of IATTC Resolution C-14-06. The filleting-at-seameasures will assist in the enforcement of the proposed regulations by enabling enforcement personnel to differentiate PBF from other tuna species. This proposed rule is consistent with procedures established at 50 CFR 660.709(a)(4) of the implementing regulations for the HMS FMP.
The proposed regulations would reduce the existing bag limit of 10 PBF per day to 2 PBF per day and the maximum multiday possession limit (i.e., for trips of 3 days or more) from 30 PBF to 6 PBF. For fishing trips of less than 3 days, the daily bag limit is multiplied by the number of days fishing to determine the multiday possession limit (e.g., the possession limit for a 1-day trip would be two fish and for a 2-day trip, four fish). A day is defined as a 24-hour period from the time of departure. Thus a trip spanning 2 calendar days could count as only 1 day for the purpose of enforcing possession limits.
Most PBF caught by U.S. anglers are taken in the EEZ of Mexico, both on private vessels and on Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessels (CPFV). The bulk of these trips originate from and return to San Diego, CA, ports. During 2004 through 2013, approximately 78 percent of the fishing effort for PBF (measured by angler days) by U.S. West Coast recreational fishing vessels occurred in Mexico's EEZ. Fishing by U.S. recreational vessels in Mexico's EEZ is a permitted activity that is subject to management by the Government of Mexico, which has imposed bag and possession limits.
The daily bag and multiday possession limits being proposed for the U.S. EEZ off the coast of California might be more or less conservative than Mexico's limits. The proposed U.S. recreational limits would not apply to U.S. anglers while in Mexico's waters, but to facilitate enforcement and monitoring, the limits would apply to U.S. vessels in the U.S. EEZ or landing to U.S. ports, regardless of where the fish were harvested.
The proposed regulations would also establish requirements for filleting tuna at-sea (e.g., each fish must be cut into six pieces placed in an individual bag so that certain diagnostic characteristics are left intact), which will assist law enforcement personnel in accurately identifying different species given morphometric and phenotypic similarities between tuna species, specifically, yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) and PBF. These requirements would apply to any tuna species caught south of Santa Barbara (i.e., south of a line running west true from Point Conception, Santa Barbara County (34°27′ N. lat.)) In addition to enhancing enforcement, the proposed fillet measures would also assist port samplers and fishery biologists conducting fishery surveys in accurately identifying tuna species.
The State of California has informed NMFS that it intends to implement companion regulations to the Federal regulations being proposed here by imposing daily PBF bag limits applicable to recreational angling and possession of fish in state waters (0-3 nm). Currently, California State regulations allow, by special permit, the retention of up to three daily bag limits for a trip occurring over multiple, consecutive days. California State regulations also allow for two or more persons angling for finfish aboard a vessel in ocean waters off California to continue fishing until boat limits are reached. NMFS and the Council consider these additional state restrictions to be consistent with Federal regulations implementing the HMS FMP, including this proposed rule if implemented. The proposed fillet requirements differ from current State of California requirements, which allow tuna filleting as long as a 1-inch square patch of skin is left on the fillet.
Several comments received during public scoping for this action called for an exception to the fillet requirements for skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis. The Council recommendation to NMFS did not provide an exception for skipjack tuna. However, the California Fish and Game Commission is considering a possible exception, such that skipjack tuna taken from and possessed aboard a vessel south of Point Conception (Santa Barbara County) may be processed by removing the entire fillet on each side and shall bear the entire skin attached. Skipjack tuna possess distinct horizontal bands on their belly that remain visible and distinct allowing for accurate identification, even after the fish or fillet has been frozen. NMFS is seeking further guidance from the public on the issue of a possible exception to the proposed fillet requirements for skipjack tuna.
The proposed rule would apply only to recreational fisheries in Federal waters off California. Although PBF are occasionally caught and retained in Oregon and Washington, the catches are negligible. Therefore, the benefits expected from monitoring and regulating PBF catch in waters off those states does not justify the administrative or regulatory burden of doing so.
Classification
Pursuant to section 304(b)(1)(A) of the MSA, the NMFS Assistant Administrator has determined that this proposed rule is consistent with the HMS FMP, other provisions of the Act, and other applicable law, subject to further consideration after public comment.National Environmental Policy Act
The Council prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for this action that discusses the impact on the environment as a result of this proposed rule. None of the bag and possession limit alternatives analyzed in the EA are expected to jeopardize the sustainability of the PBF. However, the preferred alternative, which reflects the action proposed in this rule, is likely to have negative economic impacts on the affected fishing communities. The alternatives, including the preferred alternative, for tuna filleting procedures are not expected to result in significant socioeconomic impacts.Executive Order 12866
This proposed rule has been determined to be not significant for purposes of Executive Order 12866.Regulatory Flexibility Act
The Chief Counsel for Regulation of the Department of Commerce certified to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration (SBA) that this proposed rule, if implemented, would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. The factual basis for this determination under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) is as follows:The proposed regulations would reduce the existing bag limit of 10 PBF per day to 2 PBF per day and the maximum multiday possession limit (i.e., for trips of 3 days or more) from 30 PBF to 6 PBF. For fishing trips of less than 3 days, the daily bag limit is multiplied by the number of days fishing to determine the multiday possession limit (e.g., the possession limit for a 1-day trip would be two fish and for a 2-day trip, four fish). These limits will apply to recreational anglers in U.S. waters off the West Coast or any other ocean waters that return to U.S. waters and/or ports. This rule also proposes that tunas caught by recreational anglers to be filleted according to specified configurations for bag limit monitoring and enforcement purposes.
This proposed rule, if implemented, would not be expected to directly affect any small entities. This proposed rule would change the PBF recreational baglimit and the filleting requirements for caught tuna, which affects only individual recreational anglers. Recreational anglers, by definition, may not sell catch, and thus are not considered to be a business. Because recreational anglers are not considered to be a small entity under the RFA, the economic effects of this proposed rule on these anglers are outside the scope of the RFA. Although the for-hire sector of the sport fishery may experience indirect economic impacts due to the imposition of reduced daily bag and possession limits, those impacts are not required elements of the RFA analysis for this action.
Because this proposed rule, if implemented, would not be expected to have a significant direct adverse economic effect on a substantial number of small entities, an initial regulatory flexibility analysis is not required and none has been prepared.
Paperwork Reduction Act
There are no new collection-of-information requirements associated with this action that are subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act, existing collection-of-information requirements associated with the U.S. West Coast Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan still apply. These existing requirements have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget under Control Number 0648-0204.List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 660
Fisheries, Fishing, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.Part 660 Fisheries Off the West Coast States
Authority
16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., 16 U.S.C. 773 et seq., and 16 U.S.C. 7001 et seq.(a) Albacore Tuna Daily Bag Limit. Except pursuant to a multi-day possession permit referenced in paragraph (c) of this section, a recreational fisherman may take and retain, or possess onboard no more than:
* * * * *
(b) Bluefin Tuna Daily Bag Limit. A recreational fisherman may take and retain, or possess on board no more than two bluefin tuna during any part of a fishing trip that occurs in the U.S. EEZ off California south of a line running due west true from the California-Oregon border [42°00′ N. latitude].
* * * * *
(e) Restrictions on Filleting of Tuna South of Point Conception. South of a line running due west true from Point Conception, Santa Barbara County (34°27′ N. latitude) to the U.S.-Mexico border, any tuna that has been filleted must be individually bagged as follows:
(1) The bag must be marked with the species' common name, and
(2) the fish must be cut into the following six pieces with all skin attached: the four loins, the collar removed as one piece with both pectoral fins attached and intact, and the belly cut to include the vent and with both pelvic fins attached and intact.