Posted by Kevin on January 10, 2002 at 09:47:25:
In Reply to: DFG Summary of Rockfish, lingcod, cabazon, & sheephead regs for 2002 posted by Chris on January 09, 2002 at 18:44:40:
Folks, open your eyes, see for yourself.....
Follow one spearfisherman as he enters the water, once a week, maybe twice, and many far less often than even that. He selects a specific fish, ensuring species and correct length. He shoots, and kills. Its a very quick and painless death. He takes and eats, and that weekend, maybe two or three fish are removed from a random site, by a random spearfisherman, at a random time of the month.
Follow one commercial boat, dragging nets across the bootom or through the water column. Netting each and every single species, and size that the net captures. Tons and tons and TONS of all types and sizes, creating a wasteland in a specific area. AND THEY CONTINUE FISHING THAT SAME "PRODUCING" AREA, until it stops producing, and then they move on. The fish die slowly, heaving and heaving until they expire. Day after day, night after night the nets get dragged through the water. And a very large portion ends up in cat food cans, not even to be consumed by us.
If any of you doubt what I say, see for yourself.
Observe the commercial boats, and how they opertate, and what their bycatch is. Its a slaughter of biblical proportions, a watse of so much fish you would think they worked for the federal government.
Then observe me, a few scallops, some urchins, two or three fish, and maybe a coupla bugs. All from different areas, beach and shore, maybe way out deep, perhaps off the coatsline or maybe an island or maybe a wreck in the middle of nowhere.
NOTHING GETS WASTED. Even the bones and skin of the fish, and even the shells of the lobsters get made in stock. And the shells of the urchins and shells of the scallops get mashed and put into my garden's soil.
If you want to save the fish, regulate the commercial harvesters, not the private anglers or fisherman.
OPEN YOUR EYES, SEE FOR YOURSELF.
Kevin