Hook & Line

I am not in this alone, though often it feels that way. There are others who feel as strongly as I do about coastal conservation. Although at times those people can’t be found. I was asked just this week by several local fishermen to have a chat about the needless waste and mutilation of fish. The fact it: a lot of people take too many fish under the premise that their family and friends will be sharing in their catch. Well, in some incidents, that is true. But as we all know, no one takes fish that are not cleaned. I observed people leaving the piers and the beach this fall with coolers of spots – many of them with hundreds of pounds that were not cleaned or iced for that matter. We have all seen this before. Ask yourself, where are most of those fish going to end up? That’s right, in the garbage can. I see it happening every year. It is very important to only keep as many fish as you plan to eat, freeze or clean and distribute to others. If you catch a different type of fish that you are accustomed to eating and you’re not sure if you like the taste of this new species, only keep one to try. Please don’t keep a dozen, discover the fish is not to your approval and decide to thrown them away. Let’s try to preserve the resources for our grandchildren.

Another pet peeve of mine is keeping fish that are too small. I was on the Surf City Pier just the other day and small trout were being caught in abundance. I noticed one man sneaking these juvenile fish in his cooler. I approached him and explained that the new size limit was 14 inches maximum. I also explained the penalty. He was offended. I didn’t care; what this man chose to do was morally wrong and illegal. The Surf City Pier, or any other pier for that matter, does not condone this kind of behavior. I feel there should be heavier fines issued to people who insist on abusing the law. If so, the resource would benefit greatly.

If you catch a fish under the limit (and we cannot help that) release it properly. The way to release a fish is to do so with pliers on the hook, and as quickly as possible. If you touch the fish with your hand it removes the coating (slime) from the fish and bacteria and parasites will eventually kill it. Now, I know touching cannot be avoided at times, but let’s limit handling as often as possible. If by chance the fish has swallowed the hook, please do not pull it out. Cut your line to ensure the fish lives. If we use coated steel hooks, they will rust in only a matter of days. The fish will survive. Never, and I mean never, use stainless hooks. A stainless hook that is swallowed is a sure death sentence, and should be outlawed in order to protect all species. The federal government has outlawed lead shot when duck hunting to protect the waterfowl population; they should also outlaw stainless hooks too. Steel circle hooks are the logical answer – they are designated to hang in the lip of a fish and not be swallowed, although flounder will often manage to get even a circle hook down its throat.

One thing that actually brings my blood to a boil is mutilation. I’ve noticed individuals catching stingrays and skates and cutting off their tails. For some odd reason, misinformed people think there is a stinger in the end of a stingray’s tail. Not true. There is a barb located near where the body and tail are connected. I have seen people stuck with the barb while trying to cut the tail off one of these gentle creatures. The tail is used for balance while swimming and is in no way a danger to anyone. The same is true of skates. This fish has thorn-like appendages on his tail and body. Just remove the hook with pliers and return the fish to sea. I have witnessed people (you can’t call these people fishermen) catching small sharks, rays, skates and unwanted fish and throwing them on the sand or pier to needlessly die. Or butcher them up before throwing them mover to die. This is a senseless act that should not go unpunished by state and local authorities. We need more Marine Fisheries Enforcement Agents to write more fines.

Another thing that poses a threat to our estuaries is fertilizer and pesticides lavishly spread over lawns that can and will find their way into the water. Not only is this a bad thing to be found anywhere in saltwater habitat, but the original run-off is directly into the hatcheries. Marsh grasses that surround estuaries is the birthplace of most fish and shrimp. Mussels, oysters and clams filter millions of gallons of water and, as a result, ingest these poisons.

Federal and state regulations don’t help the cause much either. Although most laws are sensible, some are the furthest from making any sense. Florida, Georgia and South Carolina have closed grouper season in their states. North Carolina has not, so what do you think is going to happen this year? That’s right, all their boats will be here catching our grouper this winter, which will probably result in a shortage in our state next year. These other states will reopen grouper fishing and N.C. will be forced to close. So what will happen then? Our boat will go south again. Do you hear (read, rather) what I’m saying? It’s a vicious cycle that never ends.

I have whined and griped enough for this week. Don’t get me started on gill nets on the beach or tail bags in the waterway. I could go on forever. I’m glad we had this chat; I needed to get some things off my chest.

Happy Thanksgiving!