Quote:
Originally Posted by Marque
Is it crazy to assume that most of the bycatch is not eaten by larger fish and other marine life? I know the seagulls get plenty of it but I have to think that other predatory fish get in on the easy meal as well? I mean they catch Tuna 15 miles out of mouth of the Mississippi behind shrimp boats, I am sure other bigger fish have caught on as well . I worked as a deckhand one summer on a skimmer in southwest pass and I can remember catching 1 speckled trout that was big enough to filet. We would dump the nets in salt saturated brine and skim the dead fish off. It was mostly eels, croakers and needle fish. I have to think that a good portion of by catch would have been consumed by predators if it hadn't ended up in a net. What difference ecologically does it make if the by catch is consumed after its sorted and dumped? Shrimpers don't catch all the shrimp out there, I have to assume the same for by catch. There's always by catch. As for Sea Turtles, I think there would be a lot more of them if they moved out of the way of boats. I've worked and fished offshore long enough to see more than a few plowed into by recreational fisherman, commercial fishing boats, head boats, work boats, pretty much any boat around a rig or platform.
|
well nothing goes to waste that's for sure, but its always best to return as much as you can alive and avoid catching things you don't want altogether.
I think we all agree on that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Duck Butter
I think you misread the article  This is the shrimpers trying to repeal the law. They are trying to show they want to do more and be in compliance with federal regulations which includes placing TEDs on their trawls. |
I think YOU misread the thread post
and to be accurate if you bother to look into the facts behind this strange request, they are doing this under duress, only because they want the feds to impose more tariffs on imported shrimp which the feds aren't willing to do until we show more compliance with fed regulations. so this is a way they believe they can get the feds to go along with higher import tariffs.
and to be clear the name doesn't mean they just work for the benefit of the fisherman, the "shrimpers" only make up one third of the task force and the other third is shrimp processors with the final third being LDWF agency members or affiliates so this is NOT a group of shrimpers begging to be regulated more as you may wish to think.
not to mention it is run by the DWLF and operates under their guidance so it is not a private entity
CCA constantly works against fishermen against all manner of common sense and fair fisheries management despite having "so-called" fishermen and sportsmen making these decisions so assuming things based on the name something is called is flawed thinking.