Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
Well, we were all waiting for the new bluefin tuna regulations to come out. Now we got’em. But I don’t think that some folks are all-too happy with what was handed to us this year.
Just the same, I suppose a lot of fishermen aren’t surprised either. Bluefin regulations have been a controversial issue for as long as I can remember and there’s no reason to expect a change anytime soon. This year’s regs allow private fishermen (angling category) to keep only one bluefin per boat per day between 27 and 59 inches, while charter and headboat anglers are allowed two as long as one is over and one is under 47-inches.
The different creel limits between private and charter boats has raised a few hackles in itself as some private boaters feel slighted that they’re only allowed to take half as many fish as the guys on charter boats. I’m not too keen on the disparity either and understand the resentment to it, but I can also see the point of the NMFS of trying to “spread the wealth” of tuna to as many recreational fishermen as possible, figuring that throughout the season private boat owners will likely have multiple opportunities to bring home bluefin tuna while the average group that charters a boat will only have one chance a year.
More important than “how many” bluefin tuna can be landed is “what size” can or cannot be. In past years, the daily bag limits allowed tuna to be taken from 27 to 47-inches or 47 to less than 73-inches and then one “trophy” fish a year, 73-inches or larger. This season, however, the upper limit of 73-inches has been reduced to fish less than 59-inches, therefore, any bluefin 59-inches or larger must be released.
So what’s 11-inches going to do? Since most of the bluefins caught off Delmarva are well under 59-inches the reduced size limit is not likely going to affect most anglers. It’s too early to tell what God has in store for us this year but each season the average size-class of fish he sends our way is a little different from the one before, and if we happen to be blessed with good numbers of big fish, anglers might find themselves burdened with the task of trying to precisely measure some very large fish at sea. While this seems like a good problem to have, in this situation I don’t think it’s a task fishermen should look forward to. The law states that tuna have to be measured in the water, NOT on the deck of a boat, but a 59-inch bluefin is going to be somewhere over 150 pounds and a fish of those proportions is not going to lie peacefully beside the vessel and allow anglers to run a tape-measure from snout to fork. Certainly, anglers can, and will use tricks like putting measuring marks on the side of their boats or attaching 59-inch ribbons to snaps that can be slid down the leader and allowed to trail alongside the fish. But no matter how hard fishermen might try, using such methods to measure fish in the water will never provide the kind of accuracy needed to determine if they have a legal 58 3/4-inch bluefin or a 59-inch throwback.
Since a quarter-inch one way or another could mean the difference between bringing home a trophy or getting a fine and possibly losing one’s permit, accurate measurements are quite important. The stakes go up even higher during tournaments when hundreds of thousands of dollars could be riding on a single fish. Imagine the dilemma tournament anglers will face; to win they need to catch the largest tuna, which means getting as close to the 59-inch mark as possible. If they hook a potential winner and are lucky enough to get it to the boat they’ll need to make the decision to gaff it – if it’s the right size, or release it - if it’s too big. Since big fish are often lost close to the boat, this decision must be made very quickly or a few hundred thousand dollars could break off and go swimming away. If anglers get it right they might be able to pay off their mortgage, get it wrong and it could cause big problems. It sort of gives new meaning to the term “catch-22!”
I agree it’s not fair that anglers should be subjected to regulations that put them in such a quandary. Then again, fishery managers are supposed to be responsible “first” to the proper management of the “resource,” which unfortunately might not always allow for special consideration to be given to private enterprises such as tournaments, charter operations, or any other businesses that revolve around or impacts the fishery. So at least for now, in the case of these new tuna regulations, it looks like we’re just going to have to make the best of dealing with them and hope that maybe next year it’ll be a better situation.
As fishermen, the worst thing we can do is to take our frustrations with government regulations out on the fish, or in this case - the bluefin tuna. I’ve already heard it suggested by some that if the size limits are going to be so “ridiculous” that during a tournament they’ll gaff every tuna, pull it aboard and if it’s too large they’ll “just kick it overboard” because there’s too much money on the line to do otherwise. While I know that most of that kind of talk is just a way of venting frustration, I’m also concerned that too much talk like that will prompt some to think “that’s just the way it’s done” and therefore choose to take that path themselves.
So before anyone gets the wrong idea, let me assure readers that “gaff and release” is NEVER OK to do for any reason or for any amount of money. Most fishermen would not even consider it, and I’m sure that any tournament committee that got wind that one of their competitors participated in such activities would not only disqualify them from the event but also hang their cheating butts out to dry! As sportsmen and sportswomen, our activities have always been both constrained and rewarded by government regulations, the health and abundance of the fish and game we pursue, and by the ethics we practice when we’re out there on our own. While we seldom have much control over regulations or populations, we certainly have the ability to hunt and fish under certain ethical standards that not only make proper use of our natural resources but also honor the fish and game we harvest. “Gaff and release” for any reason is practiced by only the lowest-of-the-low and certainly not by anyone who would fit any definition of the term “sportsman.” No matter if the fish at the side of the boat will put someone on the winners podium or is destined only to fill a freezer for the winter - the morals and ethics that dictate whether or not the “gaff” or the “measuring tape” are used “first” must never change just because there’s a purse waiting to be won back at the dock. To do otherwise is nothing less than succumbing to the level of the “oldest-profession.”
With all that being said, if we as sportsmen wish to truly practice what we preach and put our resources first, we have to accept the rules as they are and do our best to measure the tuna in the water and ensure a healthy release of all undersize or oversize fish. We don’t have to be happy about the new regulations, but we must do all we can to protect the fish that are the future of our fishery. Likewise, tournament directors also have the responsibility to do what they can to ensure that the events they coordinate don’t overly tax the abilities of their participants or tempt them away from ethical behavior by structuring and when necessary “updated” rules to reflect any shifts in the fishery or changes in regulations.
It seems there’s an awful lot that goes on in government these days that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, maybe the new tuna regulations are just another example, but like’em or not they are the rules we have to abide by, let’s just make sure we don’t vent our frustrations on the fish – it’s not their fault!
Captain Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and captain of the charter boat “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center.
