881lb Tuna Caught in MA

napa · Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:20 pm Post subject: 881lb Tuna Caught in MA

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/man-catches-881-pound-tuna-seized-feds-194650751.html

But since they claim he didn't catch it with a rod and reel, the FEDS took the fish and it may cost him about 500K...id be absolutely bull about this. I don't know ocean rules, but my god, its not like he took an M16 and started spraying the water with bullets, lobbed a few grenades in the water and caught it that way.

Lastly, what a fool...catch it in the net and stick a big a$$ hook in its mouth and act like you caught it on the rod haha. 500K is no joke!

poor bastard, I hope he wins the case and gets the money he deserves.

riverrat82 · Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:42 pm Post subject: wow man

If it were on a pole he would've been allowed to keep it? I know there's a limit for 'keepers'...we have a new member here on MAFF who told recently of having to turn one of the BIG BOYS back in and it was something to do with the commercial regulations. A couple years back commercial fisherman did a march on the state house...13 guys showed up ! 13 ! Who was this guy screwing if he caught this tuna and sold it...his cousin Bob...Jim the Transmission dude in town? The State government refused to pay insurances and recovery efforts down the cape this year so to the point that charter boats went out of business...GOOD STUFF HUH? ----they should've let him keep that ---it was a CATCH OF A LIFETIME !Or @ least share in what we ALL KNOW will be a profit to someone somewhere . . .leaky @ best here folks leaky @ best . . .[/b]

thorn168 · Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:55 pm Post subject:

I read this report too!

The Yahoo article was too brief for my liking so I looked up the original to share with you:

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111119/NEWS/111190342&cid=sitesearch

The thing that really sucks about this is that he had tuna fishing licences to cover this, or so he thought. The moral of this story is... to Lie because the truth gets you screwed.

blackstonecarp · Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:32 pm Post subject:

Nah the moral of the story is know the regs..he had 15 boats working for him but didn't know the fishing rules? really?

thorn168 · Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 7:31 pm Post subject:

By the time they hauled the fish in it was dead. So they expect you to dump the carcass on a fish that valuable?

The feds sold the fish for less then $5000

A blue fin tuna that size for less then $5000! That's just sad.

So at the end of the day the endangered fish is still dead

The local fisherman is punished

And the Authorities only recover a fraction of what the actual value of the fish is worth. Everyone loses so I guess its all good.

riverrat82 · Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 7:53 pm Post subject: I wondered about that

I was thinking about that myself when I sided w/ the fisherman ...'had the forethought to get the permit for 'insurance' after decades of experience and MULTIPLE vessels and this "old salt" tells the feds ..."I didn't know what the keep rules were" ...as I stated about the feds earlier...and now about our fellow fisherman'seems like EVERYONE involved is "LEAKY @ BEST FOLKS"...I hope his boat doesn't take on as much water as this story....

blackstonecarp · Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 7:59 pm Post subject:

The guy had 15 tuna permits for 15 boats and claims he didn't know he couldn't net it. Personally his story sounds fishy to me and I believe he is basically trying to poach a prize worthy fish. I know fishermen who only own 3-5 boats and they know every law inside and out, because the permits are not cheap and breaking the laws is even worse. I fail to believe this guy is simply ignorant and "accidentally" caught and killed a tuna. Like the part about how the agency claims it was from deep water and the fisherman of course says, nah we didn't go deep.

Where do you get $5000, the articles said that a 700+ pound sold for just under 400K..it is odd that the agency would have sold it for a small 5k. I am not trying to argue just curios as I didn't see it on anything after a admittedly brief search.

It is sad that this fish, that is in such trouble is dead, no matter how you look at it. I am however glad that this guy is getting nothing for it. He did it illegally and should not profit. Personally i find it funny that in the articles he tries to play victim... Keep in mind the reason our fisheries are in the states they are is due, in part to bad fishing practices for decades. Over harvesting and profiteering have destroyed once great fisheries. Obviously pollution also plays a large part but that is not the point of this discussion.

thorn168 · Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:51 pm Post subject:

"The fish was sold domestically for $5,000, and the proceeds will be held until the case is resolved, said Christine Patrick, spokeswoman for NOAA Fisheries in Silver Spring, Maryland."

Here is the link to the report from where this quote is sourced:

http://news.yahoo.com/officials-seize-881-pound-bluefin-tuna-caught-accidentally-233250109.html

While you may have point about the fleet owner playing the victim in all of this...because of all of this publicity, he probably now has a cell number to call the next time he catches another Blue fine tuna as "by catch".

blackstonecarp · Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:02 pm Post subject:

The fisherman's shadiness aside that is pure idiotic on the governments part. With our countries funds being as slim as they are, I see no reason they could not have sold it for a decent chunk and put that money into the fisheries account...

It never ceases to amaze me how silly our government is...The only reason I would accept is that they sold it domestically to go toward food for poor/homeless etc and did not want to gouge those agencies..I however doubt that is the reason...

thorn168 · Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:27 pm Post subject:

I seriously doubt that the poor will be eating blue fin tuna for thanksgiving this year.