BajaNomad - Really Interesting Fish Species

Really Interesting Fish Species

CaboMagic - 4-22-2017 at 06:55 PM

Eli Wang and his girlfriend Jessica Lee fished with us April 9th and 11th. I think his work is incredible.

Here is his blog https://obsessiveangling.wordpress.com/species-lifelist/comp...

Really proud to share his note and photos too: Hope you enjoy this post too. LG
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Hi Lori & Tommy!

So sorry to be out of touch for so long, had a ton of work to catch up on after getting back from Cabo! Yes, we had a great time with both captains, and both catered to our needs beautifully. Unfortunately due to the winds, I was unable to fish over San Jaime banks as I had originally wished, but we still found some good deep water with structure on the Sea of Cortez side. I've attached some of my own pictures for your entertainment. In total, I caught 14 new species of fish on this trip to Cabo bringing my documentation to 947 species of fish caught worldwide! Feel free to browse my website to see the catches I've encountered. By the way, I did hook a Parrotfish!! Unfortunately, it was a fairly large one and I had hooked it on light line so after a few minutes of fighting, it took me under a rock ledge and broke me off. Beautiful fish though, would have loved to land and photograph it! Anyways, I will be back to try and fish San Jaime in the future, and will be contacting you again! Thanks once again for the smooth experience!

Sincerely,

Eli

[Edited on 4-23-2017 by CaboMagic]

eli2.jpg - 27kB

CaboMagic - 4-22-2017 at 06:59 PM

eli3.jpg - 29kB

4x4abc - 4-22-2017 at 07:06 PM

cool - killing fish for fun. We have too many anyway.

CaboMagic - 4-22-2017 at 07:12 PM

The majority of these fish were photographed and released Harald. Those that were not were consumed. Missing your meds ?

del mar - 4-22-2017 at 07:21 PM

cool pix! gracias

aguachico - 4-22-2017 at 07:43 PM

Great fotos. scorpion and the white fish. I would not release those. good eats

blackwolfmt - 4-22-2017 at 08:34 PM

What a great website they have for identifying fish :cool:

Russ - 4-23-2017 at 06:11 AM

Always nice to see the work some go thru to show the world the wild life around us. It amazes me how others feel it's okay to have nets take out whole species / eco systems or at least don't protest.
STUPID PILLS... ? I don't think there is such a thing or they'd be sold to people that don't need them.

BajaBlanca - 4-23-2017 at 07:44 AM

Wow, what an incredible website! Those are some beauts! My guess is that someone who obviously travels the world looking for fish species, most likely releases after the shots are taken ... thanks for sharing.

woody with a view - 4-23-2017 at 12:19 PM

Iif nothing else, this guy's site provides an education of the world we live in. Those who pontificate the demise of it are hard to figure out with only 2-3 sentences in rebuttal. And then there's Goat, who only eats bark and chaff.

TMW - 4-23-2017 at 01:59 PM

I never realized there were so many different fish. As far as I'm concerned the puffer fish can be eliminated.

willardguy - 4-23-2017 at 02:03 PM

Quote: Originally posted by TMW

I never realized there were so many different fish. As far as I'm concerned the puffer fish can be eliminated.

aww...how can you say that.....

CaboMagic - 4-23-2017 at 03:46 PM

We all have our paths - to enlightenment. I enjoy reading many posts that are posted here that open my eyes to something I've never known, or considered. I appreciate all that Blanca does to take the youth on a learning journey - sometimes the posts are that for me. LG

This is from Eli's blog, it is called "The birth of an obsession" and he explains things. Very interesting I think.

This is the last paragraph:
Heres to the past, present, and future. Where the fish that have fallen to my hook are revered and immortalized in my mind as wary, strong fighters that were released so that their offspring may flourish and fight another day.

bajabuddha - 4-23-2017 at 04:27 PM

there y'go, CM..... I released 99% of my catches, and told 'em as they went over the side, "go tell yer uncle he's a PANSY". Always hoped for a response..... :biggrin:

mtgoat666 - 4-23-2017 at 04:49 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaBlanca

Wow, what an incredible website! Those are some beauts! My guess is that someone who obviously travels the world looking for fish species, most likely releases after the shots are taken ... thanks for sharing.

Most fish caught/released go on to die of injuries. Unfortunately, being caught and dragged to surface is traumatic to fish. For example, most bottom fish brought to surface have air bladders that expand and cause all sorts of havoc,... imagine someone rapidly inflated a large ballon in your body cavity in a matter of minute or less, squeezing your organs until they were compressed and damaged, or in worst case pressure forced your organs to pop up your throat and into your mouth,... traumatic, and sad!

bajabuddha - 4-23-2017 at 05:02 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote: Originally posted by BajaBlanca

Goathead, the only thing sad here is you. Not all of us fish deep water and if an air bladder is showing, it goes in the skillet that night. Some actually know the difference between a dying fish and a releasable one.
Tell me, oh sage of fishing, do you have a current or lifetime fishing permit? I duly hope so, for all the trolling you do. How did you ever survive Thanksgiving?

Russ - 4-23-2017 at 05:30 PM

Goat! They're fish for crying out loud! This is the hunting and fishing part of the forum. I suggest you avoid reading any posts here. Or control yourself to remarks you have some basic knowledge about.
Sheeeeesh

mtgoat666 - 4-23-2017 at 07:27 PM

Killing for food is acceptable, in moderation and with consideration.
Killing for sake of killing or bagging a trophy is wrong.

redhilltown - 4-23-2017 at 11:41 PM

Goat you are absolutely wrong on your point as to "most" fish die of their injuries when released. Some deep water fish such as rockfish you are absolutely correct but they are not "most" fish.

obsessiveangling - 4-24-2017 at 01:44 AM

Thank you Lori and Tommy for the absolutely great fishing experience! The level of professionalism and expertise you demonstrated in helping with my species documentation pursuit was deeply appreciated.

Thank you everyone on the board for your positive responses! I created my website as a place to share my fishing experiences, but also as a method to educate anglers on the variety of fish species that we can appreciate throughout the world.

It is actually a common response from certain people who disapprove my pursuit to document species to cite concerns regarding fish mortality, and "waste." As an fishing sportsman, I appreciate it when people indicate concern for our precious wildlife, so let me take a little time to clarify my project and the science behind it.

First, a little background on myself. I've been involved with research on marine organisms since participating in Professor Caldwell's marine lab at UC Berkeley in the early 2000s. Continuing from there, I worked with the Academy of Science in San Francisco on specimen collections, as well as collaborating with Academia Sinica in Taiwan. Finally, more recent work included work with John Snow of mexicanfish.com and Martin Lewis who is working on publishing a species guide for the Seychelles. So based on my research background, let me make an important point: every single species of organism that has ever been identified to the scientific community has at least one holotype specimen which is harvested, killed, and preserved. Thus, unfortunately, all our knowledge of all animals and plants in this world involve some sacrifice of our wildlife. Although this may seem like a waste to some people, it is a necessary sacrifice we make as an entire scientific community to further our knowledge and understanding.

Now, onto my particular project. As mentioned before, I am a sportsman, and also feel strongly about not wasting our resources. Thus, I felt strongly that my documentation process should have as little impact on fish as possible. If you read my "Species Lifelist" page, you will note I have some specific rules on how I obtain specimens for my documentation. Rule #1 clearly states, fish must be ALIVE at time of photograph. Thus, my photographs are taken immediately after capture, as quickly as possible to preserve the image of the fish during life.

So, as you probably would guess, the vast majority of fish that I catch are quickly released after capture. This brings up the sensitive topic of catch and release. Many anglers have dismissed the idea, saying that fish rarely survive encounters with fish hooks. While the experience of being caught does seem extremely traumatic on a visceral level, the research clearly indicates otherwise, at least in terms of survival. Short term (48 hours) research performed by DuBois and Dubielzig in 2004 found a >96% survival rate, which supported a study performed in 1997 by Nuhfer and Alexander which found the survival rate to be 95.7%. Research by Pope, Wilde, and Knabe published in 2007 found a 96.99% long term survival rate on released trout. This rate decreases when barotrauma of deep water fish is factored in. However even in these cases, survival rates of fish with protruding stomachs were still found to be quite high with fish taken as deep as 590 ft having survival rates of 88%, according to studies done in 2014 by McLennan, Campbell, and Sumpton.

So what happens to the 10-20% of fish that I catch that may possibly die, post capture? Well, like any good sportsman, I either consume them, or they are used as bait. As a somewhat humorous story, I once released a fish that I was not sure if it would make it. I watched it carefully after release, checking to see whether I should recapture it to harvest for food. However, as the fish was slowly regaining it's equilibrium and starting to swim away, a hammerhead shark came and ate it next to the boat. So although it did not become my meal, it was certainly enjoyed by another.

Hopefully this serves to clear up some confusion regarding my project and it's goals. Although I personally gain immense enjoyment from traveling and catching each and every species, it is my goal to share my findings with others in the hope of enhancing people's appreciation of the staggering diversity present in our world's waterways.

Eli

bigminnowfisher@gmail.com
obsessiveangling.wordpress.com

CaboMagic - 4-26-2017 at 09:17 PM

Delighted that Eli decided to post here. :bounce:

For those with positive approach to life bravo. :coolup:

Those that see glass empty, too bad - lifes too short to waste time/energy on negative peeps.

David K - 4-27-2017 at 03:50 AM

Wonderful!
Welcome, Eli!

Goat, now you are "banned" (in a humorous, not real way) from this and the Off Roading forum!