I went out tuna fishing on a 3/4 day boat (The Liberty, Fisherman's Landing San Diego) Sept 06. Tuna fishing is always a hit or miss proposition; the
previous day 42 anglers on the same boat only managed to catch 2 fish. On my trip the next day 15 anglers caught 34 tuna 20-30 lbs. This was about
25 miles SW offshore in Mexican waters. The usual pattern was followed, a couple of guys with top end gear, fluorocarbon, and a lot of experience
caught several fish each, the semi-experienced guys (like me) fishing old mono from last season on Big 5 rods managed to get one, and the crew hooked
and handed off fish to the newbies who otherwise represented a sad spectacle of tangles and frustration. The fish were line shy, 20 pound test was
needed to get them to bite.
I have often wondered why the fishing seems so much better the further south you go. Of course water temperature plays a big role. However, 100
years ago it was common for huge tuna to be caught offshore Los Angeles. My theory is that the "primitive" sewage systems in Mexico, where (much
smaller quantities, per capita) of wastewater is spread out across thousands of land discharge points. What doesn't soak into the earth trickles
though "wetlands" where it is is purified by the cleansing effects of filtration, oxygen and sunlight. This may be superior, in terms of supporting
plankton (the basic food source of baitfish and thus large predator fish) than the NOB practice of getting everyone hooked up to a single sewer system
and discharging it all into it to the ocean offshore via deep water sewage outfalls. |
