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Author: Subject: BLACK SEA BASS - MERO
bajajurel
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[*] posted on 9-22-2010 at 08:25 AM


more pics

P1000602.JPG - 22kB




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shari
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[*] posted on 9-22-2010 at 08:33 AM


Pescador makes some valid points but the cooperativas on the central pacific coast were formed WAAAAY before any biosphere reserve was established here. The coops have been responsibly managing their resources for 50 years.

Fisheries deals with quotas, regs and enforcement etc. and the coops are responsible for vigilancia(patrolling their area) not the biosphere reserve people.

The first Governor's Cup fishing tournament in Asuncion targeted Mero as well, yellowtail and calico but the black sea bass was eliminated in the following years because there just arent many of them around anymore...too scarce to make it a tournament fish so maybe that will happen in Abreojos too. I have heard similar sentiments about the governers cup tournaments...we'll see what the new governor comes up with!




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[*] posted on 9-22-2010 at 08:37 AM


Hi All,
Just wanted to say that I was in the Ensenada fish market 2 weeks age and one of the stalls had several BSB for sale. All were small. Maybe 5 were under 10lbs with only one in the 20lb range. I had not been there in a couple of years but have seen them on occasion before.
So, they are sold commercially though they may have been bi-catch in a net, but I doubt it as they command a higher price than most fish in the market.
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Skipjack Joe
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[*] posted on 9-22-2010 at 09:13 AM


Good to hear that. The people of Ensenada would starve without them.

Most Meros, I suspect, end up on people's walls. Their heads mounted in saloons and coffee shops as conversation pieces.
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BajaBlanca
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[*] posted on 9-22-2010 at 09:47 AM


I guess we have an area where the BSB go to reproduce because there are so many huge ones way down, that is the part that concerns me and I wish to better understand the implications of catching the bigger ones. If, as some say, one day does not really make a dent, that wd be great. My fear is that these are wonderful fish that will be wiped out. I mean, Jerry's pictures sure make an impact.

Jerry - it is fantastic that you have a marine biologist who may be able to shed some light on this issue. I just want to know if I should defend this m monster fish or not :spingrin:

Do you really think the tournaments will end when this governor leaves ? I did not know that .... for the locals, it is a really big event and it is the only time I ever see the women and kids fishing, which is really neat. And yeah, one lady who was staying here did win the BSB category, altho I was not here to see that.





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[*] posted on 9-22-2010 at 05:37 PM


FYI La Bocana and Abreojos do fish BSB commercially.............I just got back and saw it with my own eyes.............They pangeros tell me they get good $$$$$ for the fish.



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[*] posted on 9-22-2010 at 07:32 PM


I confirmed this today, Derek !! who would have guessed .... good money is right. I asked where they sell it to and was told it goes to restaurants south of the border AND they can sell to the states but the size is not too small and not too big (don't remember the exact size allowance - smething like a range between 40 and 70 lbs.). they have fished it forever but it is not controlled by them, like the abalone and lobster are.




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[*] posted on 9-22-2010 at 08:13 PM


There it is! A managed, obviously thriving resource! Thanks yellowklr! Leave the babies, leave the breeders. Sounds like an enforced slot limit to me.:light: Judging by the pictures posted, it works.:spingrin:
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[*] posted on 9-22-2010 at 08:29 PM


so does does that mean I can eat bsb without feeling guilty
or am I reading what I want to hear?
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Skipjack Joe
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[*] posted on 9-22-2010 at 10:50 PM


You're reading what you want to hear: the pictures are of breeders.
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bajabass
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[*] posted on 9-23-2010 at 05:51 AM


Those are breeders for sure! The very large and small fish should be released! Even as prolific as the calico and sand bass are, I only keep a few 3-5 lb fish. All others get released. Slot limits and size limits will work!
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Pescador
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[*] posted on 9-23-2010 at 08:08 AM


Quote:
Originally posted by shari
Pescador makes some valid points but the cooperativas on the central pacific coast were formed WAAAAY before any biosphere reserve was established here. The coops have been responsibly managing their resources for 50 years.

Fisheries deals with quotas, regs and enforcement etc. and the coops are responsible for vigilancia(patrolling their area) not the biosphere reserve people.

The first Governor's Cup fishing tournament in Asuncion targeted Mero as well, yellowtail and calico but the black sea bass was eliminated in the following years because there just arent many of them around anymore...too scarce to make it a tournament fish so maybe that will happen in Abreojos too. I have heard similar sentiments about the governers cup tournaments...we'll see what the new governor comes up with!


As usual my mind works faster than my fingers. No, I did not mean to imply that they worked at the same time, I was just comparing the bio-sphere regulations to what California has done with the no-fishing zones, which are a complete disaster, but instead worked with the coopertives as well as the fisheries people in developing regulations that allowed for the continued harvest of fish and resources. So, what they developed is a more fluid like approach to the regulation and contorl, which means that issues like this are not completely cast in stone and may develop as things change.

The pictures of those big boys hanging there for the Tournament sure speaks volumes.

One of the real problems is that when those fish are hooked at deeper levels in the ocean, they are very difficult to successfully release. It takes a special rig with a very heavy weight and a non-barbed lip hook to get them back deep enough that their air-bladder will pressurize and go back to normal size. The Gulf of Mexico fishery has tried venting with a hypodermic needle but the mortality is terrible and most fish die. I now carry one of those release devices on the boat with me and it works very well, but it has taken me time to get the weights right and the release hook.




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[*] posted on 9-23-2010 at 08:36 AM


Pescador, how deep do they have to come from to need the deep release?

:?:
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Skipjack Joe
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[*] posted on 9-23-2010 at 11:39 AM


Quote:
Originally posted by shari

The first Governor's Cup fishing tournament in Asuncion targeted Mero as well, yellowtail and calico but the black sea bass was eliminated in the following years because there just arent many of them around anymore...too scarce to make it a tournament fish so ...


On my last trip to Asuncion the spearfishermen we met were real excited about a large Mero they saw at Isla San Roque. They knew where it was and where it would stay. They wanted to go back and plug him. Unfortunately for them, they didn't bring their wet suits and the water was too cold for long submersions. Otherwise there would have been a celebration.

The ability to spot and pursue your individual fish is why spearfishing is so much more damaging than hook and line. That, and that catch and release is not an option for them.

[Edited on 9-23-2010 by Skipjack Joe]
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Pescador
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[*] posted on 9-23-2010 at 04:34 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by bajabass
Pescador, how deep do they have to come from to need the deep release?

:?:


Anything over 60 feet and the bladder will be so swollen up that the fish will be unable to get back down on his own. All groupers and basses have this problem. Bill Erhardt and I had this discussion a year or so ago on Bajanomads and we both use a heavy lead weight with a non barbed hook in an upside down manner which allows you to get the fish down to the depth he was originally captured at and with a small shake the fish is free and not harmed. Venting with a needle has been studied but it is suspected that it leads to a higher rate of mortality.




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[*] posted on 9-23-2010 at 04:36 PM


Skipjack, maybe we could start a group that uses underwater paintballs. All the fun, but little or no damage to the fish.

Here is an interesting article about the cooperatives from one reporter's perspective.
http://www.miller-mccune.com/environment/the-success-of-vizc...




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[*] posted on 9-23-2010 at 04:40 PM


Thanks Pescador! I will be making several runs to La Paz over the next few months. I will try and catch you in San Bruno and take a look at that rig. I only need a few average fish to keep, and if I'm lucky enough to hook one, I want to let is go in the proper, safest manner! :biggrin:
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[*] posted on 9-24-2010 at 07:27 AM
Black Sea Bass


I had a similar experience over at Catalina Island last week. I freedive spear fish. I dove down to about 40 feet and there were three of them! Big ones too. People do seem to be respecting the law and leaving them alone. Bob


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Originally posted by islandhop
My buddy hands me my new underwater camera that I haven't used yet... We are anchored off San Clemente Isl. Ca. About two weeks ago.. I dive down to about 40 ' and there to greet me was a monster grouper (bsb) I'm in a hurry trying to take photos with a camera I dont really know how to use, While this big guy, maybe 150 lbs at least, circles me slowly about 8 ft away. I did manage to get 2 or 3 photos out of focus, with a line through the middle, otherwise awful photos. 10 or so minutes later I see 2 more bigger guys that swim by very close.. Point is that I have seen them my last 3 trips out there so I think that they are back in numbers.. They are not afraid of divers ..
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Pescador
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[*] posted on 9-24-2010 at 08:51 AM


This is a great topic and very near to my heart and interest. Most of the Black Sea Bass and Groupers that are hooked in water over 60 feet are not able to survive if released. They are unable to vent their air bladders which is what allows them to stay at various depths and they suffer from Barometric Trauma which means their tounge swells up and fills the mouth cavity, their eyes will bug out, and their stomachs and intestines will sometimes protrude from their anal opening. The method developed for the Florida and Gulf of Mexico fishery was to use a venting tool which is like a hypodermic needle that allows the gasses trapped in the air bladder to escape and when done properly by a well trained person the survival rates are medium at best. The Australians developed a system where they use a barbless hook attached to at least a 3 to 5 lb weight that attaches to the mouth just behind the lip plates but before any bony structure and the fish is lowered to a level where the pressure is sufficient to deflate the air bladder.

I prefer the weight method and can usually feel the fish starting to struggle as it is lowered to depth and it is shortly therafter that the fish swims off of his own accord.

Now comes the problem, I have spent a lot of time researching out the methods and developing a system that works. I seriously doubt that any of the pangueros have any inclination to release any of these fish at all, and would not have the knowledge or equipment even if they were so inclined.

So, Blanca raised a really good point that the Governor's Cup Tournament which is a government give away program as they give much more in prizes and awards than they take in for entry fees, and was designed by Agundez (the current governor) as a mini-stimulus package for the small towns in the Baja Peninsula. But it is pretty irresponsible for a tournament to encourage the taking of Mero which take so long to replace and grow back. Yellowtail, Tuna, and Wahoo are all migratory fish that spread themselves out over the ocean and are less dependent on one small geographical area for their survival are probably not effected to any large degree by a tournament, but residents like Grouper and Mero are potentially effected to a much more significant degree.

So, I could care less if they get taken with a rod and reel or a speargun, the end result is pretty much the same.

[Edited on 9-24-2010 by Pescador]




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[*] posted on 9-24-2010 at 02:14 PM


Pescador, Thanks for your input.:yes: A fisherman speaks. Listen.
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