Since everyone thinks Hali is where it's at...

IMHO it doesn't matter too much either way. Take a big one today and it impacts the resouce right away (with no spawn from it), catch a little one and it affects the future spawn. I say just take the first 1 that bites. If you catch a small one today.. there is always Mañana.

Take only what you need.
 
i agree with taking the first one you catch this could also apply to coho rather than letting all the wild ones go and risk killing them we should take the first one we catch
 
FM , Sorry for stepping on your thread , just want to make my comment understood a bit better :)
Sesame Street Style !!

Annual Offspring numbers

1 - Doe = 1 - 3 fawns annually
2 - Mature Female Halibut= 2 - 3 MILLION EGGS !!
http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/notebook/fish/halibut.php

Lets say you were walkin down a field , Spring time , you came accross a Fawn ( Don't shoot it .[:o)]..) Chances are Mom's close by.
One Hunter could wipe out that familly with a couple of skilled rounds, ( thinking , not a great shot myself )

Now , Halibut , Let's say the survival rate of the 2 MILLION EGGS is only 100,000 , ( Guessing ) Lets see one SPORTY , get all those in his boat in 1 YEAR , ain't gonna happen , Take Mom out ( BONK AWAY !! HILLARIOUS> ) , this will , EVENTUALLY , come back and bite us in the ars, years to come !!Let Mom keep going out there, and ripping it up with all the Partying Stud Males ,Drinking LUCKY BEER , of course , and build up our Stocks !! There may not be a shortage of fish today , but , if not carefull , Commercial , and Sporty practises , could close this fishery down sooner than we think !! Oh , ,, IMHO , of course !![:o)]

Cheers , FD...;)
Edited - Spelling , fd
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from http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/halibut/

Quote:

Halibut spawn at depths of 600 to 1,500 feet from November through March. Female halibut release anywhere from a few thousand to 4 million eggs, depending on the size of the fish. About 15 days later, the eggs hatch and the larvae drift with deep ocean currents. In the Gulf of Alaska, the eggs and larvae drift in a counter clockwise direction along the coast.

As the larvae mature, they move higher in the water column and ride the surface currents to shallower, more nourishing coastal waters.

Although age at maturity varies over time, about half of male halibut are ***ually mature by 8 years of age, while half of the females are mature by age 11.


This from http://www.pcouncil.org/halibut/halback.html

Quote:

A 50-pound female can produce about 500,000 eggs, while a female over 250 pounds can produce four million eggs.
 
hey fog ducker how do u plan on releasing a 150-200 pound hali thats swallowed your barbless hooks unless you plan on fishing exclusively with circle hooks you could easily kill that big female anyway
 
We Don't , Chances of a small fish Breeding vs a larger Female , I'll go with the Larger Female , keep the smaller fish , trust me , there will be esacpees that will one day Breed , again , why would we want to keep these monsters , do they taste better , am I missing somthing!! Maybe the areas that guy's that are disagreeing with me fish in much higher concentrations of large fish , we don't see tis a whole lot at our marina ,on WCVI , most fish are 15 - 40 lbs , I'm done before I get beat up here , cheers , FD..;)..JUST MY OPINION !!
quote:Originally posted by Poppa Swiss

and how do you know that ping pong paddle isn't a female? you know they aren't born at 100lbs.

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i have fished in areas where its rare to catch one under 50 lbs and also places like swiftsure where they are all small i mentioned circle hooks because it is a better way of releasing larger fish as they are lip hooked and no need to cut the line i used to guide up north and had plenty of guests who didnt want big ones so i would shake them at the boat never any blood no problem one reason why commercials went to circle hooks was so they would live longer on the hook rather than die quickly from a J hook in their guts they used to pull up skeletons because sea lice would eat them up too quick. Also they have to release anything under 32 inches so the circle hook is to their advantage or they would be buying an awful lot of hooks
 
How can you tell they are crystallized? I have never seen or heard of this and don't think it would statistically have any play in this argument.

It doesn't make sense to argue that it is equivalent to keep a paddle vs a 150 because the paddle might be a female and might eventually reach that large size. First, there is at max a 50% chance the paddle is a female, and likely less since males grow slower and not as large. Also, the odds are stacked against any single female halibut surviving nature to reach that size, or we would all be hammering 150 pounders (lets say 1 out of 10 - I think that is pretty generous). What this means is that the paddle has a 5% (50%*10%) chance of one day becoming a 150, whereas the 150 you may have caught is already beaten the survival odds. Also, by the time the paddle has gotten to the point where it is producing large numbers of eggs, the 150 would have had spawned millions and millions of eggs.

I don't think this has ever really been a numbers argument - the numbers clearly favor conserving large halibut - but instead an argument of ethics, morals, and responsibility.

I also think the "commercial guys keep big ones" argument is pretty lame. The commercial guys do keep large halibut and that sucks. We know that and don't like it - you admit this by using it as an argument. So why would you join them in doing the wrong thing? In doing what you know is bad for our fishery? Why not rise above what they do and give sportsfishermen a reputation for being conservationists.

IMHO

Captain Dudds
 
Cheers ,,, FD
quote:Originally posted by The Jackel

quote:Originally posted by The Fog Ducker

I'm not a hunter obviously , just an example is all,:D
quote:Originally posted by The Jackel

Tell me fogducker where in the hell can you shoot a fawn, and for that matter who would? Kinda like keeping a ping pong paddle[:0]

www.heavyhaulerfishingcharters.com

><))))">

IMG_1356-1-1-1.jpg

Fair enough FD, you should give it a try, then you can get involved in the same sort of debates, big horns or little horns[:p]

www.heavyhaulerfishingcharters.com

><))))">

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quote:Originally posted by Captain Dudds

How can you tell they are crystallized? I have never seen or heard of this and don't think it would statistically have any play in this argument.

It doesn't make sense to argue that it is equivalent to keep a paddle vs a 150 because the paddle might be a female and might eventually reach that large size. First, there is at max a 50% chance the paddle is a female, and likely less since males grow slower and not as large. Also, the odds are stacked against any single female halibut surviving nature to reach that size, or we would all be hammering 150 pounders (lets say 1 out of 10 - I think that is pretty generous). What this means is that the paddle has a 5% (50%*10%) chance of one day becoming a 150, whereas the 150 you may have caught is already beaten the survival odds. Also, by the time the paddle has gotten to the point where it is producing large numbers of eggs, the 150 would have had spawned millions and millions of eggs.

I don't think this has ever really been a numbers argument - the numbers clearly favor conserving large halibut - but instead an argument of ethics, morals, and responsibility.

I also think the "commercial guys keep big ones" argument is pretty lame. The commercial guys do keep large halibut and that sucks. We know that and don't like it - you admit this by using it as an argument. So why would you join them in doing the wrong thing? In doing what you know is bad for our fishery? Why not rise above what they do and give sportsfishermen a reputation for being conservationists.

IMHO

Captain Dudds
 
captain dudds dont know what u use for hooks i was merely stating commercials release all halibut under 32 inches by law they have cameras but the fact they are using circle hooks increases their chance of survival maybe we all should use them if we plan on throwing back all the big ones i use them exclusively and have released plenty of big ones i even released the same halibut 3 times in same day could tell by tear in side of lip so obviously it lived and was feeding shortly after release i do have a problem with people releasing halis with 10/0 single hooks in thier guts. i have caught plenty of halis big or small up north with deformed lips from longliners but still seem healthy . IMHO using circle hooks would be better for the fishery long term as survival rate would be better
 
I agree that circle hooks are the way to go. They hold very well and release easy - especially when they are barbless, which doesn't seem to effect how well they hold.

I was more so arguing with the people who don't think releasing large halibut has a positive effect on the stocks. And people who keep them just because commercial guys do - I find that argument childish.

3 times? lol! Not surprising really...

Captain Dudds
 
three times is true im not saying keeping only big ones is the way to go commercials could easily shake the big ones as easily as the chickens but u and i know thats probably not going to happen but maybe keeping the first one or two(if limit was two) would be better.when i fish for myself i will keep my first fish I only used to shake big ones up north for guests if they requested im not interested in going out and catching all the monsters i have a family of 5 and we all eat fish but i would rather feed them hali up to 80 lbs as they do taste better ; big ones are chalky. but paying customers can be very stubborn when it comes to keeping big fish. I dont guide anymore so i was stating an opinion that a big hali has at least contributed to future stocks when u catch it a small one has not. So i was stating the other side of the argument not saying thats the way to go and since i use circle hooks i know i can release big ones and know they have a decent shot at surviving but for the guys who still guide it can be tough for them to release them if their high paying customers are adament about keeping big ones
 
Okay..maybe a dumb question and I haven't read every post regarding this from the past but have you guys seen a decline (in the South) in halibut (catches) over say the past five to ten years. Just for sake of no arguement, forget all the DFO (and sorry but I don't know the acroynm for the halibut commission) scientific studies. I haven't seen any decline up here on the North/central coast even longer than 5-10 years, a matter a fact I think that the ground fish are even better than before. This doesn't mean I want all of you to come up here though. Just a question....
 
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