Commercial fishing: 25% of catch wasted!

Anthony1013 · 12-01-2005, 05:10 PM

I read this in the paper today... sad article.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...hwaste01m.html

12-01-2005, 06:44 PM

In reality it's far higher.

kamloops · 12-01-2005, 08:19 PM

Look for these talking points coming to a "Breaking News"
channel, or your favorite rag in about a couple weeks.

backlash442 · 12-01-2005, 08:55 PM

I disagree with the commercially caught squid having high bi-catch. I have a friend who manages a plant. I've been there when they've been processing. The amount of by catch per ton amounts to literally a few fish. Mostly mackeral or perch and a few odds and ends. Not even that gets wasted as the mexican workers will take that home. I've taken all the mackeral on occassion when going out fishing for lingcod and for about 40 tons I got about half a dozen. There might have been a few left over but not much. I was really surprised at how little bi-catch there was. Friend said it's probably the cleanest of the commerical fisheries in that regards.

ron m · 12-01-2005, 09:03 PM

And I think often the bycatch is not "trash" fish or unwanted fish. Sometimes it's fish they can't keep but would really like to be able to keep. If they are fishing (trawling) deep, then when they bring up rockfish, they're dead or soon will be. Wasteful, but even hook and line fishing has some "bycatch". We just try (or should be trying) to get the unkeepable fish back down ASAP to avoid barotrauma.

Smoked Salmon · 12-01-2005, 10:40 PM

I love how there used to be no bycatch until NMFS got involved. Try fishing off New England, where you are targetting single species that aren't the most plentiful in a zone. Anything not in open season has to be tossed back, usually to the delight of passing predators.

I wracking my brains to remember the title of an excellent book on this subject, which I supposedly own but can't find.

Like ron said, this isn't about wastefulness, it is about following the rules and accepting the consequences. Of course the media will shake this like a ragdoll if there is a slow news day or they are asked to not follow the war for a few days.

Bill

backlash442 · 12-02-2005, 06:51 AM

Trawling for shrimp is incredibly wasteful. It's almost all bi-catch. Was watching "Dirty Jobs" the other night and they were shrimp fishing. You talk about a waste! I've also seen a trawler work locally. If you saw the amount of fish that were being tossed over it'd make you sick.

12-02-2005, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Trawling for shrimp is incredibly wasteful

All trawling has an unacceptably high bi-catch, with bottom trawling being the worse both for bi-catch and environmental damage.
High sea drift gillnetting and pelagic longlining have a high bi-cach too.

Trolling has the least bi-catch unless there is a coho closure.

OceanBlue · 12-02-2005, 07:03 AM

Quote:

I disagree with the commercially caught squid having high bi-catch. I have a friend who manages a plant. I've been there when they've been processing. The amount of by catch per ton amounts to literally a few fish. Mostly mackeral or perch and a few odds and ends. Not even that gets wasted as the mexican workers will take that home. I've taken all the mackeral on occassion when going out fishing for lingcod and for about 40 tons I got about half a dozen. There might have been a few left over but not much. I was really surprised at how little bi-catch there was. Friend said it's probably the cleanest of the commerical fisheries in that regards.

Um, Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if you're judging bycatch by what's seen in the plant, you're not seeing the "big picture" - the real bycatch issue happens at the boat, and doesn't get to the plant.

12-02-2005, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Um, Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if you're judging bycatch by what's seen in the plant, you're not seeing the "big picture" - the real bycatch issue happens at the boat, and doesn't get to the plant.

Yup!

Arima Billy · 12-02-2005, 08:15 AM

I thought I would add a little information to this chat. I owned a seafood processing plant for 30 years and I do agree that there is a large amount of bi-catch. To try and reduce the amount of fish caught by shrimpers the use of FED's (fish excluding devices) have been put in place. TED's have been used in the south (Turtle excluding devices). I know this dosn't solve the problem. Also remember that some of the bi-catch never hits the bottom and is consumed. Please understand that I am not an advocate just adding my thoughts to this chat line. Billy

backlash442 · 12-02-2005, 08:23 AM

Sorry you are both wrong. I guess you've never seen how squidding is done. After the set, the net is opened directly into the hold. There is no way to seperate the squid until it's processed at the plant. Do you think they are going to go through 50 tons in one night?? They don't sit out there until the next day to bring them in either. They come in every day after working all night. Can't fish on weekends too. When the squid are off loaded at the dock they are pumped into large bins. About the size pickers dump fruit into. From the dock they go straight to the plant where they soak in an ice/freshwater mix to add an additional 10% weight to the squid before processiong. The whole bin is dumped on to a conveyor belt where the by-catch is taken out. One other thing a skipper will know how much fin fish is mixed in with the squid so will not make a set if there is to much. Fin fish being anchovies or sardines. Other fin fish like white seabass can detect the net closing so are very rarely caught.

12-02-2005, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Also remember that some of the bi-catch never hits the bottom and is consumed.

Nothing is wasted in the ocean, something will eat it.

backlash442,
I think you are full of it. Nets catch whatever is in the area, I've worked on seiners and have seen nets in action. Seines aren't as bad as gillnets and trauls but there is still bi-catch.

bajadan2000 · 12-02-2005, 08:58 AM

A little off subject, however the gill netting going on in Mexico has me real concerned.

They use older style nets, probable our used ones, that catch everything. Problem is the fish buyers will only take certain size fish. So even if the correct fish are caught, the undersize ones are wasted. And from what I have seen, this is more than 25% of the catch. What effect will this have on future fishing there? The Mex. Gov't answer to this problem is to start to enforce sport fish regs.? No plan to upgrade to the proper nets. Why? They do not have the money to buy new nets, but can make money on the sport fishermen.

backlash442 · 12-02-2005, 09:13 AM

Tell me how you really feel! You may have worked on a seiner but you ever work on a squid boat? While I've never worked on one I've been around them and know people who have. As I said I have a friend that manages a processing plant. Until you've actually been in a plant where the catch is sorted PLEASE don't tell me I'm full of it. Don't tell me what I've seen or haven't seen on numerous occassions. Do you realize that one set can be big enough to capsize a boat? It's been known to happen. With that in mind do you really think the crew is going to pick through the set and take out non targeted fish in order to save the workers at the plant from having to do their job?? I don't think so. BTW I'm not saying there isn't any by-catch. I'm saying it's far less than what you'd think or are led to believe. It's extremely low.

12-02-2005, 10:16 AM

If the skiff man is doing his job the boat will not capsize no mater how many fish are in the net. I've seen sets that could roll a siener. Every fish that is inside the net when it's pursed will be caught. The bi-catch probably won't be as bad as a drager but it's still there.

backlash442 · 12-02-2005, 04:12 PM

Friend said that the worst he's seen so far this year for by-catch is about 3% mackeral. That's it. This is reported to F&G and they pay a tax on it IF that fish is listed. He went on to say that "junk" fish will destroy the quality of the squid and therefore the boats get paid less. Therefore it's in their best interest to not make a set when there is a lot of fin fish in the mix. They can and do let the end of the net go. One thing I did learn is that large fish like sharks and rays can be sorted out and tossed overboard. My bad on the sorting but again it's for large fish and happens while being pumped on board. Small stuff is sorted at the plant.

As for boats being rolled because of a heavy set, he said yes it does happen but not very often. Usually it's more to equipment malfunction of some sort.

Didn't mean to offend anyone.