Are we doing the right thing?

I think the males can be 15 and the females 20 years old.

Not according to this classic series...http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/wdb/pub/0195.pdf see page 4.  If you look at page 5 there is a great length to age relationship.  Our 39 inch winner is essentially 100 cm, so I was wrong, it wasn't 8 or 9, it was likely 10.  The reason we don't see many of the bigger fish these days is because this stock was beat to hell at one point.  The sport regs. put in place in 1999, as much as they hurt initially, have done an outstanding job of recovering this stock, too bad sebastes don't grow this fast.

I personally would like to reserve my right to keep a few fish.  I enjoy fresh seafood.  I feel better about eating fish collected via my hook and line vs. some trawler dragging rock-hopper gear that just thrashed the whole f'ing joint.  Over the course of the weekend me and my son retained two lings, and 3 reds...hardly raping anything.

The small group of people in Elk that were against this also though ffs were evil, and our boats were "high-tech".  I won't be changin my ways to satisfy their ignorance.

Not according to this classic series...http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/wdb/pub/0195.pdf see page 4.  

Sean:  Thanks for the link to this great life history text.  It should be required reading for all us ling molesters.  Man, you're all over it, fish-wise.  The migratory patterns outlined at the end were particulary interesting:  It seems the data suggests that these fish don't really migrate.  Do you know if more up to date studies have been done?  Somehow I was under the impression that some percentage of the population did migrate, at least for gene transfer.  If not, it appears that once you hammer a local population you've got to live with it for a while.  Not a lot of dispersal going on.  

Dave

I was the the "trawler" guest post. I'm not saying we shouldn't keep and eat fish; it's just that 40 or more people all keeping what they catch in hopes of it being a winner, in one area at one time can be a hard hit. What will happen as the tournaments get more popular as seems to be the trend? 150 fishermen? PB's can spread out more than we can; we're all fishing in the same area.
    I'm still wondering if there is a way to do a catch and release tournament. I'm not saying you'd have to release, but look at the upside - if it could be done, it would give you the advantage of entering the biggest fish possible. Not just the bigger of the 2 lings you decided to keep.

Ling movement is being looked at a lot in AK right now.  Obviously dispersal happens more as juveniles as than as adults.  The last thing I remember reading shows that they had a bigger range than most thought, around 4-7kms (now your gonna make me go read ), but most of that movement happened as they moved to spawn.  

However, with everything over 120 off limits, everything we fish is well within that range, so there is ample opportunity for adults and subadults from deeper water to move into unoccupied shallow habitat.  

Hopefully some of the local tagging studies going on right now will lead to some insight on ling movement on our coast.  Honestly, with the grossly different life history patterns of sebastes and lings (like growth rates and and age at sexual maturity) , I am a little concerned that lings will rebound so much quicker than rockies they start to over run their prey base...not good for either population.

Rich:

They have done catch and release yak tourneys in So. Cal. for bass.  To do so requires a weigh-in boat to go from boat to boat and weigh fish.  The access in Elk doesnt really allow for that, but we could do so at Mendo if we want.

Sean,
At the next tourney, we could try to have a VOLUNTARY 5 rockfish limit on the day of the tourney. Not mandatory by any means, but it could help ease the tensions and it give you some ammo to shoot back.

I view our group as helping the local economy (both ECC as well as our purchases from the store), plus we were able to contribute to Coastside to help fight the MLPA's.  

Seems like a win/win to me.

Stuart

I  understand the point granitedive is trying to make.  But I'm going to guess that for every legal ling we kept, we probably released like 2-4 other legals,  and probably another 4-6 sub-legals.  And for every rockfish we kept, I'm going to guess we release >10.  For a 1 day tourney, I think we had little impact on the fishery in Elk.  For most of us, this was our first time there, and I'm also going to guess we'd only be up there perhaps once a year at best.  The reason it is a good fishery (mostly inaccessible) is the same reason it will remain a good fishery.

-Allen

Over 3 days of fishing I released maybee 7 legal lings and kept 2.  I also released at least 50 rockfish and kept 6 or 7 nice rockfish.  I was by no means keeping everything I caught in hopes of getting the winner.  Within the first 30 minutes fishing on saturday I caught 2 lings around 25 inches and released them both.  I also noticed a lot of small stringers coming up on the tournament.  With 1 or 2 lings and maybee 2-5 rockfish.  Most people were definatly not keeping everything they caught.

Most people were definatly not keeping everything they caught.

I totally agree! I only kept one keeper ling and released 4 keepers and 6 underlings. And I only fished one day. IMO: There are PLENTY of fish left.

There are PLENTY of fish left.

Word up

I am a little concerned that lings will rebound so much quicker than rockies they start to over run their prey base...not good for either population.

Especially with the low productivity in juvie rockfish being reported this season.  If I remember right, sample trawls this year are showing the lowest densities ever recorded - for juvie rockfish and for planktonic feed such as krill etc.

Dave (pescadore - I'm at work and can't remember my password)

I also agree.  Out of all of the folks there, I saw very few if any full limits taken, and LOTS of releases.  We need to keep in mind that the few vocal critics aren't reasonable people.   The same folks that feel killing fish as a fund raiser is inappropriate will attend a fundraiser crab feed or salmon bbq  

The same folks that feel killing fish as a fund raiser is inappropriate will attend a fundraiser crab feed or salmon bbq

....IMO: those people are called "hyppos"

There are also people like me that will only eat fresh fish. I took 1 ling home, thats it. I could have taken a full limit of rockfish, but its more than I will eat.   One other thing about yakfishermen, is there is no bycatch kill like trawlers.

-Brian

One other thing about yakfishermen, is there is no bycatch kill like trawlers.

good point Brian