6/29/09 So who got the thresher at Capitola on the yak?

Having caught one out of pure luck in SF Bay,  I would do my best to get a catch and release on these magnificent creatures. At the end of the day, I did not feel right about taking my catch, even thou It landed me a trip to Rancho Leonaro and tasted Terrific.

 I've also have read that Threshers are very Fragile, and many die after a long fight, hard to believe being such strong fighters. This puts us at a Great disadvantage as to getting a quick, non-stressful release of a Thresher; unless we just cut the line...

 Don't let the board get ya down bapkdanlaki, it's a fine catch and thanks for the report,,,

  Hell, look at So Cal, they are toting those babes as hood ornaments just about everyday...

  

I can just imagine catching a 30lb salmon on a yak.

 No problem, just head north....

       just for you Polepole,  

 hope to fish with ya again soon....

    

Killing apex predators is simply not sustainable. Sure, one guy can take a thresher, but if everyone did that , we would have no more threshers. There should be a size limit based on their size at sexual maturity, and a one per season limit, IMO.

Ummm ... we're allowed to do that now.  And I'd guess that most people would take a thresher given the chance (hmm, maybe start a poll to verify this).  And we still have threshers around ...

-Allen

I really don't like the "because we're allowed to" argument, as if CDFG was proactive in managing its fisheries.   Just like catch and release salmon fishing on the Sacramento River.  CDFG has historically managed fisheries when they realize they are almost gone (I'm not saying threshers are almost gone, just a point).  The large size some sharks attain and their fecundity scream for different management like what M2 and I are suggesting.

I wasn't trying to make the "because" we're allowed to argument this time.     I was just stating that we ARE allowed to.  M2 was saying that if everyone did that, they would be gone.  My point was that everyone is already allowed to do that, and they are definitely NOT gone.  If fact I have been hearing more and more about them in recent years, which gives one hope.

CFDG has a hard job.  I'm sure they are under pressure to maximize the fishery.  But where that line is drawn is beyond their (anyones?) capability to predict year in and year out.

Err on the side of conservatism?  Yeah, I wrestle with that one and I think a lot of us here do to.  On one hand the MLPA's err to the side of conservatism.  And many of the same people that will stand up against them are the same ones that will stand up and tell the world to release baby sharks.  Note: I'm not trying to put anyone down here.  As I stated, I wrestle with this dichotomy myself.

-Allen

WTG on the thresher. you gotta have a pair made a solid brass to have boated that on a yak! My moral compass seems to be in a magnetic storm. Seems like most of us are keeping just legal lings and returning the big breeders, same with stripers. But with T sharks were supposed to do the opposite? good luck landing a breeder on a yak. Like polepole said, they sure seem to be rebounding in the SC area in the last few years with the current regs...................

Seems like most of us are keeping just legal lings and returning the big breeders, same with stripers. But with T sharks were supposed to do the opposite?

It's not exactly the opposite...according to my groundfish ID chart, lings become sexually mature at 22" so a 24" just-legal ling is actually a breeder. Keeping a 4' thresher (including the tail) is like keeping an 8" ling.

The reason you are seeing increased numbers in the Santa Cruz area is because of improved ocean conditions (upwelling), which brings better plankton numbers (which has seen blue whales return to Monterey Bay), which brings better numbers of sardines/mackerel to the area of which is the prime food source for juvenile threshers and WSB.

Polepole, I agree CDFG has a hard job, but its track record speaks for itself.

MLPA's are a whole different story.  I would definitely be one of those people to disagree about the MLPA process and its "goal" while telling people to release some species of baby sharks.  As a fisheries biologist, I like to take it case by case with all facts known.

Polepole, I agree CDFG has a hard job, but its track record speaks for itself.

MLPA's are a whole different story.  I would definitely be one of those people to disagree about the MLPA process and its "goal" while telling people to release some species of baby sharks.  As a fisheries biologist, I like to take it case by case with all facts known.

Agree ...

-Allen

Seems like most of us are keeping just legal lings and returning the big breeders, same with stripers. But with T sharks were supposed to do the opposite?

It's not exactly the opposite...according to my groundfish ID chart, lings become sexually mature at 22" so a 24" just-legal ling is actually a breeder. Keeping a 4' thresher (including the tail) is like keeping an 8" ling.

good point, spot on M2, I was just saying I was confused. I read somewhere that a huge ling prodces many many times more offspring than a newly matured one. Is this the case with T sharks? ie would a big 14 ft momma have more pups than a newly matured one?

I don't know about the biologists who care more about a shark than human health? Aren't shark loaded with mercury? And More so when they are bigger? So why would I want to eat a big thresher? If I were to eat a shark it would be the smaller variety. Not that I would anytime soon.

just curious, is the thresher shark a rare endangered species? also, what are your views of taking of large rf or small rf? how about large sheephead which do take a long time to grow to a ripe old age?

As we know, many rf we see being taken on this board barely have enough meat on  them for a sandwich but lest you get 10 of them you might have a meal. Environmentally speaking this is not sound to me but it happens a lot and people dont get canned for this action. rf take a long time to get big enough to have decent fillets.

i think from now on when someone catches a small rf and puts up a photo we should dole out the same treatment that was served up to this gentleman who caught this thresher. i dont think this would happen but what if we were to take a stand and be really environmentally correct and only keep large rf which have more meat than head?

i'd personally much rather have this fresh young thresher in a day's catch knowing i'll eat it and be real full than catch 10 small rf and deplete the ocean of 10 fish which could have otherwise been adults and made more offspring. i'd make shark tacos, marinated shark steak etc....

just my personal opinion. i know, talk is cheap and i didnt catch the thresher myself but hey, why not be open to opinions right? whats a forum for but at least we can all learn about what people like and dislike.

I guess all this makes me the top dog when it comes to being a conservatist.....

Ive only caught 2 fish this year, and the way things are going nothing is going to change!!!

I guess all this makes me the top dog when it comes to being a conservatist.....

Ive only caught 2 fish this year, and the way things are going nothing is going to change!!!

how do you type in a red neck accent?  Hey booyyye.  YOu one of them there vegetarian hippies?  You sure ya all not pretending to fish?   You a peta spy booyyyee?

I guess all this makes me the top dog when it comes to being a conservatist.....

Ive only caught 2 fish this year, and the way things are going nothing is going to change!!!

how do you type in a red neck accent?  Hey booyyye.  YOu one of them there vegetarian hippies?  You sure ya all not pretending to fish?   You a peta spy booyyyee?

According to the "Dialectizer" here is how you write that in a redneck accent: 
Your Text, Dialectized (redneck):
Hey fella, is yo' a vegitarian hippie o' sumpin? Is yo' pretendin' t'fish? Is yo' a PETA spy?

Also, here it is in Swedish Chef:
Your Text, Dialectized (bork)
Hey buy, ere-a yuoo a fegetereeun heeppie-a oor sumetheeng? Ere-a yuoo pretendeeng tu feesh? Ere-a yuoo a PETA spy?

Sorry for the threadjack! 
http://www.rinkworks.com/dialect/

You can bet the Swedish Chef would have kept and cooked that thresher.

As a Sweedish redneck, I must object to the stereotype. We don't all ride around in our volvo pickup trucks, listening to abba, and hank wiliams. you ever seen a redneck smorgasbord? 

Dam, thats funny...