Question about Shrimpers and killing fish

[CTGalloway21]

When I watch these shrimpin shows on TV, I notice they always bring up nets full of fish. The fish get dumped on the deck and most end up dying.

I know they have commercial licenses, but why do I feel offended/disturbed by this?

Is it because they have no care/concern about the fish at all?

And then I see this article about how they are drowning endangered sea turtles

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20120801/NEWS/120801006/Shrimpers-battling-over-turtle-rules-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage

[Plasticpirogue]

And your point?

Look, here's the deal. It's called by-catch and it happens. No different than totally obliterating a plot of trees just to harvest only the "good" ones. It happens. We still build our houses out of wood, and many of us still cut down perfectly good trees just to burn them because we love the look and feel of a fireplace in our centrally heated and cooled dwellings.

Until we get to the point where we are only harvesting and eating fish caught with hook and line (which won't work for shrimp obviously) by-catch will always be an issue. CCA has worked tirelessly for many years in the Gulf region to get gill nets out of the water with a fair degree of success, but shrimp trawling is a different animal. Until the point where we humans loose our desire to eat shrimp (NOT going to happen) you will have a certain amount of by-catch. Many trawlers in the Gulf will sell you all the by-catch you want as bait (we as anglers don't have an issue with by-catch when we can get fresh bait for cheap), and many smart blue-water fishermen will troll behind trawlers because of the intense food-chain created by the by-catch going overboard.

BTW, it is Federal and State law to run turtle chutes on shrimp trawls to prevent the vast majority of turtles from getting in the net bag. Doesn't get 'em all, but it does help.

I mean think about it this way. We fish for sport, and many if not most of us practice catch and release. It's fun for us, but I don't think the fish enjoy it that much. And I guarantee a certain precentage of our released fish will die because of our fun little outings. And for what....we're not eating them so we aren't getting any nourishment out of it. At least with the shrimping industry they are generating excellent tablefare and the by-catch tend to be smaller, less desirable species of fish (mullet, hardtails, etc...) that nobody really cares to eat.

Making me hungry; I think I might have some BBQ Shrimp for lunch.

[CTGalloway21]

I knew they were held to different standards but it is the "no concern for the dumb fish in the nets" attitude that bugs me. I saw like a 5 pound sheepshead in one episode of Rajun Cajuns and then a net full of redfish that went to waste.

[watertime]

And your point?

Look, here's the deal. It's called by-catch and it happens. No different than totally obliterating a plot of trees just to harvest only the "good" ones. It happens.

Really? Just because "it happens" doesn't make it right. Gill nets used to happen and the fishery around Tampa Bay is greatly improved since they were banned. People can still catch and sell plenty of Mullet using cast nets.

Here's the deal, or rather my opinion , Trawlers are bad for the fishery. They catch/kill EVERYTHING. I've been on the beach and watched countless juvenile, snook, reds, trout, snapper, grouper, you get the point. wash up after a fleet of trawlers were off shore all night. Thankfully there are regs. that prevent them from fishing close to shore and in bays. You can go out at night with a dip net and a light and catch shrimp. If there were no shrimp boats I'm sure you could catch a lot of shrimp that way. Some nights you still can.

I know people are making a living and it's all legal but doesn't mean it's the best way or that it's sustainable. Just My two cents.

[Plasticpirogue]

And your point?

Look, here's the deal. It's called by-catch and it happens. No different than totally obliterating a plot of trees just to harvest only the "good" ones. It happens.

You can go out at night with a dip net and a light and catch shrimp. If there were no shrimp boats I'm sure you could catch a lot of shrimp that way. Some nights you still can.

I know people are making a living and it's all legal but doesn't mean it's the best way or that it's sustainable. Just My two cents.

I really don't think 1) you will ever find resturant owners and chefs on the side of the roads at night with a dip net and 2) can you imagine what the cost of a simple shrimp coctail would cost if you outlawed trawlers?

[flyfisher]

And your point?

Look, here's the deal. It's called by-catch and it happens. No different than totally obliterating a plot of trees just to harvest only the "good" ones. It happens.

You can go out at night with a dip net and a light and catch shrimp. If there were no shrimp boats I'm sure you could catch a lot of shrimp that way. Some nights you still can.

I know people are making a living and it's all legal but doesn't mean it's the best way or that it's sustainable. Just My two cents.

I really don't think 1) you will ever find resturant owners and chefs on the side of the roads at night with a dip net and 2) can you imagine what the cost of a simple shrimp coctail would cost if you outlawed trawlers?

I know of a few chefs that would or at least have others do it and purchase the shrimp from them.

I also think that kind of attitude is what is wrong with alot of things today. Just because a particular method is cheaper doesn't make it right or the best way to handle things. Nobody has a "right" to a cheap shrimp cocktail at an expense of hurting other parts of the environment.

Is it ok to hire people and pay them under the table at a cheaper wage because it gets the job done and keeps the costs down? I personally don't think it is....and the same would apply to this scenario.

[CTGalloway21]

why not farm raised shrimp

[flyfisher]

why not farm raised shrimp

Not sure about shrimp but just about every other type of fish i have had that is farm raised doesn't taste nearly as good as the wild caught, salmon in particular comes to mind.

I would think there has to be another way to catch them that has less impact but who knows as i am by no means an expert on shrimpin'.

[Plasticpirogue]

why not farm raised shrimp

MOST of the shrimp sold in this country inland from the coast is farm raised in SE Asia....taste like mud.

Flyfisher....that may well be true for somebody (a chef) who lives where you can still smell saltwater, but that's not going to work for the folks in the middle of the country.

Look, I don't mean to sound like some slash and burn capitalist...in FACT I have been a member, sponsor, and contributor to CCA since 1995....so don't say or even imply that I don't care about our marine fisheries. But just as in farming, we have through the years continued to find newer, cheaper, and less impactful ways of putting food on our tables. With the advent of cheap and highly accurate sonar sounders, improvements in net technologies (to include turtle chutes), and strictly enforced harvest quotas we are having far less negitive impact on the environment that we did 25 years ago.

[Rollin]

I eat shrimp, I’ve caught shrimp and I have used a lot of them for bait. It’s a pretty awful system.

The guy I used to buy my Shrimp from in Miami had is own boat. I would mostly meet at his store in Miami real early in the morning. I was there to get the biggest ones in his truck. They were great Tarpon baits and two of them would have made a lunch. He had his own boat, his own bait store, and his own delivery truck . His truck would stock his store and then go around to stock other stores. He did this seven days a week for years.

His method was a to drag a roller across the grass beds in Biscayne Bay. When the shrimp jumped up to escape the roller, they got caught in the following net. He was old when I got to know him and a straight talker as only old men can be. His take on it was, that if people saw what is by catch was they would outlaw his business and if they saw what he was doing to the bay they would probably jail him.

I was at first shocked they he would say this out loud and I was finding it hard to believe. Later I saw it up close and it’s bad. I was a willing participant in this, but it’s still awful. There just no other way to put it.