I’ll be the first to admit it, I am not a “Perfect Fisherman” by any stretch of the imagination… so please don’t think I am trying to come off “holier than thou” with this post.
Anyone that has been fishing for 25 years or longer has seen some wild changes in fishing technology, in fishing rules, in fishing techniques, and in certain fish populations… and I would like to think most sport fishermen (and fisherwomen) fish differently today than they did 25 years ago…
If you were anything like me growing up in Florida, we were taught at a young age on how to use a seine net to get bait. Others even used versions of non-commercial gill nets (where the net mesh was just large enough to trap the fish’s head, but the body couldn’t get through).
But times change, you learn, you adapt, and you fish smarter.
So when this video came across my desk this week of some islanders catching a TON of fish in a traditional seine net, I couldn’t help but to share it and to get your feedback.
I fully realize that this is how many of these 3rd world countries feed their families, and I applaud them for continuing to find ways to live off the land and the ocean. But when you look at how many fish were taken in that net, it makes you wonder how long they can keep it up before depleting certain areas.
If you watched the recent viral video “Meet The Toughest Fishing Family In The World” (watch it here), you might remember the family saying that the fish population in their area is the lowest ever.
Sorry to say, but lower fish populations are inevitable if you use huge nets that pull in every kind of species around for multiple generations in the same areas.
The Lesson: Only take what you really need from the ocean. Just because there is a limit on a certain fish, doesn’t mean you have to hit it every time you hit the water. If we all fished like that, there would be nothing left in a very short period of time. We can only hope these villagers made use of all the fish, but even so would be a double-edged sword, as keeping 100% of what you catch can decimate an area quickly.
Fish On!
Related Video: “Meet The Toughest Fishing Family In The World” (watch it here)
P.S. – If you think your angler friends would like to see this, please Tag them or Share this with them. You Rock! Pa-POW!
P.P.S. – Is it just me, or were those two turtles they released the fastest moving turtles in the ocean?