[__ Science __ ] Any marine biologists here?.

[Corn Pop]

Lots of people have a cry when people catch and keep big fish. The argument is they are the "breeders". I think they more activists than scientists. I don't know the facts, statistics, and science behind it but I just go on common sense. For example if I keep one big fish that people have a cry and I think it's just because they just jealous I can catch bigger fish.

I mean if I keep one old big fish im sure it has reproduced and given back more than the few small and average size fish and think that's ok. In my opinion the younger fish have many more years to reproduce keep it sustainable.

Why would someone be happy to take the smaller fish in numbers and then accuse me of taking a couple big fish and cry they are the breeders. I call BS.

The one big fish I keep has probably given back millions more than there catch of smaller fish they keep?

 

[Edward]

Lots of people have a cry when people catch and keep big fish. The argument is they are the "breeders". I think they more activists than scientists. I don't know the facts, statistics, and science behind it but I just go on common sense. For example if I keep one big fish that people have a cry and I think it's just because they just jealous I can catch bigger fish.

I mean if I keep one old big fish im sure it has reproduced and given back more than the few small and average size fish and think that's ok. In my opinion the younger fish have many more years to reproduce keep it sustainable.

Why would someone be happy to take the smaller fish in numbers and then accuse me of taking a couple big fish and cry they are the breeders. I call BS.

The one big fish I keep has probably given back millions more than there catch of smaller fish they keep?

I think you're right, it's all political bs designed to gain control and revenue. It is the Lord Himself which hold together and sustains all that we know. I think if you catch a big fish one day then you've been blessed and praise the Lord for it. You can't hurt the population of those fish no matter what you do!

They are here for us to eat. Whiners gonna whine when you got more in your cart at the supermarket than they do.

 

[Barbarian]

It depends on the fish. Some species, the larger fish do reproduce more and more often. Sometimes not. Normally the state fish and game people know about this, and the laws usually reflect that.

If it's legal, odds are you aren't harming the population at all. A call or email to the state department that handles fish and game would put your concerns to rest, and would be useful to show to anyone griping about your catch.

 

[WIP]

Two years ago I caught the largest walleye I had ever seen alive or dead on northern Minnesota's Lake Vermilion. It was 31" in length. I decided to keep it and have a mount made. Unfortunately, I was not able to keep the meat so one could argue that was not appropriate. Even if I could have kept the meat I know that old large fish like that are not as tasty table fare.

Out of curiosity I did some research and learned that a 31" walleye is very close to its end of life. According to the National Wildlife Federation the average life expectancy of a walleye in the US is about 10 years.

According to the MN DNR, 10-year old walleyes in MN are typically about 25" in length. A walleye they surveyed on Minnesota's Lake of the Woods was 30.3" in length and aged at about 23 years old. It is therefore reasonable to expect that my 31" walleye was somewhere between 23 and 25 years old. It was very old.

Walleyes continue to lay eggs throughout most of their life and larger fish do produce more eggs, however, the viability of their eggs begins to drop off as they age so the success rate of the hatch drops off. An old walleye like the one I caught will lay a very large number of eggs, probably about 150,000 per year, but unfortunately the hatching success is not very good and the number of spawning years remaining are very low.

 

[Barbarian]

Fish generally continue to grow as long as they live. So a truly large one would be a very old one.

 

[Corn Pop]

Fish generally continue to grow as long as they live. So a truly large one would be a very old one.

I should do some study.

 

[Corn Pop]

If it's legal, odds are you aren't harming the population at all. A call or email to the state department that handles fish and game would put your concerns to rest, and would be useful to show to anyone griping about your catch.

I'm not concerned about anything as it's only an argument. I think the big fish the species I'm talking about sporn more and are the best breeders yet have given alot back and more towards the end of there years so I dont see a problem with taking a couple. I mean I could take the smaller fish and I do sometimes but that does not give them the chance to even become what some people are crying about I keep. If they care so much then should leave all the smaller fish to become bigger then.

I think I would be a hypocrite of I said to some they should not keep the big fish we need them while keeping lots of small fish not even giving them the chance to grow bigger and greater as they say. Make sense.

I don't complain or care what people keep, as long they not going to waste the fish and use it and not being greedy. Everyone gotta eat.

 

[WIP]

I think people tend to get their buns in too much of a bunch when a large fish is harvested. An old, large trophy fish's days are numbered already and their ability to produce viable offspring is diminishing. The odds of catching one is extremely low and in many cases, such as my favorite, walleye, the agencies in charge severely limit how many can be taken.

The statewide possession limit for walleye is 6 with not more than one over 20". Now some lakes have more restricted limits too. Most fisherman will agree that the best and most tasty eating size walleye is 16" - 18" in length. If I keep 6 18" walleyes, verses one 28" walleye, which is more damaging to the future of the species? The 27" walleye is about 10 years old and has reached the average life expectancy. Yes, it does produce about double the eggs each year but the viability of those eggs is more questionable. Even if they were viable eggs, each of those six 18" walleyes would have potentially laid well over 600,000 viable eggs in the next 6 years for a total of around 360,000. The 27" walleye will be lucky to live another year and will never lay that many eggs all total in the rest of its life.

Trees are another example. In my years in the logging industry, I would estimate that over 75% of the larger mature trees I cut which were mostly aspen, spruce, balsam fur, birch, and maple with some red pine, white, pine, and oak were rotting and hollow in the center. It was for this reason that we used extra care while cutting as they were particularly dangerous because of it. But, some people when they hear about old mature trees being cut, go nuts. If we're going to use the resources God has given us, it would seem that the older and more mature would make more sense.

 

[Barbarian]

I should do some study.

Here's an article on the subject:

Growth of Fishes (With Diagram)

ADVERTISEMENTS: In this article we will discuss about the growth of fish. Growth is a characteristic feature of living beings. Every organism grows and attains its normal size. Growth is actually an increase in any dimension of any organism in relation to time. Growth is the process of addition...

www.yourarticlelibrary.com

 

[jasonc]

Florida was never sunshine and a paradise .in fact you were likely to be killed by a shark or gator and bears,if you were on the beach. The deer were much bigger and the lagoon by me was much cleaner and had rapids .