Peter Prybol 



Massachusetts fishermen haul in a giant bluefm exceeding 700 pounds. 



have watched their tackle take off as if 

 snagged by a torpedo. With a shrug, 

 many have written off these skirmishes 

 as shark strikes. 



Alternately, a change in migration 

 routes or feeding patterns is an equally 

 probable explanation for the thick 

 schools of giant bluefin at Cape 

 Hatteras.'They may be feeding on 

 bluefish that are wintering around 

 wrecks in this area," says Bahen. 



Whatever the reason, the presence 

 of these fish is attracting a range of 

 responses. Sport anglers are eager to 

 tangle with the giants. Conservationists 

 and commercial fishermen are worried 

 about how the fish — valuable both 

 ecologically and economically — will 

 hold up in the race to fight and tag them. 

 In the middle are the managers charged 

 with allocating the resource and keeping 

 it viable. 



Bob Eakes of Buxton probably 

 looked more giants in the eye than any 

 other Tar Heel fisherman last winter. 

 The owner of an Outer Banks tackle 

 shop and an avid blue marlin angler, 

 Eakes tagged 350 of the 450 large to 

 giant bluefins he reeled in and released. 

 But perhaps more importantly, he 

 devised innovative techniques for 

 hooking his catch in a way that may 



increase their subsequent survival. 



He used a full-circle hook that 

 caught the fish in the lip 99 percent of 

 the time. By contrast, fish that swallow 

 the hook almost never survive. Eakes 

 also used heavy tackle and reduced the 

 fight time to a few minutes to minimize 

 stress on the fish. This attitude repre- 

 sents a departure from a common 

 tradition in big game fishing. 



"There is very much a light tackle- 

 big fish fishery for different species of 

 fish." he says. 'The International Game 

 Fishing Association keeps records on 

 who can catch the biggest fish on the 

 lightest tackle. In pelagic species and 

 especially tunas, I'm not real certain 

 that's the right thing to be doing." 



Fish become tired in prolonged 

 fights, and the high levels of lactic acid 

 produced — similar to adrenaline — 

 can be fatal in some species. 



"A lot of times, light tackle wears 

 them out, and then when the fight is 

 over, it really is over," says Bahen. 

 "The concern of a lot of good anglers is 

 that this is taking place off of Hatteras 

 in the wintertime." 



There's plenty of concern to go 

 around on the topic. Rumors of released 

 giants lying dead on the ocean floor 

 have fueled the ire of many commercial 



fishermen. A bewildering set of 

 regulations already exists with regard to 

 bluefin fishing, and NMFS' Highly 

 Migratory Species Management 

 Division is planning to unveil a new set 

 of proposed rules at a public hearing 

 two days after the Sea Grant confer- 

 ence. Meanwhile, two dozen charter 

 boat captains have petitioned NMFS to 

 open the commercial season earlier 

 than June. They'd like the agency to 

 allow the harvest and sale of some of 

 these serendipitous winter visitors. 



As it stands, the only way a 

 fisherman — commercial or recre- 

 ational — can legally keep a bluefin in 

 the off-season is as "incidental" catch 

 while fishing for another species. Even 

 then, an incidental landing is limited to 

 one per year, a special permit is 

 required and sale of the catch is illegal. 

 Anglers specifically targeting bluefin to 

 catch and release are required to carry a 

 general permit and tagging kit. 



Sea Grant's upcoming conference 

 will explain the existing regulations and 

 available scientific data and focus on 

 responsible angling. Registration for 

 the daylong meeting costs $25. For 

 information, call Bahen at 910/458- 

 5498 or the main Sea Grant office at 

 919/515-2454. □ 



COASTWATCH 19 



