Thanks its always been something that bothered me but i haven't really had a chance to do anything about it other than the occasional putting a fish back in that someone left on shore.
Trash fish tournament
- Thread starter skiz123
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you aren't going to open the public's eyes as MN said. People are stuck in their ways. I just posted on this not to long ago about how I had to physically threaten (at my own risk of prosecution) a guy who killed catfish for sport in one of my local lakes then posted it on facebook. He at the very least hasn't posted about it for a good while now. Just talking doesn't work, and no this isn't me advocating violence at all. People don't listen until you make them.
Im pretty sure its not illegal and the people doing it are nice so i dont want to get them in trouble.
The fish they are targgeting are "trash fish" so most of the time here its stuff like gar bowfin mudcats stuff like that
Im sorry to hear about your trout and salmon i definitely understand it can be frustrating catching things that compete against your target species. Ive always liked targeting a species but i also enjoy catching the fish that live with it but i agree it can get annoying sometimes. Down here the bass are the target for most people atleast.
Its a lake in central florida im not sure if it would be best to post the exact location.
Many great points and views already brought up here, but I personally feel that native species should always have conservation priority over non-native ones if their population is threatened, even if I enjoy targeting and cacthing the introduced species. For example, I feel that Lake Trout and Ciscos in the Great Lakes should be the priority in conservation over introduced Pacific Salmonids and Brown Trout. As I said, I enjoy catching them all and Salmonids are my favorite group of fish, and even though Lakers are my overall favorite, more importantly they're the native species in this situation so they deserve the most protection.
Another example of this would be stocked Trout. Where I live, my local creek is a trophy Northern Hogsucker fishery that also produces very nice White Suckers and sustains a small (in size of fish) resident Smallmouth Bass population. This creek is stocked with Rainbow and Brown Trout several times each year which undoubtedly consume the fry of these species in addition to the smaller native forage species like Minnows and Darters. I love catching these Trout, Suckers, and Bass, but believe that the populations of all of the native species need to be monitored to ensure that stocked trout do not threaten them to the point of extirpation or where the ecosystem would be disrupted.
In both of these cases, it is not always black and white, or native versus introduced/invasive. With enough management from fishery organizations and the public, it's very possible to find a balance where the native species that have a right to inhabit their home waters (whether game, coarse, or forage) thrive alongside introduced sportfish that provide additional fishing opportunities to the public and many times support local economies.
Now, in terms of showing others the value of native roughfish like Gar, Bowfin, Drum, and Suckers, some things I'll often do are explain the role and niche these species fill and take others fishing for them. My dad used to absolutely loath catching FW Drum while fishing Lake Erie for Perch. But when I started fishing I quickly became obsessed with catching the lowly Drum. Now, after many years of educating him and showing him how hard these great sportfish fight, he enjoys catching them almost as much as I do. So the next time one of your friends catches a roughfish and complains about it, show them how valuable they can be both to the environment and as sport.
My two cents.
Another example of this would be stocked Trout. Where I live, my local creek is a trophy Northern Hogsucker fishery that also produces very nice White Suckers and sustains a small (in size of fish) resident Smallmouth Bass population. This creek is stocked with Rainbow and Brown Trout several times each year which undoubtedly consume the fry of these species in addition to the smaller native forage species like Minnows and Darters. I love catching these Trout, Suckers, and Bass, but believe that the populations of all of the native species need to be monitored to ensure that stocked trout do not threaten them to the point of extirpation or where the ecosystem would be disrupted.
In both of these cases, it is not always black and white, or native versus introduced/invasive. With enough management from fishery organizations and the public, it's very possible to find a balance where the native species that have a right to inhabit their home waters (whether game, coarse, or forage) thrive alongside introduced sportfish that provide additional fishing opportunities to the public and many times support local economies.
Now, in terms of showing others the value of native roughfish like Gar, Bowfin, Drum, and Suckers, some things I'll often do are explain the role and niche these species fill and take others fishing for them. My dad used to absolutely loath catching FW Drum while fishing Lake Erie for Perch. But when I started fishing I quickly became obsessed with catching the lowly Drum. Now, after many years of educating him and showing him how hard these great sportfish fight, he enjoys catching them almost as much as I do. So the next time one of your friends catches a roughfish and complains about it, show them how valuable they can be both to the environment and as sport.
My two cents.
Some roughfish didn't need protection (gars, drums, white suckers, bowfins and some redhorse species) because they're super abundant in many areas but their habitats do need some protection.
There's many Sucker species that are extremely water quality sensitive like Northern Hogs and Jumprocks, as opposed to the more durable ones like Whites. I will agree with you that habitat protection is one of the most important factors in roughfish conservation. That and protection from over harvest and wanton waste from uneducated or sadistic "fishermen".
Hogsuckers and other sensitive roughfish species are usually not taken by bowfishermen or average fisherman very often. And some sucker species are too small for fishing/bowfishing. In reality most roughfish species don't need the protection, just needs to make wanton waste illegal but I has yet see overharvesting has an effect on the roughfish populations.
I would alert you local Fish and Game office. Surely they would have to administer (or deny) a permit for the fish camp owner.
Often the tournaments like this are legal and are monitored closely by fish/wildlife wardens.
