Alligator gar

This fish is popular amongst bowfishers because of its size and tendency to brawl. An interesting anatomical feature of this fish is that its buoyancy bladder is directly connected to its throat, giving it the ability to draw in air from above the water. For this reason, alligator gar are often found near the surface of a body of water, making them an easy target for bow fishers. The alligator gar is an aggressive, solitary fish that lives in fresh water bodies in the southeastern U.S. It is carnivorous. However, it is not ordinarily aggressive towards humans. Alligator Gar feeds by lurking amongst reeds and other underwater plant life, waiting for food to pass by. Though subsisting mostly on fish, the alligator gar will also eat waterfowl. The alligator gar is the largest species of gar and is the largest exclusively freshwater fish in North America. It can be as long as eight to twelve feet and often weighs at least 100pounds at maturity. The current world record alligator gar weighed 279 pounds and was caught in the Rio Grandee River in 1951. Even larger alligator gars — over 300 pounds — have been caught

Bluefin

Unknow? Tuna processeng

Photo Credit:US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

more tuna

Sword Fish Facts

The record for a swordfish caught on rod and reel is 1,182 pounds, off Iquiguq, Chile, on May 7, 1953.Swordfish are large, highly migratory predators distributed throughout the world's marine ecosystem. They generally migrate between colder waters in the summer to warmer waters in the winter for spawning. In the Atlantic Ocean, swordfish range from Canada to Argentina in the west, and from Ireland to South Africa in the east. Swordfish are also found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Adult and juvenile swordfish feed at the highest levels of the food chain. This means they are not typically prey to other animals and are important in keeping the ecosystem in balance by consuming smaller fish and invertebrates.

Effective October 17th, 2007, a new internet based reporting system for recreational non-tournament landings of North Atlantic swordfish and billfish will be available. All recreational non-tournament swordfish and billfish landings, including those from Charter/Headboats, must be reported by the permitted owner of the vessel landing the fish, or their designee, within 24 hours of landing. A landed fish means a fish that is kept and has been brought to shore. Vessels landing swordfish or billfish in North Carolina and Maryland must report their landings through the state landing card programs. Vessels landing swordfish or billfish in all other states, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, must report their landings using the new internet reporting portal at http://www.hmspermits.gov or by calling the 1-800-894-5528 reporting line.

The recreational daily swordfish retention limit is 1 fish per person, with a maximum of 4 fish per private vessel, 6 for a charter vessel, and 15 for a headboat vessel. The minimum size for swordfish within the recreational fishery is 47 inches, lower jaw-fork length. You may not keep longbill spearfish. There are no retention limits for Atlantic sailfish, blue marlin and white marlin, but the NOAA Fisheries encourages recreational anglers to release all billfish alive. The minimum sizes for billfish are as follows: Blue Marlin: 99 inches lower jaw fork length; White Marlin: 66 inches lower jaw fork length; Sailfish: 63 inches lower jaw fork length; Spearfish: Retention prohibited. Lower jaw fork length is a straight line measurement from the tip of the lower jaw to the fork of the caudal fin. The recreational limit on sharks is 1 shark per vessel per trip with a minimum size of 54 inches fork length; plus on Atlantic sharpnose shark per person per trip (no minimum size); plus 1 bonnethead shark per person per trip (no minimum size). None of these fish may be sold. Swordfish and billfish landed must be reported. For swordfish and billfish reporting, call 800-894-5528. credit info to http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/

nice tuna guys

Now this one is larger than football size good going.Corey_&_David_Linton_with_Tuna

ride the hammer

Is there any more tobe said, nice hammer Head there girl.

October Bite is on

Every year in the fall on the east coast of the U.S. The Weather starts to cool but the water hasn't yet. The gulf stream warm currents still flow northward bringing with it dolphin, wahoo, tuna, billfish. Offshore in the deep water big blue fin can be had ranging from fifty to five hundred fifty pounds. The yellow fin are there to yet smaller in size but fighters at heart. Be ready for anything as the black fin tuna are around too. I hear the long fin bite has been good this year too.

sea food

The photographer said "really sad. i've been a vegetarian all my life, and i have a tough time entering the wharf with so much death all around :(

credit to Karunakar Rayker.

Babys

Baby sharks, most likely black tip reef sharks. I realize that sharks like these compete for other more commercial species of fish. But is this really necessary photo by Karunakar Rayker Location, India.

just another reason why

Every year more than ONE HUNDRED MILLION sharks are slaughtered. Three sharks die every second. They are caught and beaten to death. Their fins are cut off for an Asian luxury soup. Any shark will do. The rest of the shark is thrown away. Fins are only four to seven percent of the whole. But fining is profitable, lucrative. One thousand pounds of fins brings about one hundred United States dollars to the fisherman. But restaurants pay up to four thousand U.S. dollars for 2.2 pounds of fins. It used to be that big sharks were common over five hundred pounds. But now it has become harder and harder to find the big ones. This cuts down the breeding population, causing even less being born. Finning is prohibited in U.S. territorial waters, this is not enough. Only a handful of countries have introduced fining restrictions: Canada, Brazil, Spain, Costa Rica, Israel, South Africa, Mexico, England, Namibia and the Philippines. Kudos to all those countries mentioned.

Sharks are disappearing fast

Every year more than ONE HUNDRED MILLION sharks are slaughtered. Three sharks die every second. They are caught and beaten to death. Their fins are cut off for an Asian luxury soup. Any shark will do. The rest of the shark is thrown away. Fins are only four to seven percent of the whole. But fining is profitable, lucrative. One thousand pounds of fins brings about one hundred United States dollars to the fisherman. But restaurants pay up to four thousand U.S. dollars for 2.2 pounds of fins. It used to be that big sharks were common over five hundred pounds. But now it has become harder and harder to find the big ones. Because they are almost all gone. This cuts down the breeding population, causing even less being born. Finning is prohibited in U.S. territorial waters, This is not enough. Only a handful of countries have introduced finning restrictions: Canada, Brazil, Spain, Costa Rica, Israel, South Africa, Mexico, England, Namibia and the Philippines. Kudo's to all those mentioned.