# Game Wardens Notes: Dumping of Blue Marlin



## shanker (Jan 15, 2006)

What a waste

At the end of July, Aransas Co. game wardens received information concerning two blue marlins that were caught and entered into a local tournament. The big fish weighing in the hundreds of pounds were dumped whole into Aransas Bay after the weigh-in. One fish washed up on the Rockport City Park beach and the other washed up on Fulton Beach. The city of Rockport needed a backhoe to remove the fish from the beach. The subjects who dumped the fish were filed on for waste of game charges.




I cant believe this.....this is a very good reason why Kill Tournaments are going away. I for one am against kill tournaments, and after reading this, I dont think I'll ever change my mind.

Ive even heard that Blue Marlin is a quite edible fish.


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## Shallowwaterbaypro (Jan 31, 2007)

I would be very curious to know which boat this was.....


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## BeeGee (May 21, 2004)

*which tournament was it?*

I live in Rockport and do not recall hearing of this!
I have eaten marlin, and while I do not endorse killing them, it is actually quite good.
I do not understand how the tournament sponsors could allow this to happen! Do they not quite understand this to be a PR nitemare?


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## Rack Ranch (May 25, 2004)

There are members on this board who know the boat and the story..It was definantly a mistake by that boat and gonna cost a lot from what I understand ???


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## Fishing Aggie (Aug 22, 2007)

BeeGee said:


> I live in Roclport and do not recall hearing of this!
> I have eaten marlin, and while I do not endorse killing them, it is actually quite good.
> I do not understand how the tournament sponsors could allow this to happen! Do they not quite understand this to be a PR nitemare?


For sure you wouldn't read it in the local newspaper - they only print the feel good news - nothing to put a black eye on the town.


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

Rack Ranch said:


> There are members on this board who know the boat and the story..It was definantly a mistake by that boat and gonna cost a lot from what I understand ???


No, 2+2=5 is a mistake. This was something other. I hope some worlds get rocked over this.

Marlin is quite edible, smoked it's actually good, IMO. Kill tournaments need to go away.


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## cabosandinh (Jun 7, 2007)

Marlins are good eating, I've smoked them, grill them and even ceviches 
Taste like swordfish

what a shame! I hope they get slap with a $10000 fine and time in the slammer


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## FREON (Jun 14, 2005)

EricTxFish said:


> I would be very curious to know which boat this was.....


 Read on another thread that the boats were the Smooth Finish and the El Cazador. I do not know this for a fact, but it is what I read. I believe it said $30,000 fine


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## SkeeterRonnie (Aug 11, 2005)

take from the thread "Ask "Smooth Finish" and "El Cazador" what their dumping of the blue marlin in the bay during the ROC is going to cost them........I'll give you a hint $30,000."


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## fishbone1313 (Mar 27, 2007)

That is the very reason my crew and I spent 2 days cleaning and giving away the meat from the 468 pounder that died on us Labor Day weekend. I gave up Sunday fishing and the next two days to take care of the fish. 

J.W. / MoJo crew


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

Greenie coming to ya. Good job! Shame when they die, but it happens. Sometimes WE die fighting THEM. But killin and dumpin ain't right.


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## Ono Loco (Aug 4, 2005)

what a f%#king waste...


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## Texasboy3888 (Jun 13, 2007)

That is total BS!!!!!!!!!! Those boats involved should be banned from all tournaments....


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## Didjman (Aug 30, 2005)

Its a shame the anti groups don't see how much this upsets the majority of true fishermen. There's no place to hide within the fishing community, especially the bluewater community. Do something like that, and we're all gonna know eventually. As someone that lives on wild game and fish, it is particularly upsetting to me. I suppose the excuse might be that the meat went bad, but they should have kept it in good shape knowing it needed to be put to use. Just no story good enough, take your licks....


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## mastercylinder60 (Dec 18, 2005)

the only real answer is to outlaw all kill tournaments involving big game fish. it's hard for me to believe that in 2007 this kind of mindless killing still continues.


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## Leemo (Nov 16, 2006)

Mastercylinder, it does'nt matter if it's a tourn. or not, when I was in the baitcamp biz. I saw people dump kings, big AJ's, tuna, whatever just because they were to lazy to clean em', total disrespect for a natural resource, wasting anything in my opinion is a sin, people are not born with values, they are learned at an early age, you can't fix stupidity, rudeness or any other disrespectful trait, MC, I totally agree, wasted, just wasted......


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## d hop (Aug 12, 2004)

Idiots!!!


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## Mont (Nov 17, 1998)

Leemo, I have seen the same thing. If you are gonna take the game, then take the time to clean it and eat it. I quit fishin' pretty early on the Big E trip because I had enough fish already to last me a year or more. Capt. Frank even went so far as to say it was fine to release BFT if we didnt' want to keep them and had enough for bait. 30K isn't chump change, so maybe this will send a message.


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## Hydrocat (Jun 30, 2004)

I hope these are not the same guys that blasted me for having been on the boat when the captain in Cabo wanted to kill and eat our blue marlin!


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## mastercylinder60 (Dec 18, 2005)

i agree, leemo. i should have been more clear on my position on this. if it's not going on your table to feed you and your family, it is mindless and wreckless killing and a depletion of our natural resources that, for many species, are dwindling in numbers as we speak.

i have never, nor will i ever be able to condone the killing of fish and/or game for "sport" alone. if i caught a tarpon that i thought was a new world record, i'd let it go. returning it to its natural environment to live and breed again would make me feel a lot better than seeing my name and picture in the newspaper, or in some silly record book.


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## [email protected] Sportfishing (Jun 10, 2005)

I think that it is tearable for someone to dump a fish and not at least try and donate the meat or clean the fish and give it away. 

But I must say that I do not see a difference in killing a marlin or a snapper. God put these fish in the ocean for us to catch and eat. I have never killed a billfish of any sort and would only do so if I were in a tournament. But I do not belive that kill tournaments are the cause of the decline in billfish. I think that recreational fisherman for the most part are conservation minded. I do belive that if you are going to point a finger at someone for the decline in billfish it would be hard not to point at longlinners. I am not saying that I belive that tournaments should be kill tournaments. In fact I would prefer to fish in only release tournaments. I am just saying that kill tournaments are not the problem here!

David Markham


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## mastercylinder60 (Dec 18, 2005)

Mossy Oak said:


> God put these fish in the ocean for us to catch and eat.


that's true, but i don't even think god ever envisioned six and a half billion people on his little creation.


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## Moe (Oct 10, 2006)

*Towely*

They were probably high. Nothing good comes from smoking weed.


SkeeterRonnie said:


> take from the thread "Ask "Smooth Finish" and "El Cazador" what their dumping of the blue marlin in the bay during the ROC is going to cost them........I'll give you a hint $30,000."


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## fishtruck (Aug 9, 2004)

*?*

What????
MOE, put the bong down, and get your mind out of the gutter.
Rob C


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## TexasDux (May 21, 2004)

Mossy Oak said:


> But I must say that I do not see a difference in killing a marlin or a snapper.
> David Markham


Your going to compare Snapper populations to Billfish populations?


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## Nokillbill (Nov 27, 2006)

ill compare them in the eyes of the law. there is no diff between a marlin,snapper or hardhead. how many here has ever thrown a hardhead on the bank to die ? yeah me 2


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## shanker (Jan 15, 2006)

Pat P said:


> Your going to compare Snapper populations to Billfish populations?


he's not comparing them directly, I got his point, and it was that the recreational sector as a whole are not to blame for marine populations to be dwindling at such an enormous rate in which they are, it is the longliners that are killing off these big game species faster than recreational Kill Tournaments ever could.


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## shanker (Jan 15, 2006)

Nokillbill said:


> ill compare them in the eyes of the law. there is no diff between a marlin,snapper or hardhead. how many here has ever thrown a hardhead on the bank to die ? yeah me 2


actually me -1, I honestly never have, I have actually eaten a few, not to bad on the george forman, if I catch a trash fish, and dont use it for bait, it goes right back in the drink harmed as little as possible


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## MilosMaster (Aug 18, 2005)

I think this is abhorrent and that whomever is responisible deserves a heavy fine. The most amazing thing about his story to me is the pure stupidity of the offenders. 

Did they really think they could dump a 500# marlin in Aransas Bay (which has very heavy boat traffic), the same day they hung the fish in a highly publicized tournament and not have anybody find out? Not to mention that it was obviously going to wash up and be found. What did they think was going to happen?


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## Svajda (Aug 31, 2004)

There were 3 marlin weighed at that tourney, and I know that at least one

was filleted and iced for consumption along with the other fish caught on this boat.

I understand the ice chests managed to get away, maybe NoKill could explain.


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## Ono Loco (Aug 4, 2005)

this isn't about who is responsible for overfishing billfish - it's about killing a **** fish for bragging rights and then letting it rot.. 

it's no different than shooting a trophy buck, snapping a pic, and then walking away is it..who thinks that's ok?


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

Ono Loco said:


> it's no different than shooting a trophy buck, snapping a pic, and then walking away is it..who thinks that's ok?


Judging by the responses to this thread, not many. There a few that would cut the antlers off and leave the carcass, though.

Maybe we should wait for more reliable information. If the original came off the TPWD site, it's probably accurate as far as it goes, but not many details.

Regardless, there are those who like to justify things by saying a blue marlin is worth no more than a hardhead, or a fire ant. A life's a life, right?

To that I say, there will always be people who don't get it. 
They aren't worth arguing with because they will never get it. 
Why you would throw anything up on the bank to die escapes me. Pests like grass carp should be killed and not returned to the water - but not thrown on the bank to suffocate.

The day of the kill tournament is about over. I see this and other gross acts of misconduct like the discarding of big sharks on the Tex. City dike during their tournament as good news, bad news. The bad news is that they reflect badly on all of us. The good news is that they are hopefully repugnant enough, and on a large enough scale, that they will hasten the demise of those events.

I hope this makes the NY Times.


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## bblaker (Oct 8, 2006)

I dont I could just see the headline 
Fisherman Catch Fish in Tournament... Just to let them Rot....

They would never get to the bottom of the story it would be a hit piece on real fisherman, that the so called conservationist would use to add tighter restrictions to us that obey the law and really care about of fishery...



Levelwind said:


> Judging by the responses to this thread, not many. There a few that would cut the antlers off and leave the carcass, though.
> 
> Maybe we should wait for more reliable information. If the original came off the TPWD site, it's probably accurate as far as it goes, but not many details.
> 
> ...


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

Levelwind said:


> I hope this makes the NY Times.


Too bad they didn't have a few issues of the NYT on hand to wrap the fillets in. I can't think of a better use for it.


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## Swampa (Aug 14, 2004)

BeeGee, proud alumnus of the 2002 National Football Champion and 2003 Big 12 Football Champion Ohio State Buckeyes

Big 12?


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## Nokillbill (Nov 27, 2006)

i didnt justify anything. i just pointed out that the law read the same for all species.


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## freespool (Oct 1, 2005)

Maybe if the tournament was set up ahead of time like Poco with a place for the killed fish to be donated and consumed those tired fishermen who caught those fish would not have been forced to deal with the carcasses one way or another.
I have caught a bunch and am not bothered by someone greasing a big one from time to time. I have only killed one little dink sailfish for money and it felt good to thump him in the head. The only reason I have yet to kill a big marlin is every time I catch a nice one it is on a fun fishing trip instead of a tournament.


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## mako (Nov 10, 2004)

freespool said:


> Maybe if the tournament was set up ahead of time like Poco with a place for the killed fish to be donated and consumed those tired fishermen who caught those fish would not have been forced to deal with the carcasses one way or another.
> I have caught a bunch and am not bothered by someone greasing a big one from time to time. I have only killed one little dink sailfish for money and it felt good to thump him in the head. The only reason I have yet to kill a big marlin is every time I catch a nice one it is on a fun fishing trip instead of a tournament.


I don't think that it is the responsibility of the tournament directors to find a place to give the meat away to. If these "low rent" punks are too lazy to take care of business after they just won over $100K, then they should not be in the tournament to begin with. If they don't want to deal with the mess after the fun is over, they shouldn't be there in the first place. I hope these *douche bags* are banned from the ROC from here on out! What a waste of resources...


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## kinja (May 21, 2004)

Freespool, hopefully your preceding comment isn't idicative of how you really play out in the gulf. I'll give you the benefit as my words don't always come out properly as well. However, if you really mean that, then, you lack the class to fish for such great fish. Poor tired fisherman..???? Forced to deal with the carcasses..????

This is not about killing a fish. Its about dealing with the decision someone made to kill a fish. Glad you felt good about thumping a sailfish. I've been apart of a few of those, and a couple of marlin that came up dead. I never felt good about any of them. However, they all were used in a resourseful manner after their death.



freespool said:


> Maybe if the tournament was set up ahead of time like Poco with a place for the killed fish to be donated and consumed those tired fishermen who caught those fish would not have been forced to deal with the carcasses one way or another.
> I have caught a bunch and am not bothered by someone greasing a big one from time to time. I have only killed one little dink sailfish for money and it felt good to thump him in the head. The only reason I have yet to kill a big marlin is every time I catch a nice one it is on a fun fishing trip instead of a tournament.


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## gater (May 25, 2004)

*Marlin*

Whats the real story behind all of this. Any facts or pictures of the dumping. 
How about a report from TP&W. Here we go with all the hang'em , fine'em and lock'em up for life BS on a bunch of hearsay. Gater


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## saltaholic (Feb 19, 2005)

Too Tired To Clean Fish? Then Use Some Of That Freakin Prize Money And Pay Someone Else To Do It! Cant Do That Then Your Too Dumb And Thoughtless To Be In The Gulf At All. As Far As Killing Fish, Theres Nothing Wrong...if They Are Eaten, If Your Gonna Dump Them Like That, You Belong Floating Right Beside Them!


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## miguel4 (Aug 12, 2005)

I saw this happen in Port A about 5 years ago. A boat tied a line around the marlin's tail and drug him off the wharf. Seems like it was a weekday. It was really sad!


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## Svajda (Aug 31, 2004)

Nokillbill said:


> i didnt justify anything. i just pointed out that the law read the same for all species.


W, I'm just saying that ya'll did the right thing and cleaned ya'll's.

But in this case, the bad out weighs the good.


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## fishbone1313 (Mar 27, 2007)

gater said:


> Whats the real story behind all of this. Any facts or pictures of the dumping.
> How about a report from TP&W. Here we go with all the hang'em , fine'em and lock'em up for life BS on a bunch of hearsay. Gater


Its under the Parks and Wildlife Page Field Notes: Game Waste check it out


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## shanker (Jan 15, 2006)

gater said:


> Whats the real story behind all of this. Any facts or pictures of the dumping.
> How about a report from TP&W. Here we go with all the hang'em , fine'em and lock'em up for life BS on a bunch of hearsay. Gater


http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=gwfn


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

looks to me like someone just missed out on a nude Pamela Anderson PETA photo op.............


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## hillbilly deluxe (Jun 7, 2007)

At the end of July, Aransas Co. game wardens received information concerning two blue marlins that were caught and entered into a local tournament. The big fish weighing in the hundreds of pounds were dumped whole into Aransas Bay after the weigh-in. One fish washed up on the Rockport City Park beach and the other washed up on Fulton Beach. The city of Rockport needed a backhoe to remove the fish from the beach. The subjects who dumped the fish were filed on for waste of game charges.


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## LBS (Sep 2, 2004)

> Whats the real story behind all of this. Any facts or pictures of the dumping.


. From one of the captains of the boats in question. The fish that "washed up at Rockport Beach Park" was actually dumped in the ski basin and washed up into someone's canal and that's how the whole stink of it started. The other fish was dumped in aransas bay and washed up somewhere along fulton beach. The boat that dumped the fish in Little Bay was fined around $500, the other boat was fined $110. The tournament directors told this captain that they are moving to the fish donation format, same as poco, next year to help prevent this. As of now, no teams are banned from the event.

Just to clarify, I'm not taking any sides, don't agree with any of this, etc. but someone asked for more facts and I have a good source. Please don't bash me!!!


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## SkeeterRonnie (Aug 11, 2005)

shoulda made em eat the dammn fish anyways!! Growing up , whatever I killed... I ate... Dad made sure of it....


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## captainemil (Aug 12, 2005)

May be when we fish these tournaments, the tournament committee could have some type of refrigeration so it can go to whom ever needs or wants it. For what is spent on a tournament, that is pocket change.


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## Ono Loco (Aug 4, 2005)

are you saying at a "billfisherman" can not afford a cooler? yeah i guess it is the promoters fault...


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## Svajda (Aug 31, 2004)

Ono Loco said:


> are you saying at a "billfisherman" can not afford a cooler? yeah i guess it is the promoters fault...


No, he's saying that at this particular tourney, the tourney itself (at weigh in) has no means of refrigeration. You (the boat) are resposible for what happens to the catch.

As previously stated, there are other tourneys that require that the fish be in edible condition at weigh in (meat is donated). I'm not certain that this was a requirement at ROC.


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## captainemil (Aug 12, 2005)

I don't ever recall seeing a Cooler 14' long an hold a fish 400#, an thats a small one. I am not saying its any bodys fault, but you catch a fish, an drive 7, 8 or 9 hours to a weigh station, may be 1 or 2am an you arive there, an there is no place to put your catch,I am just saying it would be nice to have a place to put it.


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## Jackson Yacht Sales (May 21, 2004)

A 500lb marlin isn't the same as a kingfish. It takes a team to clean a big marlin. Agree 100% Captain, if tournaments are going to promote weighing billfish in they better have the resources available to take care of the meat.


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

captainemil said:


> I don't ever recall seeing a Cooler 14' long an hold a fish 400#, an thats a small one. I am not saying its any bodys fault, but you catch a fish, an drive 7, 8 or 9 hours to a weigh station, may be 1 or 2am an you arive there, an there is no place to put your catch,I am just saying it would be nice to have a place to put it.


I hear what you are saying but this is yet another reason for release only tourney's. Even if you tried to salvage the meat from a big Marlin, it isn't going to be that good because it won't be kept cold for the length of time it takes to get to port, especially since it will not be gutted. Even if they provided coolers, in the heat of the summer the fish would be of questionable meat quality, if not mostly spoiled. I don't really mind the guy who keeps one for a mount, but I don't like to see them drug in dead for a tourney. It is a catch 22 situation that could be fixed with release only tourney's.


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## CP (Aug 6, 2005)

*Nothing turns my stomach more that watchig a big*

beautiful game fish rotting in the summer sun. Hanging from the scale as the skin blackens and the flesh decomposes. It is really pretty sad and is a perfect example of the worst elements of sportfishing.

What they need is huge display case for the fish. A couple thousand dollars of block and shaved ice could make great open air cooler. Tag all the big fish and let spectators get up close with the trophies. After the fish are officially weighed they could be gutted, dipped in freezing brine and then shown off for all to see. It keeps the meat from spoiling and lets kids and other interested parties get a real perspective on the size of these fish. Unclaimed trophies at the end of the day could be easily given away in good conscience.

-CP


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## coxhw (Jun 7, 2007)

Shanker, you beat me to it. I have had the same problem and I really don't want to start another round of tournament bashing. I don't have a problem with fishing tournaments that will use or donate the fish that are caught. We in Texas City have or had the problem of waist during a tournament. This is an on going problem, one that some day hopefully will be resolved and fisherman can enjoy a legal and competitive tournament.


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## Ernest (May 21, 2004)

Fish bags or marlin blankets. I have a fish bag big enough that you can put a full sized adult human in it. The big money tourney guys have these items in order to maintain the fish for the often long runs to the scales. After you weigh them, you re-ice the bag or blanket, and keep the catch fresh. Can't cut up any of the fish prior to weighing. 

No portable coolers anywhere near big enough to ice down even a marginal keeper bill.


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## Ono Loco (Aug 4, 2005)

Thanks for clearing that up for me for some reason i thought a marlin would fit in cooler..I've never been offshore before...

keep the fish in insulating blankets until you reach port, measure and wiegh, and then clean the fish putting it in "multiple" coolers. If the meat is not eatible at the weigh in disqualify the boat - bet they would sure make sure it wasn't wasted then..


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## Mr. Tuffy (May 5, 2005)

GAME WASTE? HMMM... How much king fish is tossed in the trash every year? What about duck left over from last season?

I'm not defending the guys that dumped billfish, but I think game waste is pretty common.


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## mako (Nov 10, 2004)

Mr. Tuffy said:


> GAME WASTE? HMMM... How much king fish is tossed in the trash every year? What about duck left over from last season?
> 
> I'm not defending the guys that dumped billfish, but I think game waste is pretty common.


You are talking apples and oranges....how can you intelligently compare the amount of kingfish to that of mature Blue Marlin?????


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## Steelersfan (May 21, 2004)

Just because it happens a lot and is common, doesn't make it right.


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## shanker (Jan 15, 2006)

I dont even waste hardheads, they are all thrown back, maybe not gracefully as I would an undersized red or trout, but they are returned with as little harm as I can possibly do.

Even when it comes to kingfish, I generally dont keep them and throw them back also.


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## Mr. Tuffy (May 5, 2005)

*Comparison???*

If you actually read what I wrote, you'd see that I was talking about GAME WASTE. There was no comparison.



mako said:


> You are talking apples and oranges....how can you intelligently compare the amount of kingfish to that of mature Blue Marlin?????


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## captainemil (Aug 12, 2005)

that is true about fish hanging in the sun, BUT if all tournaments had catch an release then the people that come would not see anything, no revenue for the community.Besides its legal to to bring one in. I don't think its any differant to watch the outdoor channel an watch 1 man kill 30 deer an 25 turkeys in a year, there are places to take game. we need to do the same with marlin.


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## fishbone1313 (Mar 27, 2007)

captainemil said:


> that is true about fish hanging in the sun, BUT if all tournaments had catch an release then the people that come would not see anything, no revenue for the community.Besides its legal to to bring one in. I don't think its any differant to watch the outdoor channel an watch 1 man kill 30 deer an 25 turkeys in a year, there are places to take game. we need to do the same with marlin.


There is a time and a place to take game but not waste what you take. Did the guy who killed 30 deer and 25 turkeys just take pictures of them and then throw them away?????????????????????///
60" big screen TV's can be set up at the weigh in where the crowds can see the actual catching and releasing of the fish on the film brought in for verification of the catch. This is much more exciting to see than a dead fish hanging for the flies and then a clean up crew with a backhoe raking it up off the beaches after it was discarded whole.


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## tzer (Aug 11, 2005)

What do they do with the big kings that are entered in the SKA tourneys? Are they given to charity (I hope not, as the last thing we need to be feeding our children and pregnant women are mercury contaminated giant kingfish???) 

Or, do they recycle the blood from these kings to use in green light sticks???

What do you do kingfishers???


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## Ono Loco (Aug 4, 2005)

that's it - i'm calling in Tred..


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## captainemil (Aug 12, 2005)

Good idea fishbone, but I don't think people will drive to watch tv in the sun an all the noise the people make. We can do that at home. A couple of boats made a mistake, got there hand slaped.We just need a place to put the fish till there is time to do something with it. Besides people go to tournaments to see the Big Fish, not to watch TV.


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## Leemo (Nov 16, 2006)

It ain't rocket science, gee's , every coastal town, community has a refrigerated truck sitting around, rent the truck, 300# of ice is $5-7.50, buy some ice, donate the fish to a fish fry event, like Matagorda VFD annual fry, you guys are smart enough to operate big expensive boats, figure it out, because if you don't, some tree hugging, Tim Robbins look alike will do it for ya....


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

donate it to the seafood buffets, so they quit using puppies.........................


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## Levelwind (Apr 15, 2005)

Leemo said:


> you guys are smart enough to operate big expensive boats, figure it out, because if you don't, some tree hugging, Tim Robbins look alike will do it for ya....


Like pearls before the swine. Ed Zachary.

Call me Jock Coos-toe all day long if you like. If sport fisherman and event sponsors can't ply our sport without dumping our state's and our nation's natural resources - which by the way belong to the enviros and the photographers and the petting zoo people every bit as much as they belong to fishermen and coastal C of C's, then it's time to just shut them down. 'Cause once the Environmental Defense League etc. begin bringing lawsuits in Federal Court it's not just going to be the wasters and the abusers who get screwed - it's going to be all of us.


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## captainemil (Aug 12, 2005)

Leemo call me i will tell ya the reel story, right now i am going marlin fishing, be back saturday


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## Leemo (Nov 16, 2006)

Call ya' later emil!


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## Bilat Lures (Aug 22, 2007)

Guys,

One of the boats is headed by a friend of mine. Typically in a billfish tourney the fish become property of the tourney as you all know. You have to remember that icing a 500+lb fish is not an option when you are 6 hours from the dock. The big fish was weighed at 11:00pm and the tourney wanted to load it back into the boat!!! Think about this...you just won $290K and you have a half rotten 500+ pound fish in your $2m boat at midnight. Feed it to the crabs? Certainly. The fish that was found in the harbor was from another boat which dumped it there out of anger. The winning fish was found in Fulton. Better judgement on a dump site for the winnig fish could have been used maybe. But, it is what it is when a tourney doesn't donate the fish to research and leaves it up to boat to dispose of it. The tourney has made a decision to keep any killed fish next year. Just think about it as if you were in their shoes.

BB


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## Stumpgrinder (Feb 18, 2006)

Capt Brian , honestly I'm not trying to pick a fight here. I understand from your post that you were not involved.

The average fisherman ( I think) feels that if icing a 500 # fish is not an option then it follows that it should not be an option to pull it over the transom, schlep it back to the dock, collect 290K and then feed a majestic animal to the crabs.

If people want to eat marlin and its legal, good on em. I wont stand in their way. However if people kill them for prize money and pictures then they can expect the wrath of the commoner to continue.


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## denapass (Mar 28, 2007)

If you're not going to eat it don't kill it! Seems pretty d**n simple to me.

SEMPER FI


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## Bellyup (May 22, 2004)

Capt. Brian Bordosky said:


> Just think about it as if you were in their shoes.
> 
> BB


I think they would have 290,000 reasons to figure a way to dispose of the fish in a different manner rather than stiff someone with 0 reasons to now get a rotted 500 pound carcas off their property. 2 wrongs don't make a right.


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## gater (May 25, 2004)

*What to do*

To all you whiners, what exactly would you have done under the same circumstances. Dumping the fish in the bay is better than putting it in a dumpster. Gater


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## shanker (Jan 15, 2006)

gater said:


> To all you whiners, what exactly would you have done under the same circumstances. Dumping the fish in the bay is better than putting it in a dumpster. Gater


I will answer your question with the most serious answer that I can.

"I would never harvest a fish that I am not capable of preparing for consumption."

If I were to go billfish fishin in a kill tournament, I would definately have enough Ice to put over the fish for the ride in. so that the meat would not spoil.

dumping the fish was arrogant if you ask me....the people should be banned from fishing some tournaments for a few years IMHO


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## agulhas (Jul 27, 2004)

after reading this post it seems (and i am not a fan of kill tourneys) that the majority of sportfishermen are into conservation all around (not just when it suits them) and the kill tourneys will become a thing of the past (as they should be and are becoming.) that is a good thing. 

throwing the fish in the water (dead) was not just poor judgement it was either
1) i don't care or
2) i don't care


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## lvasek (Jun 13, 2006)

1st-I agree with no kill, second I think that kill tournaments, the tournament directors should be responsible for the disposal of these fish. The main thing I want to know at this point . Oh, its so good to eat???? I filleted a 400 lb blue and tried ever single way emagined to cook it, with no prevail! It always tasted like cardboard that could not be chewed up. I want you to know I tried everything. You big blue marlin chef's need to send me some recipies


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## mattiduke (Jun 14, 2006)

www.huntersharvest.org


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## tbuckshot (Jul 17, 2005)

You guys miss the point. They should serve the dead marlin at the tournament parties for the contestants. If you do this often enough, maybe they will focus on releasing the billfish and killing TUNA! LOL


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## TX CHICKEN (Jun 4, 2004)

I have had it several different ways but one of the best was a marlin sandwich I had while in Costa Rica last year. My guide said he just squeezes a little lemon and the wraps it in a paper towel and microwaved it for 5 minutes--a little mayo lettuce and tomato and it was yummy.


lvasek said:


> Oh, its so good to eat???? I filleted a 400 lb blue and tried ever single way emagined to cook it, with no prevail! It always tasted like cardboard that could not be chewed up. I want you to know I tried everything. You big blue marlin chef's need to send me some recipies


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## Hydrocat (Jun 30, 2004)

I agree Tx. Chicken- We ate our marlin in Cabo with sushi, and they grilled some and blackened it and it was great. I was not the chef though, so I might have been eating Wahoo for all I know! The marlin was brought in within an hour of catching it, so this might make a huge differance!


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## mattiduke (Jun 14, 2006)

tbuckshot you miss the point, I bet you have never been or caught a marlin, just sit be hind your desk an wish you could do it


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## Ono Loco (Aug 4, 2005)

can you believe the nerve of those tourney directors - i mean jeez put a dead rotting fish in 2 million dollar yacht..wish i could have been there some how to help those poor poor guys in such a time of need... your f**king joking right? The owner should have had to drag it home and bury it in his flowerbed...

Bottom line is that I'm not hating the boats that did it , i 'm hating the whole process and mindset of it's OK to *WASTE* precious/limited marine life (not kingfish) for photo ops and jumbo checks.. My future grandkids may want a shot a releasing a big blue someday and if this shat keeps up they won't.. peace


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## rbritt (Jan 20, 2005)

*Tuffy that was funny!!*

It is ironic how so many people duck hunt but never eat duck! People always talk about these great recipes that take 6 hours to change the taste from duck to something else. I am not casting stones, I love to duck hunt and hate the taste. if you have to wrap anything in bacon and stuff it with jalepeno you are trying to hide the taste.


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## Bellyup (May 22, 2004)

mattiduke said:


> tbuckshot you miss the point, I bet you have never been or caught a marlin, just sit be hind your desk an wish you could do it


Well, if you want to bet that he has never caught a marlin, then I will step up and take you up on that bet.

However, you can't trick me into taking the bet that he has never been a marlin .


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## mako (Nov 10, 2004)

I too would like to take you up on that bet... Usually when your name is preceeded by the word "Captain", you have done your fair share of fishing, especially when your target is most of the time Billfish! Pull foot out of mouth.



mattiduke said:


> tbuckshot you miss the point, I bet you have never been or caught a marlin, just sit be hind your desk an wish you could do it


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## captainemil (Aug 12, 2005)

you people, the next time you are at the cleaning table an clean your fish, make sure you take back bones an bellys, there is a lot of meat on them going to waist. So before you call the pot black, LOOK IN THE MIRROR we are all just as bad in other ways


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## hawgs (May 22, 2006)

captainemil said:


> you people, the next time you are at the cleaning table an clean your fish, make sure you take back bones an bellys, there is a lot of meat on them going to waist. So before you call the pot black, LOOK IN THE MIRROR we are all just as bad in other ways


Going to waist eh? That's where most food goes when you eat a lot of it... your waist. What's wrong with that?


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## isubarui (Sep 22, 2006)

captainemil said:


> you people, the next time you are at the cleaning table an clean your fish, make sure you take back bones an bellys, there is a lot of meat on them going to waist. So before you call the pot black, LOOK IN THE MIRROR we are all just as bad in other ways


I dont think anyone is saying take the billfish belly and feed it to everyone as well. At least take the most edible meat and make something of it besides a rotting carcass.


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## Svajda (Aug 31, 2004)

Jesus! Enough already!

Why don't ya'll all go fishing.......just don't kill any of them!


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## wacker (Mar 22, 2006)

Svajda said:


> Jesus! Enough already!
> 
> Why don't ya'll all go fishing.......just don't kill any of them!


With ya there, Close this pig!!!!!!


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