THE UNEXPECTED UNDERTOW
One becomes accustomed to stories about 'the one that got away' , taking a good many tales with a little pinch of salt. Less easy to hear without feeling distinctly disturbed are the true tales of those whose fish take them along for the ride.
Some of these incidents are legendary in the sport-fishing world. One which made a distinct impression on reader Len Dean of 'Fin King IV' concerns a gentleman by the name of John Whalen of Capistrano Beach,California:
"In March of 1997, veteran stand-up fisherman, John Whalen, went on a bluefin tuna fishing trip off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, with a few friends. The seas were eight to ten feet and the weather was rough. One man had already fallen and suffered an injury to his rib-cage when, suddenly, John's worst nightmare came true.
Strapped to his rod and reel, a Penn 50SW, John had the big reel's drag setting at very nearly full lock and was fighting a bluefin tuna estimated at about 350 pounds when, just as the fish made a left turn and John was turning to follow it, the boat lurched on the swell and, suddenly, there was nothing beneath his feet. He was pulled overboard instantly, hitting the water at about 10 knots. At first the tuna towed him across the sea's surface but within moments John felt himself being dragged, at speed, upside down, to a depth of about twenty feet.
He was saved by the fact that he had mentally rehearsed what he would do if ever such a situation arose, many times, to the point of dreaming about it. As the fish took to the depths, John calmly decreased the reel drag until the reel was in full free-spool, which allowed line to stream freely from the reel, slackening the pull on the harness.
Swimming to the surface, John was soon back on board, still holding his rod and reel, with about fifty feet of line wound on it and with the tuna still on the hook, somewhere at the other end of the line!
Unbelievably, John decided to continue fishing the brute and put the reel back into the drag position, taking up his fighting stance once again. Twenty minutes later, he brought the fish alongside.
He could have taken the creature's life, as the charter boat, 'Citation', had not used up its entitlement to keep a single bluefin per season. He preferred to tag his adversary and let it go!"
Our thanks to Len Dean for that one. Do you have a good fishy tale to share?
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We have been hearing, from various places around the Atlantic, that the number of fish caught in 2000 was severely down on previous years. It is believed by some that this may be because the vast majority of fish which have been caught and released do not survive for long afterwards.
Opinions as to the reason for this include death from shock, or from fungal infections or parasites attacking areas of damaged scales caused by the handling of the fish during captivity. Also mentioned is the likelihood that other fish will attack and prey upon a released catch whilst the creature is still suffering from exhaustion and shock after release, so that a fish caught and released is still a dead fish to all intents and purposes.
It is true that, occasionally, a tagged fish turns up far away from the site of the tagging. It is believed that this may be the exception that proves the rule rather than the norm.
A chap we spoke to in the Azores told us that he blames the whales in the area for falling fish stocks. The Azores have become famous for their saved whale population but this sport fishing boat operator had become a taxi driver after a very bad season's fishing. He says the whales simply vacuum the fry out of the sea as they feed.
Another local says Spanish and Japanese Tuna fishing boats simply catch everything that happens to be near the Tuna and all local fish populations have decreased together. Josef , a Lisboan aboard a nearby yacht, says that the fry simply don't make it to adulthood because their parents aren't around long enough to protect them. Another theory says that changing currents are altering the grounds chosen by fish for breeding and, consequently, the places that are good for fishing too.
What do you think may be the reason for the decrease in fish populations in the seas of the world?
You may also be interested in a pretty large swordfish which was caught entirely by accident...there are a couple of pictures on our Fishy Business page...
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We want to hear all about your world. The ones that got away, the ones that didn't and the ones you dream of catching.
We'd love to see your fishy photos... here are a couple from Jonathan Savage of the 30' S/Y 'G-String'... the first is what is called a Codfish in the Caribbean and the second is a barracuda caught aboard a charter catamaran skippered by Jonathan.
