Too many trout and redfish being caught?

[Ted in Tallahassee]

This concern comes up now and then. We all see lots of boats out every weekend, lots of people catch a lot of trout & redfish, lots of shorts that might not survive the trauma of being caught, and so on.

Perspective, folks, perspective.

From Googled scientific articles on the diet of the Coastal Bottlenose Dolphin: It consists mainly of fish, and primarily "sound producing fish." Which includes drums and trout. One article recounts that when a group of 76 dolphins were stranded and died in the southeast US, they were all studied and their stomach contents were analyzed. "Most fish were ... drums, croakers, seatrout, and toadfish ...." There were also some "mullet, mackeral, and bluefish."

According to other Googled articles: Bottlenose dolphins range from 300-1,400 lbs. They eat 5% of their body weight per day.

Say the average adult dolphin, the kind we see nearly every trip, in the river, in creeks, and near shore, tips the scales at 1,000 lbs. 5% of 1,000 pounds is 50 lbs. So, each one of those adult dolphins we see eat about 50 lbs. of "mostly drums, croakers, and seatrout" per day.

Every. Day.

No doubt the local ones around the Big Bend eat a lot of mullet too when the mullet are around. But based on what the biologists say, I'd bet a case full of Gulps that every dolphin eats at least a couple of redfish and trout just about every day. And I'd wager that certain times of the year, they probably eat a decent number of small cobia & tripletail too. Even on those days when it's blowing too hard to fish, those days it's raining or storming, and days we're not fishing but are working.

We fishermen are apex predators competing against other apex predators--dolphins--for redfish and trout. Except the dolphins are out there doing it all day, every day, with sonar, and in coordinated groups.

Just sayin'.

[jsaunders]

This concern comes up now and then. We all see lots of boats out every weekend, lots of people catch a lot of trout & redfish, lots of shorts that might not survive the trauma of being caught, and so on.

Perspective, folks, perspective.

From Googled scientific articles on the diet of the Coastal Bottlenose Dolphin: It consists mainly of fish, and primarily "sound producing fish." Which includes drums and trout. One article recounts that when a group of 76 dolphins were stranded and died in the southeast US, they were all studied and their stomach contents were analyzed. "Most fish were ... drums, croakers, seatrout, and toadfish ...." There were also some "mullet, mackeral, and bluefish."

According to other Googled articles: Bottlenose dolphins range from 300-1,400 lbs. They eat 5% of their body weight per day.

Say the average adult dolphin, the kind we see nearly every trip, in the river, in creeks, and near shore, tips the scales at 1,000 lbs. 5% of 1,000 pounds is 50 lbs. So, each one of those adult dolphins we see eat about 50 lbs. of "mostly drums, croakers, and seatrout" per day.

Every. Day.

No doubt the local ones around the Big Bend eat a lot of mullet too when the mullet are around. But based on what the biologists say, I'd bet a case full of Gulps that every dolphin eats at least a couple of redfish and trout just about every day. And I'd wager that certain times of the year, they probably eat a decent number of small cobia & tripletail too. Even on those days when it's blowing too hard to fish, those days it's raining or storming, and days we're not fishing but are working.

We fishermen are apex predators competing against other apex predators--dolphins--for redfish and trout. Except the dolphins are out there doing it all day, every day, with sonar, and in coordinated groups.

Just sayin'.

So your point is, we should keep hammering the resource, because if we don't get them the dolphins will? Then why enforce regulations at all?

Dolphins eat fish for survival. Most recreational fishermen fish primarily for sport and entertainment.

[Ted in Tallahassee]

My point might be, press for a dolphin season! Win-win. FWC could run it like they do alligators.

Or, we could make the trout limit 1, like with redfish, and have a closed season. Maybe make it like snook season.

[jsaunders]

My point might be, press for a dolphin season! Win-win. FWC could run it like they do alligators.

Or, we could make the trout limit 1, like with redfish, and have a closed season. Maybe make it like snook season.

I'd be up for lowering the limit to 3 and closing the winter season.

All I know is the fishery we have today is nowhere near the same fishery my father and uncles told stories about when they were fishing the big bend area in the 60s and 70s. I don't want that trend to continue and my 2 year old son not get to enjoy this fishery 30 years from now.

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[Salty Gator]

My point might be, press for a dolphin season! Win-win. FWC could run it like they do alligators.

Or, we could make the trout limit 1, like with redfish, and have a closed season. Maybe make it like snook season.

Is this a joke?

[jsaunders]

My point might be, press for a dolphin season! Win-win. FWC could run it like they do alligators.

Or, we could make the trout limit 1, like with redfish, and have a closed season. Maybe make it like snook season.

Is this a joke?

I sense some sarcasm

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[DixieReb]

There is still enough gamefish out there for everybody, but we all need to fish more responsibly. That means careful release of undersize fish, quitting when we have our limit(not going to the car or truck and stashing a limit in a cooler just so you can go out and catch another limit), and maybe not fishing every day when they are biting really good just because we can go every day. But it takes all of us working together to help conserve the resources. But that's just me.

[THOMAS CITY CURVE]

My point might be, press for a dolphin season! Win-win. FWC could run it like they do alligators.

Or, we could make the trout limit 1, like with redfish, and have a closed season. Maybe make it like snook season.

ARE YOU ON FLAKKA ?

[Live Bait]

We fished yesterday in the armada at St. Marks. Saw multiple undersized trout being caught where the angler was grabbing the trout to unhook it. I use a de-hooker and rarely have to touch a fish to unhook it. If the fish swallows the hook, cut the line and re-tie. Proper release techniques of an undersized fish will have a major impact on the survival of that fish, especially with trout. I also agree on lowering the limit on trout to three per person and closing February again, possibly January too.

[Gulf Coast]

My point might be, press for a dolphin season! Win-win. FWC could run it like they do alligators.

Or, we could make the trout limit 1, like with redfish, and have a closed season. Maybe make it like snook season.

Is this a joke?

Exactly my thoughts ...

[onefishtwofish]

My point might be, press for a dolphin season! Win-win. FWC could run it like they do alligators.

Or, we could make the trout limit 1, like with redfish, and have a closed season. Maybe make it like snook season.

ARE YOU ON FLAKKA ?

When someone types LOL, it usually means it is funny.


But I literally LOLed at that! Well done, good sir, well done.

[relicshunter]

Of the last 7 keeper size red fish we caught in the last 60 day two of them had pretty bad dolphin chomps on them. Both had the same pattern, one had started to heal the other was quite fresh. I've seen people pick up and leave when they see dolphin but I've had some good catches about a 1/2 hour after they come through. I am sure they eat a lot but oh well.
On the trout I'd be fine with 3 and I'd be fine with February being closed. It is pretty unfair hitting them when they are all crowded in the creeks and hungry. At that time so many under size ones are caught and pulled out of their warmer hiding spots. It makes sense to me to close in Feb.