Rock Fish - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

dos ballenas · 03-17-2011, 12:25 PM

Taken from science magazine:

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/327/5963/263.full.pdf

The Secret Lives of Ocean Fish

It’s easy to monitor the health of stocks of salmon because salmon spawn
in small, discrete, and accessible freshwater bodies. Tracking fish in the
ocean is a little tougher. But many scientists argue that ocean fish such as
cod segregate themselves into distinct environments, as salmon do—and
thrive or struggle for the same reasons.
For cod, population health depends on both human fishing and ecological
factors. The 6 billion or so kilograms of cod living off Newfoundland
and Labrador in Canada in the 1940s has dropped to hundreds of
thousands of kilograms today, partly due to overfishing, says George
Rose, a professor of fisheries conservation at Memorial University of
Newfoundland in St. John’s. “People thought little stocks [of cod] weren’t
important, and they got wiped out,” he says. When large stocks faltered
too, nothing could replace them.
But Rose’s research reveals tremendous variation in the way cod stocks
responded to the collapse. “Groups … very close geographically in fact
are subject to very different ecological conditions,” he says. As a result,
“even in the worst possible times, in the 1990s, we had a couple of groups
that were actually doing beautifully.”
Work in biocomplexity—the physical diversity of fish habitats—
explains why. To terrestrial animals (such as humans), oceans look
homogenous—cold, deep, and empty—says Larry Crowder, a marine biologist
at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. However, oceans have
currents, canyons, mountains, reefs, and forests of plants, which alter a
habitat from top to bottom. Submerged vegetation supports prey at the
expense of predators, given that prey can slip away in tangles of weeds. Fish
rely on submarine currents to transport eggs and larvae from nests to feeding
grounds. Climate change or fishing can alter habitats, and depending
on how a stock’s habitat responds, its population contracts or expands.
To thrive overall, species need to hedge themselves, by finding a balanced
array of habitats to supply more or fewer fish as need be. “I guess it’s
like an orchestra,” Rose says. “You have the horns playing for a bit, then the

strings come in.” –S.K.

Everything is cyclical. There are lots of opinions out there. I think we still don't really know much about most ocean fish. Just do what you feel is right for you.

chris138 · 03-17-2011, 02:29 PM

Yummy! These aren't real "game" fish though... So if you're just after meat for your freezer then get some. But double-dropperlooping mackerel heads in 200ft of water is never going to get you a trophy in La Jolla, or is it?

In my experience the last couple weeks, there are nice bottom-dwellers to be had working the iron on the edge of the bullkelp near the 3/4. Blue and white 6x as well as blue or chrome megabaits have been producing nice fish... all of which we let go. Fishing jigs in shallower water really increases your chances of successful releases of shorts, and the larger bait weeds out the dinkers who will happily slurp down a squid head. As you probably know, fishing in this depth contour also puts you in the target hunting zone for yellows whites and flatties. You can get two or three nice cod and have a chance at the donkey, or target those scumsuckers and kill 15 shorties...

03-17-2011, 12:25 PM	#1
dos ballenas Vampyroteuthis infernalis Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 585	Taken from science magazine: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/327/5963/263.full.pdf The Secret Lives of Ocean Fish It’s easy to monitor the health of stocks of salmon because salmon spawn in small, discrete, and accessible freshwater bodies. Tracking fish in the ocean is a little tougher. But many scientists argue that ocean fish such as cod segregate themselves into distinct environments, as salmon do—and thrive or struggle for the same reasons. For cod, population health depends on both human fishing and ecological factors. The 6 billion or so kilograms of cod living off Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada in the 1940s has dropped to hundreds of thousands of kilograms today, partly due to overfishing, says George Rose, a professor of fisheries conservation at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s. “People thought little stocks [of cod] weren’t important, and they got wiped out,” he says. When large stocks faltered too, nothing could replace them. But Rose’s research reveals tremendous variation in the way cod stocks responded to the collapse. “Groups … very close geographically in fact are subject to very different ecological conditions,” he says. As a result, “even in the worst possible times, in the 1990s, we had a couple of groups that were actually doing beautifully.” Work in biocomplexity—the physical diversity of fish habitats— explains why. To terrestrial animals (such as humans), oceans look homogenous—cold, deep, and empty—says Larry Crowder, a marine biologist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. However, oceans have currents, canyons, mountains, reefs, and forests of plants, which alter a habitat from top to bottom. Submerged vegetation supports prey at the expense of predators, given that prey can slip away in tangles of weeds. Fish rely on submarine currents to transport eggs and larvae from nests to feeding grounds. Climate change or fishing can alter habitats, and depending on how a stock’s habitat responds, its population contracts or expands. To thrive overall, species need to hedge themselves, by finding a balanced array of habitats to supply more or fewer fish as need be. “I guess it’s like an orchestra,” Rose says. “You have the horns playing for a bit, then the strings come in.” –S.K. Everything is cyclical. There are lots of opinions out there. I think we still don't really know much about most ocean fish. Just do what you feel is right for you. __________________ ____________________________________________ Last edited by dos ballenas; 03-17-2011 at 01:21 PM.

03-17-2011, 02:29 PM	#2
chris138 donkey roper Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Pacific Beach Posts: 968	Yummy! These aren't real "game" fish though... So if you're just after meat for your freezer then get some. But double-dropperlooping mackerel heads in 200ft of water is never going to get you a trophy in La Jolla, or is it? In my experience the last couple weeks, there are nice bottom-dwellers to be had working the iron on the edge of the bullkelp near the 3/4. Blue and white 6x as well as blue or chrome megabaits have been producing nice fish... all of which we let go. Fishing jigs in shallower water really increases your chances of successful releases of shorts, and the larger bait weeds out the dinkers who will happily slurp down a squid head. As you probably know, fishing in this depth contour also puts you in the target hunting zone for yellows whites and flatties. You can get two or three nice cod and have a chance at the donkey, or target those scumsuckers and kill 15 shorties...