BILLFISH FOUNDATION
Pat Mansell is a passionate
tag-and-release angler and
has been involved with
The Billfish Foundation for
more than 15 years. He has
authored several books about
offshore gamefishing and the
personalities of the sport, and
was an early advocate for the
benefits of circle hooks. From
his home in Florida, Pat has
fished the waters of the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans, and the
Caribbean Sea for more than
five decades.
Forage fish are vital
Ensuring plentiful gamefish begins with ensuring a good stock of
baitfish. Kill off the foundations of the food chain and even the mighty
will fall. Around the world, we are seeing our fishing suffer where the
habitat and populations of our baitfish have been neglected.A
t a recent forum sponsored by the Hollywood Hills Saltwater Science and Social Fishing
Club, three Florida fishing guides – captains Bouncer Smith, Mario Cote and Dennis
Forgione – discussed the problem of the depleted levels of forage fish in the south-east
Atlantic. Together, the trio have more than 100 years of combined fishing experience.
To these men, who make their living by guiding recreational fishing enthusiasts from all over
the world, livebait is a big part of their success.A decade ago, a part of the fun they shared with their customers was to start the day early
with cast nets and sabiki rigs. It took only 30 minutes to load up the livebait tank with tinker
mackerel, goggle eyes, thread herring or pinfish. Today the supply of livebait near shore has
been so depleted that it would take hours to catch enough livebait for a day’s fishing. These
days, rather than eating into their clients’ fishing time, charter operators buy their livebait
prior to heading offshore. However, the problem
of diminishing forage fish is not simply the
inconvenience for recreational anglers, even more
concerning are the ecological changes that have
occurred, resulting in the prey species altering
their migration patterns.Run-off from storm sewers of highway waste, and
the chemicals used in farming and landscaping,
have decimated large areas of sea grass near
shore that were the habitat for many of the forage
species. Where there used to be bottom coverage there are now sandbars. Where tarpon and
snook once lived and spawned there are underwater deserts devoid of fish. Backwater and
inshore fishing has also slowed substantially.Baitfish stocks are also being depleted by the commercial fishing industry, which scoops up
huge quantities of fish with its indiscriminate nets, whether targeted or not. The netting can
also destroy the baitfish habitat, further diminishing the stock. Such a weakened food chain
spells fewer opportunities for recreational anglers.The fishing in Bimini has also fallen off considerably, according to one of the captains at the
seminar. For hundreds of years, Bimini provided the most dependable fishing grounds an angler
could hope for. Daily catches of giant bluefin tuna and blue marlin attracted game fishermen
from the mainland by the thousands. But how can that tourism possibly last if word spreads
that Bimini is fished-out?The same is true for the rest of the world. The oceans are covered with commercial fishing
vessels, with fleets of longliners and purse seiners operating in even the most remote waters.
Run-off from Asian countries like China, Vietnam, and Myanmar has also caused significant
damage, while African nations like Nigeria and Ivory Coast continue to dump multi-millions of
litres of waste pollution into the ocean every year, choking the forage species and driving them
further offshore.One approach to normalising the population levels of forage species is to place catch limits
on them. Recognising the importance of Australia’s prey species, in April 2014 the Australian
Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) took steps to ensure their continued availability by
setting total allowable catch (TAC) limits in the Small Pelagic Fishery (SPF). These AFMA
controls provided protection for blue mackerel (slimies), Australian sardines, redbait and jack
mackerel (cowanyoung). It further committed to continuous monitoring of the stock levels
of these species to ensure that future catch limits are adjusted based on changes in their
population levels.The Billfish Foundation encourages the ongoing efforts of regulatory authorities and
conservation groups to use proven scientific methods to study and protect threatened fisheries,
including forage fish and small and large pelagic species. After all, the future of our sportfishing
industry, as well and the wellbeing of the earth we live on, depends onit.To help us achieve
sustainability, please join us with a TBF membership at http://www.billfish.org“Run-offfromsewersand
thechemicalsusedin farming
havedecimatedlargeareasof
seagrassnear shore.”
30 facebook.com/BlueWatermagazine