A Fishing Adventure
Ben Book
Brayden Burns
Sportfishing in Cozumel Mexico, though not an original focal point in our Marine Ecology lab, became an interesting aspect of our education at SNU. Having made friends with a gentleman from Wisconsin; Ben, Rena, and were I given the opportunity to accompany him on a fishing charter.
The Mexican Government allows regulated commercial and sport fishing in its waters. Anglers must purchase a license before ever getting a line wet. (on charter boats the captain can get a collective license which covers all those on board.) Once the initial paperwork is completed, fishermen must abide by laws very similar to those in the USA. You cannot use electric reels or illuminated tackle, you may not have more than one line per person, you may not exceed your bag limit, you may not use firearms ect. Bag limits vary by species, with some fish have a bag limit of one, others of five. Mexican law clearly states that fishermen are prohibited from tampering with the ecosystem or with non “fish” species. Turtles, marine mammals, molluscs, etc may not be tampered with or harvested in anyform. Commonly approved methods for fishing include trolling, jigging, bottom fishing and alike.
The Character boats themselves often have a vested interest in maintaining large billfish populations. As a result, many boats, (including the one we were on) will highly encourage or mandate catch and release. Best not to kill the Golden Goose hunting for a terminal treasure. Smaller less prestigious fish such as Mahi Mahi are much more likely to find their way to a BBQ after being drug up from the depths then say a sailfish. (1)(3)
It was astounding luck that landed Arkansas (Brayden) and I onto that fishing boat. Darren Berger invited us along on a fishing trip he had wanted to go on since he began visiting Cozumel. We talked to him on Monday about how he wanted to go, but we just agreed it would be fun because we did not bring money for that much fun. Alas, on Wednesday, Mr. Berger came to us at breakfast and wondered if we wanted to come on the trip and just pay the tip. Arkansas and I knew this was too good of an opportunity to say no, so we went.
On Friday, we bid adieu to our classmates and Dr. Hoekman (for they would be going on their own little adventure, another story for another time), and Arkansas and Mr. Whisker (Ben) were off on a fishing expedition! The boat was named “Marley” after the Captain’s, Pedro Erosa, granddaughter. The deckhand was named Ready Freddy, who was 17, but a hard worker still. Darren, Renee, Brayden, and I were off and headed west towards the Yucatản. It wasn’t 30 minutes later when Darren caught a 4 foot long barracuda. A good catch, but it was about to get better. Renee was next in the hot seat. I was excited to see what she was going to catch. Least to say, I wasn’t disappointed. She hauled up the prettiest fish I have ever seen out of the water, a brilliant shade of green and yellow. This was the only fish we did not throwback that day because Freddy was avid about taking it back with him and frying it up. Yum! Next up was me, but had I known what was going to be caught on my turn, I would have deferred to Brayden! ‘
We reached the very eastern side of the Mexico mainland then we started going south-west with an east wind somewhat behind us. One of the rods on the second deck of the ship had a fish on, and the captain said it was a sailfish, he could see. I hopped in the fighting chair where I was handed down the rod and started going to town on the monster. The sailfish broke the surface 4 times. The first 2 were vertical, the third was horizontal, and the fourth was when El Capitan and Freddy pulled the massive creature aboard. We took a little time for a picture or two, and then we released the beautiful fella. He weighed about 90 pounds and was over 8 foot long. The entire fight took around 15 mins. It actually felt like 30 secs, but I guess time flies when you’re having fun. =)
One of the most interesting aspects of any sport is the duty of the Sportsman. Just as in football, an athlete is to abide by the rules and promote the advancement of the sport, so are sportsman to angle/hunt according to the rules dictated by governments and promote the conservation of their sport. Thus the moral minimum for a sportsman to protect ecosystems and the communities therein for future generations.. (The boys scouts would say, “leave it like you found it.”) The acceptable moral maximum is to “leave it better than you found it.” In such a spirit Teddy Roosevelt said:
"In a civilized and cultivated country, wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen." -Theodore Roosevelt (2)
Sportfishing in Cozumel Mexico, though not an original focal point in our Marine Ecology lab, became an interesting aspect of our education at SNU. Having made friends with a gentleman from Wisconsin; Ben, Rena, and were I given the opportunity to accompany him on a fishing charter.
The Mexican Government allows regulated commercial and sport fishing in its waters. Anglers must purchase a license before ever getting a line wet. (on charter boats the captain can get a collective license which covers all those on board.) Once the initial paperwork is completed, fishermen must abide by laws very similar to those in the USA. You cannot use electric reels or illuminated tackle, you may not have more than one line per person, you may not exceed your bag limit, you may not use firearms ect. Bag limits vary by species, with some fish have a bag limit of one, others of five. Mexican law clearly states that fishermen are prohibited from tampering with the ecosystem or with non “fish” species. Turtles, marine mammals, molluscs, etc may not be tampered with or harvested in anyform. Commonly approved methods for fishing include trolling, jigging, bottom fishing and alike.
The Character boats themselves often have a vested interest in maintaining large billfish populations. As a result, many boats, (including the one we were on) will highly encourage or mandate catch and release. Best not to kill the Golden Goose hunting for a terminal treasure. Smaller less prestigious fish such as Mahi Mahi are much more likely to find their way to a BBQ after being drug up from the depths then say a sailfish. (1)(3)
It was astounding luck that landed Arkansas (Brayden) and I onto that fishing boat. Darren Berger invited us along on a fishing trip he had wanted to go on since he began visiting Cozumel. We talked to him on Monday about how he wanted to go, but we just agreed it would be fun because we did not bring money for that much fun. Alas, on Wednesday, Mr. Berger came to us at breakfast and wondered if we wanted to come on the trip and just pay the tip. Arkansas and I knew this was too good of an opportunity to say no, so we went.On Friday, we bid adieu to our classmates and Dr. Hoekman (for they would be going on their own little adventure, another story for another time), and Arkansas and Mr. Whisker (Ben) were off on a fishing expedition! The boat was named “Marley” after the Captain’s, Pedro Erosa, granddaughter. The deckhand was named Ready Freddy, who was 17, but a hard worker still. Darren, Renee, Brayden, and I were off and headed west towards the Yucatản. It wasn’t 30 minutes later when Darren caught a 4 foot long barracuda. A good catch, but it was about to get better. Renee was next in the hot seat. I was excited to see what she was going to catch. Least to say, I wasn’t disappointed. She hauled up the prettiest fish I have ever seen out of the water, a brilliant shade of green and yellow. This was the only fish we did not throwback that day because Freddy was avid about taking it back with him and frying it up. Yum! Next up was me, but had I known what was going to be caught on my turn, I would have deferred to Brayden! ‘
We reached the very eastern side of the Mexico mainland then we started going south-west with an east wind somewhat behind us. One of the rods on the second deck of the ship had a fish on, and the captain said it was a sailfish, he could see. I hopped in the fighting chair where I was handed down the rod and started going to town on the monster. The sailfish broke the surface 4 times. The first 2 were vertical, the third was horizontal, and the fourth was when El Capitan and Freddy pulled the massive creature aboard. We took a little time for a picture or two, and then we released the beautiful fella. He weighed about 90 pounds and was over 8 foot long. The entire fight took around 15 mins. It actually felt like 30 secs, but I guess time flies when you’re having fun. =)
One of the most interesting aspects of any sport is the duty of the Sportsman. Just as in football, an athlete is to abide by the rules and promote the advancement of the sport, so are sportsman to angle/hunt according to the rules dictated by governments and promote the conservation of their sport. Thus the moral minimum for a sportsman to protect ecosystems and the communities therein for future generations.. (The boys scouts would say, “leave it like you found it.”) The acceptable moral maximum is to “leave it better than you found it.” In such a spirit Teddy Roosevelt said:
"In a civilized and cultivated country, wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen." -Theodore Roosevelt (2)
Citations:
(3)https://www.mexbound.com/mexican-fishing-and-boating/
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