I had this question on my mind as well. For example, I hear sockeye retention is closed for tidel fraser and currently no retention of coho on the fraser to protect interior stock. However if there is commercial openning for pinks, wouldn't they also net sockeye and coho? I hear anglers illegally keeping them are getting busted and the heat they are getting (rightfully so), but i would think the percentage of commercial netting those fish is way higher, am i right?
I totally agree, commies net way more fish than a few that the flossers 'unintentionally purposely snag' so they would as a rule net more fish that are non retention.
maybe they should tag some of those released sox'x from the seiners.... maybe thats were all the floaters r coming from ! Seiner r bad in my opinion !
yeah seines arent as bad as gillnets because they are designed to not get fish stuck in them behind the gills [but small fish still do, and so do large fish if theres a rip in the net - COMMON!
but lets be honest here if your a commercial fisherman and you have a time limit and quota you want to catch every last fish you possibly can because the seasons are short and you need to make bank...in real life i bet those guys toss steelhead, coho back half dead belly up without giving two shits - they need to do another set before the tide peaks!
sure, some will argue theres recovery boxes and all that crap, but it comes down to the usual suspects - greed, lack of inforcement,, improper education/training of deckhands, etc. I dont think a commie is gonna go "wait, theres a steelhead caught in here, lets just cut the net and spend 15 minutes reviving him, the set can wait...
and that is how greed trumps need.