Rex Field (quote) Approx 1965-1970

G

Gone Fishen

Member
Was cleaning out an old tackle box that hasn't been opened in years. I found an old set of buzz bomb instuctions from the late 60 or early 70's(when there was still fish.)At the very top of the page there's this interesting warning.

"If you want good fishing for yourself, your family, your friends and generations to come-do every conceivable thing in your power to prohibit the commercial taking of herring.

I am firmly convinced that herring in abundant quantities is the most important single factor in the sustaining of ALL sea life in the oceans of the Pacific Northwest. It's no use starting to raise cattle (hatcheries) unless you first are sure you have abundant fertile pasture and feed!"

Sorry not enough people (politions) listened Rex.
 
that is good.makes you wonder. where is the gorge herring run? When i was a kid it was a big event. Now hardly any come through.
 
Wanted to edit my post. Computer wouldn't let me.:( Wanted to add I found a date on those instructions 1969, also some trivia. Rex Field invented the buzz bomb @ started marketing it in 1965. SMART GUY!!!

Yea Rico,& where's the Howe sound, Sunshine coast herring too.:(

I'm setting priorities & making time for fishing.
 
Soon as I saw your post I went and dug around and got out a 1967 copy of Alex Merrimans Vancouver Island Fishing Calendar book , the reading on where and when and how many fish there was is very interesting ; along with the picture of John Saxer in 1966 with his 77lb Tyee from the Tyee Pool in Campbell River.

Ah ............. the old memories !

AL
 
I know this won't be popular, but we are also part of the problem. How many tons of herring and anchovy are used for bait in sportfishing. In comparison to the roe herring fishery it may only be a small percentage. However, maybe we should also do our part by switching to artificials. I mostly fish artificials and they often work as well or better than bait (without depleting the resourece).
 
I think the figure for the Georgia Strait Commercial Herring Catch for 2007 was 26 MILLION pounds!!! Even if the Sport Fishery used a million pounds (which I highly doubt) it would not in my opinion make much of a difference. Why are we grinding up herring to make fertilizer ? to support Jimmy Pattison?
 
When I start thinkin'-back to how it used to be... I want to cry.

Remember the annual 'Sun-Derby'? Man, that was a huge event. I remember back in the 60's when you'd see 60/lb or bigger fish on the leader board.

Our heritage is slowly but surely being stripped away from us at the hands of incompetent fisheries managers and corrupt - self serving - political bureaucrats.

Wonder if we will ever turn the tables and start the recovery?

Cheers,
Terry
 
I used to work in the wild fishery at one of the largest herring processing plants in N America. When I used to see tractor trailers lined up down the street filled to the brim with herring it made my stomach turn. The sad thing is that only about 6-7% of that biomass is used. The rest is thown away because it is brine frozen meaining is it saturated in salt which makes is usesless for any further applications. Not to mention 100% of the males are thrown away.
 
Well, that tells us even writing warnings on popular fishing lures won't get us any further. It needs more action to turn tables. Maybe we all should have used this election year more to bring our ideas across. Maybe it is time for one of the already established sport fishing associations to get us all onboard and start a enduring campaign. I feel that there is a lot of energy within the angling community but nobody has stepped up yet to make use of it. It will inevitably go to the highest courts against the government and therefore an empowered association with the will and financial support of the sportfishing community would be most suitable to take this on. Someone knows who our saviour may be?
 
quote:Originally posted by chris73
Maybe it is time for one of the already established sport fishing associations to get us all onboard and start a enduring campaign. I feel that there is a lot of energy within the angling community but nobody has stepped up yet to make use of it. It will inevitably go to the highest courts against the government and therefore an empowered association with the will and financial support of the sportfishing community would be most suitable to take this on. Someone knows who our saviour may be?
Click to expand...
Right on criss, but who,how & where. I'd be in there like a dirty shirt if only I had some book learning & understood how buricratic ******** worked. If polition's actualy understood the consequences of there actions,[B)] I don't think they'd be so stupid. While I'm on the subject of stupid, why would fisheries do a test trawl up the centre of White Islet RCA.
(Don't no, but think they were counting the ling hatch)[?][B)]I miss the herring!!!!!
I'm setting priorities & making time for fishing.
 
I may be out in left field and I know times have changed to what they were 20 years ago but back then when I use to commercial Herring fish we would see complete coast lines with nothing but herring sperm for as far as the eye can see..... the water would turn milky white for miles ..... now take that picture and think globally.... the amount of herring out in the ocean is for the most part next to impossible to deplete. I'm not saying that we as hunams are not leaving an impact on the herring fishery but IMO it is not the herring stocks that are in need of repair. Just like any food chain.... if you take out part of the food chain certian species will be effected kinda like the ripple effect so yes we should be concerned but not only about the herring but farther up the food chain as well. Its the Salmon stocks that worry me a lot more. But that was 20 years ago when I was younger and maybe times have changed and if they have then it has only taken 20 years to change.... not good.
Just a note: The year was 1980, One seine boat.... one net set and we pulled in over 250 tons of herring in that one set( sold for $2000 per ton.). It took less then one hour to set and over 24 hours to empty, that one net set filled up two packer boats(twice), one dragger used as a packer boat and the seine boat himself got a full hold out of that one set. Is that possible today? I don't know... maybe there is another commercial fisherman out there who has a more up to date story about what its really like to be a herring fisherman in this day and age. Thats my 2 cents worth.... now with that being said.... what did happen to the Gorge herring where do you think they went??? Maybe they are starting to disappear.
 
Your right about left field. Commercial overfishing allowed by missmanagement of resource by D@#%$!@&%*&%O. Nothing more nothing less.
 
Fishingfool i think your off. Im not very educated on the subject but im pretty sure herring are not a global baitfish. I think they are just in the north pacific. Im still young and even i have noticed a huge difference in herring numbers at least on ecvi. The last 5 years the herring run in our area has been a fraction of what it was even 10 years ago. Think about it one boat, one set brings in 250 tons...... Its no wonder they are disappearing. They can and are being depleted and it comes down to greed and $$$
 
quote:Originally posted by fishinfool

I may be out in left field and I know times have changed to what they were 20 years ago but back then when I use to commercial Herring fish we would see complete coast lines with nothing but herring sperm for as far as the eye can see..... the water would turn milky white for miles .....
Click to expand...
I used to jig my own herring to use for bait, two five gallon buckets would last all year, there was herring spawn for as far as the eye could see, unfortunatly nowadays there's no spawn & no herring in almost all of these exact same areas. What there is is next to nil. (Same thing with the SALMON.) The two buckets would take a couple hours tops to fill. "left field" A definate YA!!

I'm setting priorities & making time for fishing.
 
kelly, herrings are actually native around the globe in northern oceans. Just as common in the north atlantic as here and hammered by commercials there too. Can't stress enough the importance of an intact food chain. Unfortunately the balance is way off and this is most certainly a factor in the state of conditions of the pacific salmon right now.
 
kelly, herrings are actually native around the globe in northern oceans. Just as common in the north atlantic as here and hammered by commercials there too. Can't stress enough the importance of an intact food chain. Unfortunately the balance is way off and this is most certainly a factor in the state of conditions of the pacific salmon right now.
 
Thanks for the replies however no one seems to think like me...lol. So I did a bit of research about herring and found out a lot. Seems my ideas about herring abundance is from the early 1980's and the herring stocks can and do change from year to year. I still think that herring are the most abundance fish in the ocean and given new info I still feel they are an almost inexhaustable food source how ever that would only be true if there was no commercial herring industry. Just like so many other things man has managed to screw up the herring industry is no different. I did however find that on a good note the herring stocks can rebuild themselves if man doesn't over fish them.
As quoted from the Enviroment Canada web site:
"Many fish stocks can be irreversibly damaged by low spawning biomass over a series of years. Fortunately, herring belongs to a group of fish species that may recover dramatically from a reduced population size and has rebuilt to 100 000–200 000 tonnes.
 
Thanks for the replies however no one seems to think like me...lol. So I did a bit of research about herring and found out a lot. Seems my ideas about herring abundance is from the early 1980's and the herring stocks can and do change from year to year. I still think that herring are the most abundance fish in the ocean and given new info I still feel they are an almost inexhaustable food source how ever that would only be true if there was no commercial herring industry. Just like so many other things man has managed to screw up the herring industry is no different. I did however find that on a good note the herring stocks can rebuild themselves if man doesn't over fish them.
As quoted from the Enviroment Canada web site:
"Many fish stocks can be irreversibly damaged by low spawning biomass over a series of years. Fortunately, herring belongs to a group of fish species that may recover dramatically from a reduced population size and has rebuilt to 100 000–200 000 tonnes.
 
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