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The First Time We Doubled Up Fishing for Bluefin Tuna
Imagine yourself waking up at 3 a.m on a gorgeous early summer morning. You’ve got your rods, reels, and equipment loaded up in your truck. You’ve got your cooler packed with a few afternoon snacks and some drinks. You’re heart is pounding with the thoughts of being out on the ocean, free from the everyday stress of work and reality, and the hopes that this could be the day you hook the trophy fish, your giant. You drive down to the dock, load up all the equipment into the boat, and prepare for the long journey out into the open ocean. With a full tank of gas and your adrenaline pumping you fix your sights on the horizon and open up the throttle. Just as the sun is coming up over the horizon, you remember that following the sun leads to the land where giants roam the sea just below your feet. After an hour of steaming out into the open ocean your heart is pounding out of your chest with the first sighting of whales. You remember hearing that whales are the number one sign that bluefin tuna must be nearby. You see the fleet of boats, already with their spread set and working the waters around the whales in hopes of hooking the big one. You now know that this is the spot. This is where you are going make your stand, set your spread, and wait for that sweet sound. The sound that keeps you going back, day-after-day, the sound of the drag screeching at a thousand miles per hour, it’s the sound of all of your patience and persistence culminating in a moment that is yours. It’s you versus the fish.
Now that I’ve painted a picture in your head of what you can expect when you go bluefin tuna fishing, I’m now going to tell you a story of one of my own personal early bluefin fishing experiences. It was early July and the setting was exactly as I described it. It was one of those days, weather wise, that you dream about. The sun was out, the water was calm, and the fleet was out in our regular fishing spot.
My brother and I had set our spread behind the boat. We had been working a small pod of whales for almost two hours without even a bite or a sighting of tuna. Starting to get a little frustrated, we decided to move away from the fleet to a rather large circle of birds that were sitting on top of the water about a quarter mile away from the whales and the rest of the fleet. I was driving the boat and my brother was watching the spread as we approached the birds. All of a sudden I had a strange feeling that we were going to hook up as we went through the birds. I turned to my brother and excitedly said, “Get ready, we’re about to get some action!”
Skeptical of my gut feeling, he reluctantly stood up and got ready for the bite. Just as he was standing up, the left rod started screaming. A fish! My feeling was right, we had hooked into a nice fish. Little did I know what was to come next. Just as I had set my brother up in the fighting belt and he had started reeling the fish in, the right rod started buzzing. We Must Have raised a good amount of fish because the third and final spreader bar was nearly taken down too! Knowing that two fish was more than enough, I quickly reeled in the center bar to avoid hooking a third fish and being in way over our head.
At this time we were very novice bluefin tuna fisherman and we figured that my brother could reel in the one fish, we could land it, and then he could put on the fighting belt and bring in the other fish. Big mistake! Not only is this a bad idea because we had a limited crew but also because of how tiring reeling in back-to-back fish can be. Also, leaving the fish hooked and dragging it for several miles can be very detrimental to the fish’s health. We hadn’t realized just how big the fish that my brother was fighting was so we just kept the boat on idle speed and let the second fish stay hooked, hundreds of feet below the surface. After about fifteen minutes, we finally caught our first glimpse of the fish that my brother had been struggling to bring in. As soon as the fish saw the boat, he took off back down to the bottom of the ocean and the battle started all over again. After nearly forty-five grueling minutes, both fish and fisherman were completely exhausted and I brought out the gaff for the final step in landing the fish. I gaffed the fish in the back shoulder, and we pulled the fish over the edge of the boat. Seeing that this was clearly the biggest fish we had ever caught, we pulled out the tape measure to see just how big our fish was. Fifty-six inches! A true monster in the eyes of a couple of novice fisherman.
In pretty much a state of shock and pure euphoria we had almost forgot that we had been towing another fish for the better part of six miles. Pure luck, no doubt, is the only explanation for the second fish staying on the line. Seeing that my brother was completely exhausted from reeling in his fish, I put on the fighting belt and started reeling in the second fish. As I was reeling in the fish, my brother began packing the first fish in ice and placed it in our pelagic fish body bag. After about fifteen minutes we brought the second fish up, gaffed it, and got it in the boat. The reason that the second fish came up so fast was because it had already been tired out from being dragged for so long! With two fish in the boat and an exhausted “crew” we decided that we had had enough fishing for one day. With a full fish locker and a very satisfied feeling, we steamed back to the dock and closed the book on the day we doubled up for the first time.
About the Author
Visit http://www.bluefinbasics.com for a complete database of bluefin tuna fishing knowledge aimed to educate fisherman on tips, tricks, and proper techniques used when fishing for bluefin tuna. We also feature a frequently updated fishing report, gallery, and much more bluefin related information.
When Fish Make you Sick
To eat or not to eat-this was Arebonto’s dilemma. He knew the risk, but he was hungry. And the barbecued fish smelled delicious. His appetite won out. But the rapid onset of nausea and abdominal pain followed by vomiting and diarrhea made him wish he had not eaten the fish.
By the time friends rushed Arebonto to the hospital on his small Pacific island, he was semiconscious and dehydrated and had chest pains, dangerously low blood pressure, and a slow pulse. Over the next few days, in addition to headaches, dizziness, and fatigue, he experienced numbness in his legs, painful urination, and a strange sensory reversal whereby cold felt hot and hot felt cold. After eight days his pulse rate stabilized, but numbness and fatigue persisted for weeks.
Arebonto had fallen victim to potent, naturally occurring toxins that contaminate otherwise normally edible tropical reef fish. The condition, known as ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP), occurs in tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian and Pacific oceans and in the Caribbean. In these areas, locally caught fish are a major food source.
CFP is not a new disease. In fact, it was the bane of European maritime explorers. Likewise, many a present-day vacationer has suffered from its debilitating effects. Understandably, the disease imposes constraints on the fishing and tourist industries of many island nations. Moreover, international trade in live and frozen reef fish has extended the geographic range of CFP beyond the Tropics to places where it is not readily recognized.
What causes reef fish to become toxic? Can toxic fish be identified? Consider what decades of research has revealed.
Identifying the Culprit
A microorganism called a dinoflagellate is generally regarded as the source of the toxins that cause CFP. The microbe lives on dead coral and attaches itself to algas. Small fish graze on the algas and ingest the toxins-called ciguatoxins-produced by the dinoflagellates. These fish are eaten by larger fish, which, in turn, are eaten by still others, concentrating the toxins higher up the food chain. The fish, however, seem unaffected.
Ciguatoxins are among the most lethal biological substances known. Fortunately, “only a few species of fish are incriminated in CFP,” says an Australian government paper. Ciguatoxins do not alter the appearance, smell, or taste of fish and cannot be destroyed by cooking, drying, salting, smoking, or marinating. In Arebonto’s case, nothing about the fish he ate warned him of the hidden menace until he experienced severe gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and neurological symptoms.
Diagnosis and Treatment
At present there is no laboratory test for CFP in humans. Diagnosis is based on the appearance of a variety of symptoms, which usually appear within hours after eating and may be confirmed by testing leftover fish for toxins. If you suspect CFP, it is wise to seek medical help. Although there is no known antidote, treatment may relieve the symptoms, which usually subside within a few days. However, CFP can be debilitating, and early treatment may prevent its affects from becoming chronic.
The severity of the symptoms varies, depending on a number of factors. These include the toxicity of the fish, the amount and the parts of the fish eaten, the level of the ciguatoxins already in the patient, and the geographic origin of the fish, for toxins seem to differ slightly from region to region. Instead of developing an immunity to these toxins, humans become more sensitive, making repeat attacks even worse! Consuming alcohol also exacerbates symptoms. To avoid a relapse, the patient should refrain from eating fish for three to six months after a bout with CFP, explains a publication on this widespread disease.
Severe cases may last for weeks or months and sometimes even for years, resulting in symptoms similar to chronic fatigue syndrome. In rare cases, death occurs from shock, respiratory or heart failure, or dehydration. Such cases, though, are usually associated with the consumption of tissue where toxins are more concentrated, such as the head or the internal organs of the fish.
An Enduring Enigma
Virtually all fish that inhabit coral reefs, and their predators, are potentially ciguatoxic. But herein lies an enigma. Fish from one reef area may be highly toxic, but the same species caught nearby may be safe. A frequently implicated species in one part of the world may be considered safe in another. Since the release of toxins by dinoflagellates is erratic, the occurrence of toxic fish is unpredictable.
Adding to the problem, a cost-effective, reliable test for toxic fish remains elusive. The best that health authorities can do at present is to inform the public of what fish to avoid and where these might be caught-information that is based on reported cases of CFP. Highly suspect species include barracuda, grouper, kingfish, red bass, rockfish, and snapper, as well as moray eel. Older, larger fish usually present a higher risk. In some places it is illegal to sell potentially unsafe fish. However, pelagic fish that do not prey on reef fish and fish from temperate waters are generally considered to be safe.
The incidence of CFP is predicted to rise. In part, this is because dead coral creates an environment favorable to the proliferation of toxic dinoflagellates, and reports indicate that a growing number of coral reefs are either sick or dying.
Despite the unpredictable nature of CFP, you can minimize the risk by observing some basic principles. Arebonto almost died because he did not follow these guidelines. He ate the head and flesh of a local rockfish known to pose a high risk. He had eaten that species before without ill effects and, like many other islanders, became overconfident.
Does the foregoing mean that you should avoid seafood, perhaps while enjoying a tropical vacation? Not at all. The prudent course is to observe the warnings and to choose your fish wisely.
Common Symptoms
* Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps
* Chills, sweating, dizziness, headaches, itching
* Numbness or tingling around the mouth, hands, or feet
* Sensory reversal-cold feels hot, hot feels cold
* Pain in muscles and joints and when urinating
* Slow pulse rate, low blood pressure, fatigue
Minimize the Risk
* Ask the local fisheries department or fishing experts about the fish to avoid and the areas where toxic fish are caught.
* Avoid eating fish from areas where ciguatera was recently reported.
* Avoid eating older, larger reef fish.
* Do not eat the head or the liver or other internal organs.
* As soon as you catch a reef fish, gut it properly.
As a result of misdiagnoses and underreporting, the true worldwide incidence of CFP is not known. Various authorities estimate that some 50,000 cases occur worldwide annually.
About the Author
KennymackNews
World News
News You Can Use From Around The World
http://newsroundtheworld.blogspot.com/
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