A learning experience

[Half-Pint]

Congrats! Great stuff....

I wonder what is the story with this: "...of which the pros and cons are often feverishly debated on this forum by its proponents and critics".


I understand this was posted in several platforms and thus "this forum" does not necessarily means UA .... but I wonder what are those critics saying/negating the value of the ORI tagging program?!?!

It is probably one of the oldest running program in the world... so much valuable info has been obtained and papers produced and recommendations/management actions put forward, that it is hard to believe people still have negative things to say about it...


Suppose in this day and age, every body behind a keyboard and screen has an expert OPINION on everything and feels the need to air it!!!!


Keep up the awesome work Steenie!

 

There has also been some criticism of the program in that they limit the tagging kits to coastal dwelling anglers. A bit strange as some top Protea anglers live in Gauteng but according to ORI won't qualify for a tagging kit

[brucec]

Great story.I am no expert by any means but I think that there are a few damaged fish is "acceptable" in the long run when compared to the results of the research.Like most things in life we aren't going to satisfy everyone.
I would think that the tagging program could have been one of the inspired reasons the "catch & release" ethos that is now prevalent in fishermen.

[Plugger]

ORI should sell tagging kits. They can generate some cash and one more fish tagged is one more bit of data. The concept of tagging kits being for the elite few who "qualify" is a bit daft in my view. Sell them at a profit to any one who wants one, if the person never tags a fish ,so what.

[Visenvryheid]

I am stoked with the tagging..Last gully shark I got trying for cob had a number plate, free for nearly 5 years and traveled nearly 300km and only grew 30cm in that time and was fat and healthy when I caught it.. So cool to get data on your fish back, I will take more care of the gully sharks I catch in the future, wow, I never realized they grew so slowly..That resident monster I hooked in tsitsikamma a long time back must've been decades old!
Anyway, ja sure tagging has its pros and cons, but without it we would not have any idea how stuffed some of our fisheries actually are and how easily we got there by fishing in the wrong manner, that is invaluable.

[Steenie]

I am stoked with the tagging..Last gully shark I got trying for cob had a number plate, free for nearly 5 years and traveled nearly 300km and only grew 30cm in that time and was fat and healthy when I caught it.. So cool to get data on your fish back, I will take more care of the gully sharks I catch in the future, wow, I never realized they grew so slowly..That resident monster I hooked in tsitsikamma a long time back must've been decades old!
Anyway, ja sure tagging has its pros and cons, but without it we would not have any idea how stuffed some of our fisheries actually are and how easily we got there by fishing in the wrong manner, that is invaluable.

Some good points you are making. Amazing gully shark recapture as well!

[Steenie]

Been given one of the Okuma Pulse slow jigging rods to test. The 3-piece 10 ft that is rated 10 - 50 g. I will certainly not throw 50g lures with the rod, but in the 3/4 - 1 oz range this rod is magic. At 201 g it is feather light in the hand, it casts a mile with thin braid (I have been using it with 10 lb Daiwa J-braid), and the tip action is perfect for the lighter shore slow jigging spoons, bucktail jigs and jigheads with jerkshad plastics.


I soon opened its account with a couple of cobbies that I caught with it on a 3/4 oz jighead with 5” Berkley pearl watermelon jerkshad. Cobbies tagged and released.

[Steenie]

Another one.

[Plugger]

Look forward to your report on the Pulse Riekert . I emailed a request for a price on the Major Craft on 29 November, still waiting so I'll rather wait and see what you think about the Pulse.