The arrival of the squid fishing fleet gets every offshore fisherman excited as the opalescent cephalopods also attract large game fish such as White Sea Bass and Halibut. The appearance of just one commercial squid boat in June tipped us off to an incredible White Sea Bass bite off Trancas Pt. That resulted in many kayak and skiff anglers landing their first trophy fish. When I came home last Saturday night and saw the boats lit up off Broad Beach and working feverishly, I had to “investigate” the following morning. I paddled my ocean kayak toward the anchored fleet in the early morning light, trolling a squid type lure. As I approached I was appalled at the enormous amount of floating debris just down current from the dozen boats.
Plastic bags of all sizes, styrofoam cups, floating cans, even a new fan belt. I filled my bait bucket full of hazardous trash. Many fish, birds, and marine mammals mistakenly ingest this debris, usually resulting in their death.
Apparently these guys work all night long and sleep in the morning. I didn’t observe anyone actually throwing trash overboard, but I’ve never seen in 30 years of kayaking this much concentrated garbage in one small area. And when the morning sunlight reflected just right, a thin slick of fuel/oil was coating the surface throughout the entire area.
There’s gotta be a law against this kind of environmental abuse, but who enforces this type of violation?
Squid fishing is the largest commercial fishing business in California. (What’s that tell you?) The tonnage quota and number of permits is presently determined by very little scientific research. Much is still unknown about these animals, and yet we allow virtually uncontrolled harvesting during their annual nearshore mating period. Served in restaurants as “Calamari,” these creatures are a much more important forage food source for numerous fish and marine mammal species. We are so concerned for the whales and dolphins, yet these overlooked animals are an essential link in the food chain whose importance cannot be underestimated. Regardless what the powerful commercial fishing lobby in Sacramento will have you believe, commercial fishing, much like fur trapping, will eventually become extinct. Fishermen must become farmers.
Hopefully before there’s nothing left to catch.
Scott Winner