Free Republic

Indonesia yesterday sank a large Chinese vessel as well as 40 other foreign boats that had been caught fishing illegally in the country’s waters, a move likely to spark a strong reaction from Beijing and other regional capitals.

To avoid overfishing and aid in sustainable exploitation, the status of the fish stocks has to be monitored regularly. In many cases stock assessment is based on fishery-dependent data generated from fish markets or creel surveys. The assumption is: the lower the catches in a certain unit of time, the smaller the stock of fish should be. The scientists Dr. Josep Alós and Prof. Dr. Robert Arlinghaus from the German Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries and the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin have now shown that some fish species show enhanced gear-avoidance behaviour in regions with high angling intensity compared...

Taco flavored Doritos And my orange life vest Dad caught a hundred pound sturgeon On twenty-pound test -- Primus, "Fish On (Fisherman's Chronicles, Part II)" Yerhart has caught only one sturgeon in his life. But it was the sturgeon of a lifetime. On Friday night, Yerhart, a 34-year-old truck technician from Brownsdale, Minn., found himself in a Hemingway-esque struggle with a prehistoric monster: a lake sturgeon as long as he is tall, and perhaps twice his age and 10 times the weight for which his rod and reel were designed. Once nearly wiped out by overfishing (caviar is sturgeon...

Trolling for Dummies A dummy's guide to trolling — from picking lures to setting up your trolling spread. By Erik Landesfeind In last week's So Cal Scene, I touched upon the subject of trolling while discussing fishing kelp paddies. Apparently I should've spent a little more time on the subject as I've received several emails from readers with questions like, “What colors and brands of lures should I use?” “How exactly should I set up my trolling spread?” and “How do I go about trolling that spread?” My honest answer to most of them was, “I don't know, but I'm...

A fisherman got the fright of his life when the catch he was reeling in was attacked and stolen by a great white shark. Filmed in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand a man can be seen fishing from the side of a boat – his rod bent under the pressure. Struggling to reel in the seemingly huge fish, the man states ‘he’s not happy about coming over here anyway.’

A stingray weighing nearly 800lb has become the largest freshwater fish ever caught by rod and line. The gigantic flat fish, which was 8ft wide and 14ft long, took nearly two hours to reel in. It was caught by American TV nature conservationist Jeff Corwin on the Mae Klong river in Thailand earlier this week.

Scott Walker is killing it with Republicans. The Wisconsin governor is one of his party's rising stars—thanks to his ongoing and largely successful war against his state's labor unions, a fight that culminated Monday with the signing of a controversial "right-to-work" bill. Now (for the moment, anyway), he's a leading contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. At the Conservative Political Action Conference a couple weeks ago, he polled a close second to three-time winner Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), beating the likes of Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush by a significant margin. It probably won't...

a driveable ice shack

".....Yuma,Colorado, a farming town of 3,500 people near the Kansas border, celebrated last month as homegrown Republican Cory Gardner was elected to the U.S. Senate. Gardner, a high school football player and the son of a farm equipment dealer, defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Udall to help the GOP gain control of the Senate in the second-most expensive congressional race of all time.Gardner represented Colorado’s 4th Congressional District for four years, an expansive territory that covers the mostly flat and rural eastern third of the state. Farmers there mostly grow corn to feed cattle, and water comes from the quickly...

Federal regulators slapped a six-month ban on most cod fishing off New England this week and are threatening to cut next year’s catch by up to 75 percent, in a move some say will destroy the livelihoods of fishermen across the region. ... NOAA announced several measures, including the ban which expands no-fishing zones, on Monday. But fishermen whose livelihoods rely on catching cod, as well as the coastal communities that depend on money coming in from that industry, worry the new regulations will devastate them.

Montana wildlife officials are dropping a proposal to keep confidential the names of hunters and trappers who kill wildlife in Montana. ... That information is now available under the state's right-to-know laws. Some hunters and trappers had claimed they were being harassed by people who had obtained the information.

After decades of paranoid hemming and hawing, last month the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management finally approved oil exploration in Federal waters along the Atlantic coast from Delaware to Florida.‘The announcement is the first real step toward what could be a transformation in coastal states,” says the Associated Press report, “creating thousands of jobs to support a new energy infrastructure. But it dismayed environmentalists and people who owe their livelihoods to fisheries and tourism.”Alas, this “dismay” afflicts only the greenies from Delaware to Florida. From New Jersey up through New England the greenie hysteria against offshore oil exploration prevailed....

Every week CBS News travels America fishing for interesting stories. And, once again, we've hooked a good one. A trout's brain is no bigger than a lentil, yet when it comes to outsmarting fly fishermen, it's enough. Which is why truly obsessive fishermen, like Randy Brown, seek any advantage they can -- like splurging on a $4,000 fishing pole. "It's just a pleasure to fish with. There's just no other rods like these," says Brown. "It's the best stick there is." The rods he's referencing are designed by legendary rod-maker Tom Morgan. If fly fishing is a religion, this is...

I shall rend the heavens soon in a new way for all the Earth is about to witness and taste of My glory as I (( ( Roar ) )) out salvation over the children of My creation and Now in this Valley of Decisions I shall rise up the mountains that choose Me and have chosen Me . So watch and see for The Latter Rain is about to flourish My Lilies of The Valley I AM about to dress in My Glory Isaiah 64:1-4 64 Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains...

A new grant program in Michigan takes extra money from hunting and fishing fees and distributes it to private landowners. The state Department of Natural Resources recently announced 12 wildlife habitat grant winners for the "Deer PLAN" (Private Land Assistance Network). This grant is available to private landowners in six counties in northern Michigan ostensibly to improve deer habitat. One hunter wasn't thrilled about the program. Tom Wills is an outdoorsman from Quinnesec in the Upper Peninsula. "I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that Michigan DNR is giving my license fees to a dozen private land...

<p>The Sportsman Channel said Monday that Palin's series, "Amazing America," is being renewed for a second season that will start early next year.</p> <p>On the series, the former Republican vice-presidential candidate and Alaska ex-governor profiles outdoor enthusiasts and craftsmen. The show aired Thursday nights and finished its first season May 29....</p>

President Obama announced plans to create the world's largest ocean sanctuary on Tuesday, expanding 87,000 square miles of protected ocean into 782,000 square miles of protected ocean—a nearly ninefold increase. According to Fox News, Obama is proposing an expansion of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, to "protect it from drilling, fishing, and other actions." Obama made his remarks via a video message at a State Department "oceans conference," which actor Leonardo DiCaprio also attended as a featured speaker. The president's plan will likely be opposed by tuna fishing companies operating in the region and lawmakers concerned about the...

The use of drift nets, long vertical nets cast deep into the sea that catch all fish and mammals in their path, would be completely banned under a proposal put forward by the European Commission today (14 May). The use of drift nets has already been largely banned in the EU since 2002. However, the existing law has loopholes. Boats are allowed to keep drift nets on board as long as they are smaller than 2.5 km (1.55 miles) and that their use is not intended for the capture of endangered species. Fishermen are using this loophole to conduct illegal...

<p>For Don Knight, little compares to the adrenaline rush and camaraderie he feels heading out with friends to hunt rabbits, raccoons and deer in Alabama.</p> <p>But he said he worries that animal-rights groups around the country are intent on restricting his cherished pastime by pushing measures that, for instance, would forbid the use of dogs to pursue game.</p>

BULLHEAD CITY — Mohave County will explore every avenue to keep the 50-year-old Willow Beach Fish Hatchery Rainbow Trout Stocking Program going, said District 2 Mohave County Sup. Hildy Angius, R-Bullhead City. Angius also serves as Board of Supervisors chairwoman. In March, Angius submitted documents to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Natural Resources Committee and as a result was invited to testify before the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies on Thursday. Angius paid for the trip to Washington from her Board of Supervisors travel allowance. Angius said she made the right decision in testifying....