GUESS WHO MIGHT NOT BE COMING TO DINNER?

August 31, 2015 by riplipboy

GUESS WHO MIGHT NOT BE COMING TO DINNER?

Originally Published the Week of September 3, 2015 in Western Outdoor News

You more likely know them as “mahi-mahi” (the strong ones) which is what the Hawaiians named them. Down here in Mexico, we call them “dorado” (the golden ones). On the East Coast they call them “dolphinfish” (go figure…it just confuses everyone. No, they are NOT Flipper).

Whatever you call them, they might become harder to find on fresh fish menus in the coming future.

A few weeks ago, the Presidential Task Force on Illegal Unreported Unregistered Pirate Fishing (IUU) along with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) determined the dorado are now an “at risk species.”

Consequently, they are recommending that illegal fishing operations in Mexico should no longer be allowed to export catches of dorado into the lucrative seafood markets in the U.S. Increasingly, in alarming numbers, more and more dorado fillets are getting shipped north.

According to statistics, in 2013 alone almost 8000 tons of dorado were commercially imported. That’s almost twice as much as was imported ten years earlier in 2003.

The glitch is that along with marlin, sailfish, roosterfish and swordfish, dorado are already illegal to commercially fish in Mexico. Mexico recognizes that these fish are important for tourism and reserves these species for sportfishing only.

Despite the law, all of those species have declined dramatically to the point of depletion in some areas. I guess “recognition” is not quite the same as “enforcement.” Obviously, if 7000 tons is making it north of the border, and into markets and menus, someone’s not checking the catches very carefully.

The double whammy is that these species are most efficiently caught on long lines. Long lines are lethal to the sportfish, but these are the self-same deadly lines that also ensnare turtles, dolphin (the Flipper types), whales and other species.

Dorado are especially susceptible. I hate to call any species “stupid” but if you’ve ever been in the middle of a wide-open dorado bite, they bite with such voracity and abandon that it’s hard to find a word.

So, I use the word “stupid” respectfully and as a sportsman. When enticed and hungry, they will go after lures, feathers, live baits, jigs, dead bait…even bare hooks!

I’ve had them go after a piece of tortilla. I’ve had them boil on a baloney sandwich. When they are “on the chew” they’ll fight each other to get to the food source.

That makes them an easy mark.

I’ve had days when I’ve caught (and released) over 100 dorado in just a few hours. Imagine if it were perfectly legal to commercially fish for dorado. How long would it take a fleet of 20 or 30 commercial pangas to decimate the fish population in a given area?

Dorado are amazing fish. Despite all the advertisments you see showing billfish as the “glamour” fish of Baja, in truth, the fish that brings the most action and produces more catches are dorado. Not everyone catches a billfish. But anyone can catch and dorado. And another…and another!

Dorado only live about 4 years. But they grow amazingly fast. A four-year-old-fish is 30-40 pounds. They’re born…they eat…they mate and mate and mate…they die.

They can reproduce when they’re only about 4-5 months old and 18-24 inches long and a female can drop thousands of eggs several times a year. They’re a wonderful renewable resource for fishermen. The resulting revenue they generate by the fishermen for the Mexican economy is measured in the millions of dollars if you add up charters, gas, food, hotels and more.

If tons of fish are being caught illegally and indiscriminately, dorado aren’t long for Mexican waters. Hence banning them from shipping into the U.S. along with stringent enforcement is a win-win for everyone.

That’s my story!

Jonathan

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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter-international.com. They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com or drop by the restaurant to say hi!

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Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

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Website: www.tailhunter-international.com

U.S. Office: 8030 La Mesa, Suite #178, La Mesa CA 91942

Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico

Phones:

from USA : 626-638-3383

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Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:

http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate

“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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