# Taking pictures of billfish out of the water



## jboweriii (Sep 28, 2007)

It's against the law unless you harvest it. How comes FWC DOES'NT LOOK INTO IT? I have emailed fishing shows about that and they still do it also. When i break the law...i get hammered.


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Awwww shit

This topic is always a good one. It usually gets a good assortment of responses. I'm just staying quiet


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Somebody cant catch a billfish. Or prove it.


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## Downtime2 (Sep 27, 2007)

According to the law as it was communicated to me, it's a $10,000 offense. Never met anyone who had it levied against them.Did it in days gone by. We do boatside shots now.


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

Huh?


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## Pompano Joe (Jan 28, 2009)

Really???


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## JoeZ (Sep 30, 2007)

I'll never have this problem. When I catch legal billfish, they go on the grill just like every other fish out there. They're not special, they just taste different and require a little different technique with the spatula. 

So yeah, billfish picture on the transom, gunwale or dangling from the tower? Yep, better hurry before he gets iced down.


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## MSViking (Oct 11, 2007)

While we take our pics boat side, I have never had a problem with someone who catches a billfish that is special to them to take pics anyway they see fit.


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## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

jboweriii said:


> It's against the law unless you harvest it. How comes FWC DOES'NT LOOK INTO IT? I have emailed fishing shows about that and they still do it also. When i break the law...i get hammered.


Please post information regarding said "law". As long as a fish is legally allowed to be harvested (Billfish are allowed to be harvested) you can take it out of the water and take a picture. Some do, some don't. 

Here is info from FWC:

http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/catch-and-release/

*Contrary to some reports, there are no new saltwater fish handling regulations in Florida. However, the FWC has recently been reminding anglers about existing rules that are meant to protect fish when they can’t be taken.*


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

It seems purty dern silly, that you can't bring a bill fish out of the water to take a pic - but you can throw him in the coffin and eat him later....???

I remember years back, I took a pic of my daughter lipping a bull red and was chastised for allowing her to do it! Folks are silly!:blink:


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## samoajoe (Dec 28, 2010)

No harm, no foul. If the billfish is small enough to pull out of the water for a quick pic, then it's fine in my book.


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## Splittine (Nov 24, 2007)

...


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## Yellow fever 23 (May 25, 2013)

We boated our first ****** for a pic and put back and watched him swim off healthy and strong, and if my first blue is in good enough shape after the fight we will do the same with him law or not! I'm not buying the idea that me cradleing a fish for a few minutes is any more harmful than the fish jumping six feet out of the water and landing on his side.


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## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

Not real sure of the complaint here. 
It's illegal to take a picture of the fish unless you keep it. But how do you know when the picture was taken, and how in the world could you prove that it was not thrown in a fish box after the picture. And eaten. 

But I understand the point being made.


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## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

Folks pay a lot of money to be taken out to try and catch one of these fish. Most do not want to keep it either, but they payed for the memory, and the captains make sure they get to take home that memory and let the fish live another day.
I see nothing wrong with it, of done correctly. Fast and easy.


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## Chapman5011 (Mar 7, 2013)

Yellow fever 23 said:


> We boated our first ****** for a pic and put back and watched him swim off healthy and strong, and if my first blue is in good enough shape after the fight we will do the same with him law or not! I'm not buying the idea that me cradleing a fish for a few minutes is any more harmful than the fish jumping six feet out of the water and landing on his side.


The stress on the fish while he is being fought and wore down is much more detrimental to the fish than just taking out of the water for 20 seconds for a picture.


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## Collard (Oct 23, 2007)

Wirelessly posted (Not the droid youre lookin for)

In all the pics I've seen, the angler is standing by one or two deckhands that pulled the fish aboard. Who should get the ticket.......angler,deckhand? I would guess captain. Everybody involved?


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Allright....

Anytime I fish with a customer of mine and someone on board gets their first Sailfish or White Marlin, I get it alongside, unhook it and get whoever wants to be in the pic in the right places behind me along the stern. I make sure the cameras are ready and then I pull the fish out while making sure I cradle its body, not just yanking it around by its bill. I never have it out more than 25 seconds before its back in the water.

If you have one out of the water for more than a minute or two, the chances of it surviving go down drastically. I would never suggest bringing a Blue Marlin out of the water, even a smaller 200ish sized fish. It would take more time bringing it out, more time in the boat for pics and more time getting it back in without just throwing it in. The strain on a fish that size would most likely bring irreparable damage and I just think that should be a common sense approach. A White or Sail is easily hoisted while supporting its weight.

In either case, make sure the fish is properly revived. Not just wagging its tail a bit, but has good color too


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## cobe killer (Apr 13, 2008)

i have seen researchers taking many species of fish,including billfish, out of the water, lay them on their side on the deck(or on the belly for some types like sharks),stick a pump hose in their mouth,take tissue samples,blood samples,measurements of length and girth,then tag them and release them "unharmed". 
now how the hell is taking it out of the water for "less than a minute to take a picture of it now going to cause it to die of stress?????really!!!

woops i'm sorry............did i say something..didn't mean to, just slipped out!


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## Jon (Feb 10, 2010)

Good one Chris!



Chris V said:


> Awwww shit
> 
> This topic is always a good one. It usually gets a good assortment of responses. I'm just staying quiet


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Jon said:


> Good one Chris!


It's actually been quite civil. The last time this topic was brought up it turned into a 7-8 page poohfest


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

Chris V said:


> It's actually been quite civil. The last time this topic was brought up it turned into a 7-8 page poohfest


Those pier rats will pull anything out of the water.


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## billin (Oct 14, 2007)

*billfish*

as a general rule on my boat i wont pull one unless it is for a woman or a child and it is there first billfish. I really dont feel the need to have a picture of one but understand if it is your first. all that being said its a fish guys. The Billfish Foundation has become nothing more than another PEW type anti-fishing group no organization would push to regulate something they enjoy themselves to this point. Ask yourselves if they are actually on our side WHY is the USA the number 1 consumer of Billfish (indgredeint in pet food). When you must use a circle hook just to fish dead or live bait where you might catch a billfish even if you are not targeting them. There is no actual proof they save billfish there as never been a real study just some junk science provided by Ron Hamlin and he is a fisherman not a scientiest . They make it as hard as possiable and as expensive as possiable to fish meanwhile importers are bringing dead ones in the back door by the metric ton. I say sink the steel in one and eat the thing if you want heck feed it to your cats and dogs thats what the rest of the nation is doing. Stop all this bull and just fish and have fun doing it. Put the fun back into the outdoors we hunt and fish for fun or atleast i do. I have no need for cheaters but I also despise these little pocket protector geeks that think they have the right to impose there beliefs and personal choices onto my life for no good reason. there will be more dead billfish imported into this country today than any 10 of us will even see in a life time alive or dead. Now think about that for a minute are they really in the business of saving billfish or in the business of removing peoples freedom of choice. Ok I am of the soap box and feel better have a nice day.


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