Man Finds -- and Kills -- 100-Year-Old Fish

[stephenpence]

If the population is thriving ... maybe they should relocate a few to areas that are almost extinct?

Here around Toronto (Zone 17)
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR_E001336.pdf

There is absolutely no open season for these prehistoric monsters

So by all means...if it's thriving...ship em up this way

I myself won't partake in "Spearing" a fish in my lifetime even if it was legal for xx amount of time...unless I was lost in the wild and had absolutely no other source of food...

Send some of those beauties up here and give us a chance to hook a prehistoric monsters and release him ALIVE and HEALTHY...without a freakin' hole in its side

The thing that irks me the most about this is the fact that there are limits...minimum and maximum length

Suppose you spear a fish that from shore and about a distance of 15 feet away seemed like it was within' a reasonable range to "Spear"...then you end up dragging it out of the water...beaching the fish to measure it and OH NO!!!! IT'S TOO BIG TO KEEP!!! I GUESS I HAVE TO THROW IT BACK

What chance does that fish with a hole the size of a golf ball straight through one side and out the other...actually have to survive after being released

Really? first off, no max size in Wisconsin. that was Columbia i believe. Nobody ever said anything about "catch and release" for spear fishing. that would be ridiculous. and lets face it. if you can spear a fish from 15 feet on shore, you should be able to keep and mount it whatever it is!!. seriously if i speared a 6 inch brookie from 15' that baby would be on my wall.
that's not what's going on though. they are ICE FISHING. so the hole is cut, the fish swims past and they try and spear it. the only real way to make sure you're not spearing the illegal (under 36") fish is to only spear the ones that are obviously bigger. i would say that the fish in question falls into that category.
Fact of the matter is that they truly are thriving, alive and well in that area. and the fishing seasons are a vital aspect of that. the Game and Fish do a magnificent job of determining the ideal population for a lake and set the limits accordingly. Too many of any one species can be a much larger detriment than can a blind teenager that accidentally spears a 24" fish.
While yes, i agree it's sad to see this fish pass, it's sad to see ANY fish pass. I've yet to kill a fish in sport, or see a pet die, that i did not morn if only for a moment. (well, maybe not the salmon i hooked into in AK, they were going to die in a day or two anyways haha) but seriously, this is the sport. i say what better way for this monster to go out than to be immortalized forever. Congrats to this fisherman!

 

[deeleywoman]

this is why i can't bring myself to kill anything i catch =(

 

[fish-n-chips]

The sturgeon population here( I live less than 10 miles away) is thriving because of 2 main reasons. 1) tighter regulations have been enacted to help protect the species: setting lower harvest limits, lowering the min. length limit, and shortening the number of days and hours per day and 2) Sturgeon for tomorrow was founded to help educate, guard spawning grounds 24/7 during their spawning and by fundraising( vendors at spawning sites for one). If anyone wonders, most of SFT members are... spearers. I don't see animal cruelty people or anyone else that thinks it is inhumane to spear a fish volunteering to sit overnight for no money to protect this awesome fish. So whoever thinks it is wrong can come on up here and try to accomplish what these "cruel and heartless" spearers are doing to preserve this magnificent species. Also, anyone who wants more sturgeon in your area can send people over to learn what WE are doing right, insteadof expecting us in N.E WI to give away the fruits of our labor to people who can't or won't take the steps that have been taken by the DNR and SFT. Also, I see alot of posts are coming from areas where the water in river/lakes is suitable for raising only native glo-fish. So, do what has been done in my area and keep the water clean and clean up what is not. The lower fox river( below lake winnebago) is a superfund area that had MAJOR pollutants from paper mills but those same mills have had to pour out hundreds of millions of dollars to clean it up. Do, I sense envy from people who do not have the natural resources and aquatic life that is possessed in WI? The sportmen of this country love the fish and game that they pursue as much as anyone. I keep only a fraction of fish I catch and enjoy shooting wildlife more through a camera lens than a gun sight. And NO I don't spear so I'm not just trying to justify this sport. Spear a sturgeon from shore????:rofl::rofl::rofl:roflmao! Next spring I'll post some pics from the stugeon spawn .