Posted by msblucow on February 20, 2002 at 09:17:26:
In Reply to: Dearest Marta.... posted by Kevin on February 20, 2002 at 08:46:36:
It's nice to be back. What day was this again?
Anyway, back to the tacks.....
I obviously have not read the sources you've sited, but I would be happy to run them by the aquarist I talked with about this issue to get his opinion. I did notice that none of the sources you sited is less than 10 years old. Since science and research is a very dynamic thing, I would be very curious to know if there is anything more current, and if there is, what the reports would have to say. In the mean time, I can only repeat what we discussed; large alpha male sheepshead are at the peak, not the end, of their breeding cycle, and will continue to be so until they sicken, fall to predation, or die.
I have a question for you(a legitimate one, really, I'm not being snide); do you consider hunting male sheepshead good sport? Or are you doing it simply for food? I ask because of all the big fish out here, I've found that the alpha male sheepshead is the easiest for me to approach and take a photo of (well, maybe the second easiest, black sea bass being the first). It just doesn't seem all that hard to shoot (one way or the other) to me. I'd like to get your opinion on that.
Also, I don't know where you hunt, but you ought to contact the Long Beach Aquarium and let them know - they've been trying since last year to capture a large male sheepshead for the Blue Caverns exhibit. So far they haven't had any luck finding one.