Blue Fish News – May 3, 2020

The Blue Fish Canada News for May 3, 2020 features how new tracking and reporting technologies are increasingly being used by anglers to become better at fishing, and at the same time, to contribute data to those responsible for conducting the science and formulating the regulations intended to ensure the sustainability of our fisheries. With fewer actual people being employed to monitor fishing activity directly, a trend that’s likely to continue, electronic monitoring may become the path forward as we continue to explore ways to ensure the future of fish and fishing.

Your Blue Fish News this week includes:

  • A collection of Blue Fish Radio interviews and a comprehensive report that pulls together the latest e-tools and how they are being used to ensure our fisheries and ecosystems are managed using science;
  • Links to the latest water quality, fish health and fishing news from across Canada; and,
  • Links to a wide choice of Angler Apps curated to satisfy most anglers.

Editor Lawrence Gunther with his guide dog Moby aboard the world’s first Blind Fishing Boat capable of being operated by anglers without sight


Citizen Science and Angler Apps

Many anglers strive to keep better track of where and when they go fishing, the conditions at the time, and what worked or didn’t. They do this in order to turn experience into knowledge for their own benefit and, if possible, to contribute to research intended to improve the management of their fisheries through science-based decision making. Numerous angler apps are appearing in the market that claim to do it all, but just as with fishing, expectations and reality don’t always align.

Link to hear Dr. Venturelli discuss with Lawrence Gunther the strengths, weaknesses and future of angler apps on the podcast “Blue Fish Radio”.

Link to hear Sean Simmons discuss with Lawrence Gunther how his MyCatch app is being used by anglers to support fisheries research on the podcast “Blue Fish Radio”.

Link to hear renowned fish biologist Gord Pyzer discuss with Lawrence Gunther why managing fishery resources needs to move beyond anglers practicing pulse fishing on the podcast “Blue Fish Radio”.

Finally, link here to read a more detailed Blue Fish Canada report that captures the strengths and weaknesses of how angler apps are currently being developed, sold and applied by anglers and researchers alike, and why government regulators have been slow to get aboard:


Latest Blue Fish News on Water, Fish and Fishing

Boating:

Eight Ways to Stay Safe at Home and Still Focus on Boating
Eight U.S. links but still great tips and resources on things to do and learn while contemplating that moment when you will launch your boat for the first time in 2020.

Industry:

Shimano Offers Scholarships for High School and College Bass Anglers
Now in its fourth year, Shimano continues a key initiative to its ‘Varsity Program’ with a scholarship program with 10 scholarships for students pursuing careers in fisheries, conservation, and natural resources management. Deadline is June 15 2020.

IGFA Offers Free Memberships During COVID-19 Pandemic
The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) recently announced that it will be offering digital memberships at no cost for a limited time as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tourism:

Minnesota’s New Guidelines for Outdoor Recreation
The U.S. Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota’s Department of Health collaborated to create this comprehensive list of outdoor recreation guidelines for use by entities providing outdoor access amenities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fish Health:

Your spring cleaning could kill fish. Here’s why – Tri-City News
If you’re thinking of power washing that deck or refilling the pool, be careful. What you dump down your storm drain or wash off your driveway could be introducing toxins into rivers and lakes, killing aquatic life.

Striped Bass Face Pollution and Overfishing – Coastal Review Online
A concise update and history of Mid-Atlantic striper populations, while not specific to Canada, offers some excellent insights and lessons relevant to the Striped Bass population along our own Atlantic coast.

Pacific Ocean ‘blobs’ will escalate loss of fish stocks – CBC News
New research released in the journal Scientific Reports concludes that by 2050 marine heat waves may double the impact of climate change on species that are highly valued for fisheries.

Water Quality:

How coronavirus could make a bad wildfire season even worse – The Narwhal
Should Canada experience another hot dry year prompting large, hot and rapidly moving forest fires, our response may not be up to what we have come to expect. The impacts on watersheds could be significant.

Seafood:

With fresh seafood as elusive as toilet paper, community-supported fisheries could be the answer – The Telegram
Rather than passing seafood through the hands of brokers, distributors and wholesale suppliers, Community Supported Fisheries (CSF’s) represent the entire supply chain. They catch the fish, clean it, pack it and sell it directly to the consumer.

Art:

The Art of Turning Fish into Leather – Hakai Magazine
Back when fish skin leather was once common in fishing communities; now artisans and designers are breathing new life into the tradition.

Public Access:

B.C. coastal communities brace for tourists as province opens hunting and fishing seasons – The Narwhal
As B.C. reopens the outdoors by adding fishing and hunting to the list of essential services, B.C’s remote communities are fighting back against a tide of city-weary tourists who threaten to spread coronavirus as they travel for recreation.


Angler Apps

The following is a short list of apps developed for anglers — including right here in Canada. The list is in no particular order, and the apps have not been rated, but each offers a unique set of attributes that should appeal to most all anglers.

MyCatch / Angler Atlas
This Canadian app generates detailed logs of your fishing trips, and shares your citizen science data confidentially with biologists.

Scoutlook Fishing
Drawing on the Scoutlook Weather service, the app offers precise weather conditions for your GPS locations. As well, you can store your favourite fishing spots, log your catches, and scan map overlays such as radar, terrain, and basic water charts.

FishBrain
Post and share pictures of fish captures while following specific species of fish and pics posted by thousands of other anglers. Enjoy access to maps, and mark and share your locations with friends..

GoFree Hooked
Store pics of your fish captures in your personal fishing log, or create tournaments and keep track of weather, wind, GPS location, time of day, as you keep track of the captures of fellow competitors in real time.

Fish Cacher
A digital fishing log that tracks weather, wind speed and direction, water temp, GPS location, fish species, size, lure type, depth fished, and a trip planner.

Orvis Fly Fishing
The app includes step-by-step knot tying instructions and animations, plus how-to articles, videos, and fishing reports for most states and provinces. It also includes a complete repository of flies, including when, how, and where to use them.

Pro-Knot
Offers useful fishing knots as well as rope knots for boating, including step-by-step instructions, illustrations and how-to videos.

Useful Fishing Knots
A free app with illustrations and explanations for each fishing knot.

Navionics US & Canada
A powerful boating and fishing app featuring navigation charts, U.S. government charts, sonar charts, wind forecasts, markers, trip tracking, and has an option to add to and access community edits and chart updates.


About us

Lawrence Gunther is North America’s only blind professional angler, conservationist, writer, blogger, podcaster, film maker and TV personality. Gunther founded the charity Blue Fish Canada in 2012 and launched the podcast Blue Fish Radio in 2013.

Please take a moment to rate The Blue fish Radio Show on Apple Podcast so others might learn of this unique Canadian resource.

Blue Fish Canada is a federally incorporated registered Canadian charity. Please consider making a small monthly donation to off-set the costs of this Newsletter and our other Blue Fish Canada programs.

Should you have a podcast suggestion or resource you would like to share, please send us a message to: Admin@bluefishcanada.ca