Originally Posted By: DrifterWA
07/05/2021

Originally Posted By: stonefish
Originally Posted By: DrifterWA
07/04/021

Originally Posted By: Carcassman
Need to stop killing the salmon's food supply, too.


+1 people tend to view just salmon......herring, candle fish, etc. are being over fished also


I understand herring, sardines, anchovies etc are being fished.

I can’t say I’ve ever seen candlefish (pacific sandlance) for sale as bait here locally or being commercially fished for in Washington.
If there is a fishery for them, where are they currently being fished for and what are they being used for?
Thanks
SF



SF......Did find the following:

"Salmon are voracious feeders and are constantly on the hunt for sand lance (candlefish) and herring. The sand lance, which are known locally as the “candlefish,” be-cause of their high oil content which pioneers took advantage of and literally used as candles, are an ecologically important forage fish throughout Puget Sound."

At some time in my salmon fishing history, I remember using candle fish as bait. I haven't trolled Puget Sound waters since the early 70's but I'm sure they were a "bait source", at one time.

BUT I could be wrong.....50 years was a short time ago!!!!! Have a good day....


You are not wrong about candlefish being used as a bait fish in Puget Sound. During the heyday of the boathouses renting small boats both herring and candlefish were used as bait. One personal memory was at Mukilteo and the Taylor Brothers Cafe (now Ivars) immediately next to the north side of the ferry dock. They had two large bait tanks outside; one for herring and the other for candlefish. As the local boathouses faded into memory so did the large demand for live bait.

I seem to recall seeing a report for the 2020 Puget Sound herring fishery that listed just over 200K pounds harvested. That is a pittance compared to what the other predators consume.


Edited by Larry B (07/05/21 08:58 AM)
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