No, I am not talking about getting seasick, but about being “green” as in protecting our valuable resource—the ocean.  The ocean is a special place that can be very fragile.  We have seen the problems we cause with over-fishing and pollution (noise and otherwise).  Instead of being a part of the problem, be a part of the solution.  Here are a few things you can do to help out.  The change does not have to be dramatic.  I am not suggesting that everyone junk their outboards and go back to sail power.  I am also not saying you should never eat a fish you catch.  Instead, I am suggesting that you use common sense and technology to make you a better steward of the ocean.

In my opinion, the biggest difference you can make if you own a boat is switching from a two-cycle engine to a four-cycle or four-stroke engine.  Two-cycle engines have many drawbacks compared to that of four-cycle engines.  When a two-cycle engine runs, it is burning lots of oil all the time.  That’s the blue smoke you see as the oil to lubricate the engine is mixed with the gasoline.  This oil is then burned and turned into CO2 and carbon, what is not burned is exhausted into the water.  We all know how harmful oil is in the water.  This oil smoke can also contribute to some people getting seasick.

The two-cycle engine is also usually louder than a four-stroke engine causing noise pollution which disturbs birds and fish in shallow water, not to mention making you have to yell at your passengers.  If that’s not enough to make you take notice, two-stroke engines also usually burn much more fuel.  This not only causes more CO2 and carbon emissions, but also hurts you in the pocketbook.  On top of that, you must purchase oil frequently to mix with the gas (most two-cycle engines mix the oil for you internally from the oil reservoir).  As you can see, the two-cycle engine has quite a few drawbacks.

Four-stroke engines work like a car motor and burn very little oil and the oil is not mixed with the gas.  They are super quiet.  (I have a hard time telling if mine is running.)  They exhaust almost no oil into the water and they burn much less fuel than two-strokes.

There are some new two-stroke engines coming on the market now that address most of these issues, but they are not quite proven yet.

The biggest differences between the two types of engines—two-and-four cycle—is weight.  Two-cycle engines usually weigh less than a four-stroke, thus giving you a bit more power.  I have a 140-horse-power, four-stroke Suzuki on my twenty-four-foot Carolina skiff and I have all the power I need.  I think when I burn fifty dollars of gas as opposed to two-hundred dollars worth, I’ll give up a couple of miles an hour on the top end.

You cannot buy a two-cycle engine on the West Coast anymore.  If you already have a boat with one you are allowed to use it, but no new two-cycle engines are allowed on the West Coast.  The laws they’ve passed have made a big difference in their fishery.  The same law has been mulled over here but has yet to be passed.

A second way to help protect our ocean is to encourage more catch-and-release fishing.  There is a certain macho feeling you get when you see that redfish swim off  knowing that you have fooled the fish into biting, but let him live to fight another day.  It is also a good feeling knowing that the same fish will be able to spawn a whole new school for your kids and grandkids to catch.

You can eat fish and be a catch-and-release fisherman at the same time.  I love to eat fish and will catch the occasional fish to eat, but there is no need in loading up your freezer only to throw them away the following year.  Eat what you catch and keep.  After catching what you want to eat that evening, please consider doing some catch and release.  Catch and release only works if you release fish in a condition that will allow them to survive.

There are a few things you can do to help make this happen.  The first is to use the appropriate size tackle for the fish.  The more a fish fights, the more it builds up lactic acid in its body which can kill a fish.  Also, in the summer months when the oxygen level drops in the water, fish have a hard time recovering from the fight.  A good rule of thumb is to use the same pound test line as the weight of the fish.  So, if you are out king mackerel fishing catching twenty-pound kings use a twenty-pound or better class outfit. This will ensure a quick fight and a healthy release.

One of the best inventions in the past few years to ensure a healthy release has been the circle hook.  It looks like there is no way to hook a fish with such a strange looking hook.  Circle hooks, however, hook fish better, more often, and with less effort.  The biggest difference to fishing circles is not setting the hook.  Simply reel when the fish takes the bait.  I have gone from a seventy-three percent hookup ratio using traditional j hooks to a ninety-two percent hookup ratio when using circle hooks.  Circle hooks almost never hook a fish in the stomach or gills.  Most of the time, the hook is in the fish’s jaw.  I have found no downside to using circle hooks, except it is sometimes a little harder to get the bait on the hook.

The most obvious way to help keep the ocean clean is to not throw trash in it.  No, it doesn’t contribute to the reef and yes, cigarette butts are trash, too.  I have found everything from cracker wrappers to whole cars in the sound.  Please, let’s put trash where it belongs.  If you left home with it bring it back.

As you can see there are some very minor things we can do to help protect our resources for our kids and grandkids.  I don’t feel deprived at all by these practices.  My boat goes fast enough, I have plenty of fish to eat, and I hook more fish because of it.

CAPT.CHRIS MEDLIN is a charter captain and a third generation tackle shop owner.  He is always available for question at www.eastcoastsports.com or ecsports@earthlink.net.  For his weekly fishing/weather report, drop him a line and ask to be signed up.