CFMC Updates (October 2022)

CFMC UPDATES CFMC UPDATES

NATIONAL SEAFOOD MONTH!

NOAA Fisheries celebrates the National Seafood Month during October 2022. CMFC is joining NOAA for the celebration and encourages you to try delicious new recipes using fish and seafood.

Foto: Amanda Arnold

Foto: Carlos Colberg Foto: Marcos Hanke

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN SOME OF THESE RECIPES?

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COCINANDO CON ITA Y TA

This playlist includes delicious recipes for preparing lionfish, fresh tuna, triggerfish, red bream, and striped red mullet, among others. Ita and Ta express their thanks to the fisherfolk who helped them prepare these amazing dishes! Visit: https://www.youtube.com/playlist? list=PLGplJZPX6mO-daYjdrDd8s7L1vJgOJqJ1.

DEL MAR AL PLATO

Chef Wanda Pantojas and Chef Juan Carlos Vicéns present different recipes and preparation methods featuring little tunny, lionfish, and blue runner Visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=MSZSLhmdkOw&list=PLGplJZPX6mO 9hDRyJfOZfAQGECEqAUHhU

PESCA DEL DÍA

Chef and fisherman Cedric Taquin shares his passion for fishing, family, and cooking, and demonstrates how to prepare wahoo in citrus-flavored sauce. Visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=i0aCJxpX8vc&list=PLGplJZPX6mO9hDR yJfOZfAQGECEqAUHhU&index=2

A N G L E R O F T H E M O N T H

J O S É F U S S A

C R E A T O R O F T I J E R E T A

When we talk about Tijereta in Puerto Rico’s fishing scene, we think about an authority that has been sharing information about fishing in our region for a long time. In CFMC, we learned about Tijereta a long time ago through our social media. At this time, Tijereta uses and disseminates information supplied by CFMC. Today, social media access and management has increased, and many fisherfolk (individual, collective, and influencers) consistently collaborate and aid in diffusing CFMC information, and to them, we would like to extend our gratitude. In this instance, we will highlight Tijereta and its creator, recreational fisherman José Fussa.

Foto: Tijereta

Throughout the next several newsletters, we will be showing individuals, collectives, and influencers active in the world of fishing who, thanks to their goodwill and desire to share information, help our online community keep growing.

Tijereta came about between 2011 and 2012, first as a website and later, as a Facebook page. Its purpose was covering the need for information for the fishing community, especially in the recreational sector.

“I realized there was no main website in which information reached everyone. I wanted to be neutral. I wanted everyone to join there. I learned html, took online classes, I studied every day so I could build the website on my own, ” José Fussa told us about Tijereta’s inception.

When Tijereta started out, José was looking to promote fishing tournaments and reach families and children. José wished for parents to be able to teach their children how to fish and thus grow the fishing community. In José’s words, “the bigger the community grew, the stronger it would become”.

“This website (Tijereta) is made for everyone. I’ve always wanted to get the correct information out to people,” affirmed José, for whom fishing has been a beloved hobby since he was a child.

“I’ve loved fishing since I was young. I would go fishing with a friend of my mother’s. No one initially taught me to fish; I would buy magazines, newspapers, things I could see. When I visited the United States, I’d bring VHS tapes showing fishing techniques. I started fishing in lakes like Carraízo, La Plata, as an example. I would primarily fish for bluegill and largemouth bass,” José told us about his origins as a fisherman.

As a teen, José finally got to fish in the sea. He went fishing with his friends, mostly.

“The big change from freshwater to sea started later, when I was 16, 17, 18 years old, approximately. I bought myself a big fishing rod. I started catching snappers, mutton snappers, tarpon. After that, I couldn’t stop,” José told us.

Foto: @hannesribbner, Tijereta

When José started fishing, he would do it inshore, in the Cangrejos are in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Later he would move on to offshore fishing. He would go out to fish with friends who ran charters. Mahimahi, tuna, marlins, and wahoos became his favorite catches. He considers Till Brauer Mongil, Luis Manuel Langrandier, and Omar Orraca (RIP) as his inshore fishing mentors, whereas Luis Cáceres is his mentor for offshore fishing, jigging, and snapper, marlin and queen snapper.

As a child and a teenager, José told us he would not take everything he caught. As an adult, he enjoys catch and release. When he captures a species, he always keeps in mind the sizes, laws, and regulations, and whether or not the species is under seasonal closure.

“If I looked into my bucket and saw five or six fish in it, I’d leave; that was enough for me. I’ve always had that awareness, to not take everything,” José explained to us about his lake fishing.

Foto: Tijereta

José has participated in several Mahi-mahi tourneys as well as the Tarpon Tournament in Cangrejos. Tarpon catch and release is one of the types of fishing he enjoys the most.

“Catching a tarpon and letting it go makes me happy. To me, the trophy is letting the fish go. Tarpon is the fish that will let you know if you ’ ve really learned fishing or not,” José assures us. He also likes cooking and preparing his catch.

“I love cooking. We also make sashimi on the spot sometimes. I like cooking fish and even more so if I caught it,” he expressed.

His main profession is Information Technology specialist. He is currently living in Texas and continues enjoying his favorite outdoor activities: cycling and fishing. In Texas, he learned fly fishing and has participated in tournaments related to it.

Even though currently located in Texas, he still manages Tijereta on Facebook and Instagram. During the pandemic, he also recorded some podcasts which can be found at https://anchor.fm/tijereta. José wishes to continue managing Tijereta’s online profiles and restates his promise to continue disseminating relevant information to the fishing community.

Foto: @hannesribbner, Tijereta

José understands that there is a lot of room in which to continue promoting tourneys and providing opportunities to children and people with functional diversity in these tourneys. To him, tourneys provide an opportunity to teach through practice.

The following snapper species are under closure from October 1st through December 31st in the federal waters (Exclusive Economic Zone) in the Caribbean US (Puerto Rico and USVI). Similarly, they are under closure in USVI territorial waters (0-3 nautical miles). In Puerto Rico’s territorial waters, however, only the silk and blackfin snappers are under closure.

During closure season, these species cannot be captured, transported, sold, or bought. Remember that there are always other alternative fish species that can be consumed year-round. Lionfish is one of them! Thank you for contributing to the fishery resource ’ s sustainability.

Remember that there are always other alternati fish species that can be consumed year-round. Blue runner (Caranx crysos) is one of them! Than you for contributing to the fishery resource ’ s sustainability.

Silk snapper Lutjanus vivanus*

Blackfin snapper Lutjanus bucanella*

Black snapper Apsilus dentatus

Vermillion snapper Lutjanus guttatus

Illustrations: PR Sea Grant