Fewer sailfish so far

Is Stuart still the “Sailfish Capital of the World?”  Yes, but the sailfish tournament season along the Treasure Coast is off to a slow start.  Three of the five major events already have taken place.  They are the Finest Kind Quickie, the Pirates Cove Classic and the Stuart Sailfish Club Light Tackle.  A total of 303 sailfish were caught and released in eight days on the water, compared with last year’s total of 642.  Chasin’ Tail, captained by Rob Valko, has caught 29 so far, and Showtime, captained by Wink Doerzbacher, has caught 28.  That’s not many compared to last year or the year before.  Coming up are the Pelican Yacht Club Invitational – scheduled for this Tuesday through Saturday -- and the Sailfish Point Yacht Club Invitational – scheduled for January 17th through January 20^{th.   Weighing up to 100 pounds, sailfish jump high and swim fast.  Why have the results been disappointing so far this season?  The skippers blame it on warm weather.  We have felt some cold snaps, but generally the temps have been higher than usual, sometimes reaching into the 80s.  Good news for beach-goers.  But not for the crews that go out for sailfish.  Cold fronts push the fish that sailfish feed on down to our area.  Less food means fewer sailfish.  For 88.9 FM, this is Paul Janensch.}