Author Topic: Article on Mass Commercial SB fishing  (Read 7321 times)

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Offline Out Fishing

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Article on Mass Commercial SB fishing
« on: January 18, 2010, 03:14:17 PM »
BOSTON —

The feisty and enormously popular striped bass would be off limits to all commercial fishermen in Massachusetts under a proposal being considered by state lawmakers.

The bill would ban the commercial catch of striped bass in state waters and limit recreational fishermen to taking home one striped bass per day - down from two - while imposing new size restrictions.

The proposal to make stripers a "game fish'' comes at a time when regulators say the once-rare sport fish is abundant, not overfished and reproducing at a healthy clip. But the bill's backers say the science is off and fear regulators are setting up a population crash by allowing commercial fishermen to pluck out the most productive stripers: large females.

"They managed to crash the fish once before, why do we want to let them do it again?'' said Craig Caldwell, a recreational fisherman and member of Stripers Forever, a group that supports the bill and "advocates eliminating all commercial fishing for wild striped bass,'' according to a mission statement.

Darren Saletta, a commercial fishermen from Chatham, said the bill is being driven by Stripers Forever's "greedy intention of retaining the entire catch for their recreational side.''

If saving fish is the goal, Saletta said, it makes no sense to go after commercial fishermen when recreational fishermen catch more than 80 percent of the stripers landed in Massachusetts. Still, he added, there are plenty of striped bass.

"(Striped bass) is a poster child for fisheries,'' he said. "It's healthy. It's flourishing. ... It's creating jobs. It's putting food on the table.''

Stripers are popular among sport fishermen because they can be tough to catch and are fiery fighters when hooked. Fishermen are protective of the stripers because they saw the stock collapse to about 5 million fish in 1982, before rebounding to an estimated 56 million in 2007, according to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which manages stripers on the Atlantic coast.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Matthew Patrick, D-Falmouth, said a healthy striper stock is worth about $1 billion to the state's tourism business, and keeping it robust is essential.

"The worst thing that could happen is for this fishery to collapse again,'' he said.

The bill's advocates see troubling signs, including a wasting disease that's hit the species, anecdotal evidence of fewer fish and federal numbers that showed a steep 71 percent drop in stripers landed in Massachusetts - from about 9 million in 2006 to about 2.6 million last year.

The Massachusetts bill has yet to move before the House.
Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way....Alan Watts

Stinky Finger

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Re: Article on Mass Commercial SB fishing
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2010, 08:49:34 PM »
What's your take on the subject ?

Offline Out Fishing

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Re: Article on Mass Commercial SB fishing
« Reply #2 on: January 19, 2010, 07:12:12 PM »
Fix the bait and you fix the problem, I don't see a problem with striped Bass 
Surfcasting Full Throttle

Offline Out Fishing

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Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way....Alan Watts

Offline Out Fishing

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Re: Article on Mass Commercial SB fishing
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2010, 05:48:08 PM »
What's my take? My take is that the fishery is in trouble because they haven't got a friggin clue what the frig they're doing. Why do I think it's in trouble?

Let's start here:  http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/12840743/porks_dirty_secret_the_nations_top_hog_producer_is_also_one_of_americas_worst_polluters

These guys are polluting the spawning grounds of striped bass.. HUGE fish kills....bacteria tainted water which in my opinion is causing ALL of this mycobacteriosis problem.

Now couple that with the fact that the subsistence bait fish that these fish need for survival are being vacuumed up by the likes of Omega protein and no-one is stopping them.  Then add all the boats trawling in CC bay that are sucking up the herring...now all they got left to eat is smaller stuff-sandeels, anchovies, etc which don't give these fish the protein and fats they need to bulk up in order to swim thousands of miles...so now you get these racer bass you've been seeing for the last few years...no body to them...nothing to eat.

I agree with Bob, fix the bait and you fix the problem,  but will add that there are a crapload more things that need to be fixed too....the limits need to be changed throughout the entire fishery.... no more of this pickup trucks on the beach bullshit dragging a net up with thousands of dead small bass. 1 @ 36....or even no take....There's enough farms selling sb.....the commercial livelihood argument is bullshit too...I'd believe it if it was $5 a lb. It's not and never will be again...

It's man micromanaging something that he has no clue about Eben..

What's your take on the subject ?
Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way....Alan Watts

njfish

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Re: Article on Mass Commercial SB fishing
« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2010, 02:04:19 PM »
I totally agree with what you say Salty.  The bait issue has been major and it's getting worse everywhere, even in the fresh waters.  This year on the lake where I live I could not even buy an alewive, the commercial harvesters have been reaping the waters for years now we are going to pay.  Atleast they are finally doing something.
Look at the fall run in NJ-what fall run is the question.  The bass kind of trickled through.  There were no bunker to be found near shore, only sand eels.  THe bunker were out there but way off shore so most of th big bass follow them and you end up with the schoolies chasing the eels.  It's been a few years since there has been large pods of bait on the shore in the fall.

Omega is slaughtering them...they feed on our offshore schools of menhaden and end up trapped in miles of purse seines and end up being crushed and suffocated under millions of pounds of menhaden in OMEGA PROTEINS nets, then released dead to sink to the bottom after OMEGA has suctioned out all the menhaden from their nets... PISSED OFF? SO ARE WE...CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSMAN/SENATOR...put pressure on Virginias Legislature to shut down OMEGA PROTEIN and cease this raping...

This is a copy of a post form a site I belong to :
 I Witnessed a Rape
 For about the past two weeks, there has been a very large area of menhaden, stripers, and blues out off Virginia Beach. We figured that since we were out anyways, we might as well see if we can C&R some blues and stripers on light tackle- with blues being our primary target.
When they first showed up, they were 25 or so miles out. The large schools have been inching their way closer and closer to legal fishing grounds since their arrival from the north and I would have expected to see stripers and blues in legal waters this weekend, IF I hadnt seen what I saw today.
This photo does not do it justice. 7-9 miles straight out of Rudee there was the entire omega fleet RAPING the ocean. The entire horizon was loaded with net boats. I counted somewhere between 13 and 17 of the big boats and a whole bunch more of the tenders. Spread over about two miles, nothing was safe. Thousands of birds feeding and so much death in the water that four miles downcurrent, there was still a scumline of menhaden slime on the water.
I will bet that our school of stripers and blues, which days ago were so thick you couldnt keep a bait in the water, will be gone- and I think you can probably imagine where they went.
Why is this legal?
Thanks again Omega. You suck

njfish

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Re: Article on Mass Commercial SB fishing
« Reply #6 on: February 04, 2010, 02:24:55 PM »
It's all up and down the east coast.  Problem is Omega has to many lobbyists

Omega's lobbyist donate millions to the legislature - Senators and Congressman. This has been going on for years on end.

The Virginia legislative session began January 13th 2010. Watermen and fishermen raise hell year after year. Over the last three years they were appeased with a cap on tonnage. (Tonnage has been extended another 3 years-see next post)
But thats about it. Reedsville screams about the 200 plus workers who will be without jobs but really its the humps in office who take the $$ under the derby in political tradeoffs from some other BS.
The RFA and CCF guys should be lauded and applauded. They wont stop just because it seems futile. Constant pressure and public scrutiny may change status quo. Its not like its going un-noticed any more.
HOUSE BILL 1344 WOULD HAVE PREVENTED DESTRUCTIVE FISH SPILL OFF CAPE LOOKOUTCoastal Conservation Association Urges State House Committee On Marine Resources And Aquaculture To Take Action On Legislation That Will Prevent Future Disasters

RALEIGH, NC - Last week, a Virginia-based menhaden fishing vessel spilled fish off the coast of Cape Lookout. The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries also received complaints about bycatches of red drum and commercial operations by several menhaden boats near recreational areas on our coast. The spill and associated complaints involved a boat owned by Omega Protein of Reedville, Va.

According to published reports, the Division of Marine Fisheries ("DMF") received a report last Monday from Omega Protein that the captain of the Fishing Vessel (F/V) Tangier Island had split a net and spilled approximately 150,000 dead fish about two miles off Cape Lookout.

A few hours later, DMF received a call that the F/V Lancaster was setting its nets among a group of sports fishermen. Reports and photographs indicated the menhaden boat was fishing very close to the shore. According to reports, DMF also received complaints of a menhaden vessel fishing close to shore in a heavily used recreational area just off Emerald Isle.

Last Wednesday, the DMF received yet another report of dead menhaden and about 50 large red drum floating offshore in the area of the spill. The dead red drum, North Carolina's Official Saltwater Fish, was the result of bycatch in menhaden nets.

These disasters could have easily been prevented had the North Carolina General Assembly acted on legislation aimed at banning this destructive industrial practice. On April 8, 2009, Representatives Ty Harrell and Darren Jackson introduced House Bill 1344 ("Prohibit Taking of Menhaden for Purposes of Reduction"). The simple purpose of the legislation is to enact a ban on menhaden reduction fishing in state waters because there are no longer any menhaden reduction facilities in North Carolina. The legislation would also minimize the chances of "fish spills" such as those last week that pose a threat to our coast.

Unfortunately, House Bill 1344 has languished in committee for over two months without a hearing. Based on last week's completely avoidable events, the Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina is urging the House Committee on Marine Resources and Aquaculture to immediately take up this important bill. According to CCA-NC Executive Director Stephen Ammons, "We cannot afford to sit by another minute while the destructive practice of menhaden reduction fishing continues in North Carolina's waters."

The menhaden reduction fishery is an industrial commercial fishing activity that harvests hundred million of pounds of menhaden each year to be used in oils and animal feed. While these fish are not consumed by humans, menhaden represent the most significant forage fish for species such as striped bass, king mackerel, flounders, weakfish and tunas. Omega Protein is the only reduction plant on the east coast. Reduction fishing is very efficient at decimating menhaden schools while occasionally causing major fish kills that wash up on the beach.

Omega Protein boats can come to North Carolina waters, harvest our fish and possibly cause local stock depletion. Yet, North Carolina receives no benefit as these boats return to Virginia to process the catch. Some North Carolina counties have enacted local restrictions on this reduction fishery, but we have no statewide ban on this practice.

njfish

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Re: Article on Mass Commercial SB fishing
« Reply #7 on: February 04, 2010, 02:26:52 PM »
Atlantic Menhaden Board Approves Addendum to Extend
Menhaden Reduction Fishery Cap for 3 Years

Newport, Rhode Island – The Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board approved
Addendum IV to Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden.
Addendum IV extends the Chesapeake Bay reduction fishery harvest cap, established through
Addendum III, for an additional three years (2011 – 2013). Under the Addendum, the Board will
annually review measures to determine if they are appropriate given the most recent information
available about the stock and fishery. At any future meeting, the Board can initiate development of
additional or alternative management measures.
The Board’s action was requested by the Commonwealth of Virginia in order to accommodate its
legislative process as well as ensure that the current management program is extended while menhaden
research efforts continue. Virginia’s legislature, which convenes in January each year, is responsible for
regulating the menhaden reduction fishery in state waters. With Addendum IV in place this year,
Virginia state administrators can work with the legislature in early 2010 to amend Virginia law to extend
the harvest cap without the current cap expiring.
Addendum III established the current annual cap of 109,020 metric tons on reduction fishery harvests in
Chesapeake Bay as a precautionary measure while research was conducted to address the question of
menhaden abundance in the Bay. The cap was first instituted in 2006 to extend through 2010. With
adoption of Addendum IV that cap will be extended through 2013 with the following provisions.
Harvest for reduction purposes is prohibited in Chesapeake Bay when 100% of the cap is landed. Overharvest
in any given year will be deducted from the next year’s quota. Under-harvest in one year will be
credited only to the following year’s cap, not to exceed 122,740 metric tons. Since 2006, reduction
landings of menhaden from Chesapeake Bay have not exceeded the cap of 109,020 metric tons.
A copy of Addendum IV will be available via the Commission’s website at www.asmfc.org under
Breaking News by November 13, 2009. For more information, please contact Braddock Spear, Senior
FMP Coordinator for Policy, at (202) 289-6400 or bspear@asmfc.org.


njfish

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Re: Article on Mass Commercial SB fishing
« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2010, 02:35:48 PM »
I suggest that folks read this review and also get the book:
Franklin's book about menhaden right on track
A book review by F.J. Eicke
Menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus on the Atlantic coast and Brevoortia patronus in the Gulf of Mexico) is a non-descript, non-edible little fish that swarms in our coastal waters. Bruce Franklin presents a fascinating history of this fishery from early settlement of our shores to the present stage of controversy over the impact of the menhaden industry. Menhaden are important in history as a source of fertilizer (these were the fish planted with crops by Native Americans) and as a food source for various animal stocks. Franklin traces the demise of the menhaden fishery from New England south due to over-exploitation using historical perspective and anecdotal accounts that make for an interesting read. The controversy continues today with the use of menhaden meal and oils in endeavors such as our poultry farms with some fears of expansion with the advent of aquaculture development onshore and off.
History, unfortunately, also reflects the wanton disregard for the health of this fishery with current fishing now confined to state waters of Virginia and North Carolina, sections of the Gulf of Mexico and federal waters beyond state jurisdiction. Since menhaden are primarily a near-shore fishery, the issues focus on state waters. Menhaden is processed in reduction plants, now numbering only four on the Gulf Coast. Three are in Louisiana and one in Moss Point. Omega Protein dominates the fishery and reduction industry. Menhaden taken as bait is of minor import in the total fishery. Some would argue that the menhaden stock is stable but this little fish has a story that transcends a stock assessment.
Menhaden contribute in two important ways to the health and vitality of other fisheries and the environment. They are "filter feeders" on phytoplankton that prevent or limit devastating algal blossoms. Menhaden share this task with oysters and other mollusks and their filter feeding cousins such as herring. They are also the primary forage for predators such as tuna, tarpon, spotted seatrout and red drum that anglers value as game and food fish.
Franklin has produced a thoughtful account of an emerging issue that was brought to the forefront by issues addressed in the Chesapeake Bay area. The decline and health of the striped bass in that area was attributed to the decline of their principal food source, menhaden. Legal and political issues still are unresolved in that area and some concerned conservation groups are now looking at similar issues in the Gulf of Mexico. This oily, smelly, essential little fish may yet takes its place as The Most Important Fish in the Sea.
F. J. Eicke is a lifelong recreational saltwater angler now residing in Ocean Springs, and currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Coastal Conservation Association Mississippi. He can be reached at capteicke@aol.com.


Offline Out Fishing

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Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way....Alan Watts

Offline Out Fishing

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Re: Article on Mass Commercial SB fishing
« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2010, 11:16:20 AM »
I don't believe this graph.
Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way....Alan Watts

Offline Out Fishing

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Re: Article on Mass Commercial SB fishing
« Reply #11 on: February 07, 2010, 05:41:13 PM »
you ever see a bunka boat wipe out a pod? they suck

Offline Out Fishing

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Re: Article on Mass Commercial SB fishing
« Reply #12 on: February 07, 2010, 06:18:02 PM »
hay im one of those  catch & release guys...i take pics of the bass i catch and hang them on my wall......rarely do i use bunka chunks..i admit i do use clams........but i mostly toss metals oh!! and lets not forget saltys plugs.......i also use  saltys clones............and this year is the year of the gigantic wobbler known back in the day as the jitter bug........and another favorite is the blabbermouth popper.....i will be fishing those two this season very hard........ciao  8)
Born to fish forced to work
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