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Another striper moratorium is surely in the future. Charter/commercial boats out of OI have reeked havoc on winter stripers over the past 3-4 weeks. I predict the Potomac spring run to be absolutely dismal .
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The spring run in the Potomac has been less than stellar over the last couple of years.....
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Pacemaker wrote:
The spring run in the Potomac has been less than stellar over the last couple of years.....
Yeah..........No Question....I don't see it getting any better.
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The by-catch issue is just as bad......NC authorities are just looking the other way.
Also, VA played a big part the last 3-4 years as the big cows hung around VA Beach and not in NC.....except EEZ.
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Mike Bailey (aka Animal) just posted this on the TPFR board.
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Odom, Kelly to mike
show details 2:07 PM (29 minutes ago)
Dear Mr. Bailey,
I am writing in response to your e-mail regarding your concerns about
North Carolina’s striped bass fishery.
On Jan. 21, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries implemented
regulatory changes to address discards of striped bass in the
commercial trawl fishery. The division replaced the previous 50-fish-
per-day commercial trip limit with a 2,000-pound-per-day trip limit.
To avoid regulatory discards, the new regulations allow commercial
trawl fishermen to transfer trip limits to other fishing vessels that
hold a striped bass ocean fishing permit for the commercial trawl
fishery. This way, all the fish will be landed and count against the
commercial quota.
Thank you for your interest in North Carolina’s marine fisheries.
Sincerely,
Patricia Smith
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It's a small step and like Mike said, it may e a little sugar coating but the authorities now know folks are watching!
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It's still wide-open carnage down there. 2000 pounds is 100 fish averaging 20 lbs each. No one would believe a 40 pound average for 50 fish.
So essentially, NC has doubled the number of stripers a trawler can take..........and call his buddies to come out and load their boat too, if he "accidentally" catches over 2000 pounds.
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Curly wrote:
It's still wide-open carnage down there.
Agreed....Mike took the time to write...I hope others did too!
Today, the Baltimore paper ran a story about illegal nets in the bay....right where I fish in the summer!
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bs-s … 2078.story
Lots of bad guys out there as well as lots of bad laws.
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It ain't just NC or MD.
The pressure is on!
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/ … /post.html
This is one of the reasons I am involved with CCA. They don't have all the answers but they have a wide network and keeps the pressure on!
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Trawlers dump thousands more.........even after the "new rules".
http://www.examiner.com/fish-and-wildli … uter-banks
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I just sent the following email to over a dozen NCDFM officials. You can also access all the relevant email addresses at:
http://www.ncfisheries.net/content/cont1/contactdmf.htm
Here is my email:
Dear Official:
First of all, I am a recreational striped bass fisherman. Over the past several weeks, the striped bass population off the NC coast has been raped and pillaged by commercial interests (trawlers) to include dumping thousands of dead mature stripers back into the ocean on more than one occasion. The situation has been completely out of control and NCDMF appears unable to protect this fishery, even after recent changes in the regulations. I strongly recommend closing the fishery immediately for striped bass in North Carolina waters. The striped bass population is under siege as well in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, with many thousands of mature striped bass being poached with illegal submerged gill nets (some over 1 mile long) found by authorities recently.
The Atlantic striped bass fishery cannot tolerate this carnage of mature spawning stock. Unless this fishery is protected better, the striped bass population will crash soon, resulting in another Moratorium.
Sincerely,
John Casale (recreational striped bass fisherman)
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Awesome.....I've sent two notes.
A barrage of emails would be excellent!
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Pacemaker wrote:
Awesome.....I've sent two notes.
A barrage of emails would be excellent!
Slacker! I sent that email to everyone on that list, one at a time!
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No worries....there are lots of folks writing in!
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This will get your blood boiling...........
From Lee Tolliver who covers sports for The Virginian-Pilot
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05 February 2011 | 7:29 PM
Where are the striper? Maybe dead on the bottom or washed up on the beach
Talked to several charter captains today and they all had the same thing to say.
Since the massive striped bass kill near Oregon Inlet, anglers were having trouble finding cooperative fish. There might not be any.
Aerial pictures from more commercial trawler spills Thursday and Friday show hundreds, if not thousands, of fish floating along the coast of the Outer Banks. Those fish either sunk to the bottom or washed up on the beach. A few were scooped up by anglers not wanting to see the fish wasted.
North Carolina officials only counted 251 fish.
A story in this morning's Virginian-Pilot quoted North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries spokesperson Patricia Smith stating "if someone actually has photos of thousands of fish, we'd be happy to see them."
A lot of us buy North Carolina fishing licenses. Maybe they could use some of the money to buy into the internet so NC officials can see the pictures Smith says she hasn't seen.
Because it's hard to believe that with all of the publicity this latest travesty has gotten that somebody at NCDMF hasn't seen these pictures.
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I've heard of "turning a blind eye", now I know what it means. Those NC officials probably get donations from Omega. No stripers = more menhaden.
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NC offshore striper season temp closure.............got this email this afternoon.....
Dear Mr. Casale,
I am writing in response to your e-mail regarding your concerns about North Carolina’s striped bass fishery.
The ocean striped bass commercial trawl fishery is currently closed in North Carolina and will not reopen until after the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission meets this week. The commission is slated to review the striped bass incidents that occurred, the state’s response to them and what direction to take in management of this fishery.
The commission meets Feb. 10-11 at the Clam Digger Inn, 511 Salter Path Road, Pine Knoll Shores. The meeting is open to the public, and I encourage you to attend. Public comment periods are set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10 and 8:15 a.m. Friday, Feb. 11.
The commission will be informed of the numerous e-mails and phone calls the Division of Marine Fisheries has received regarding this issue.
I also anticipate putting out a news release following the meeting, most likely early next week. You may look for it on the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries website at http://www.ncfisheries.net/ under the News & Information link.
Sincerely,
Patricia Smith
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Yep, we are all getting that email. Now, the key will be how many show up for the meeting.
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Pacemaker wrote:
Yep, we are all getting that email. Now, the key will be how many show up for the meeting.
Road trip Friday?
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Can't do... already taking time off the next week.
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The pressure is on....
CCA North Carolina Seeks End to Trawling
Striped bass kills highlight need to end destructive fishing practices
PINE KNOLLS SHORES, NC - In response to a rash of massive striped bass kills along the coast, CCA North Carolina will request the NC Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) to eliminate trawling of any kind as a permissible fishing gear for striped bass. The incidents, photographed and videotaped by recreational anglers in the area, were the result of commercial trawling operations in state waters and have prompted outrage up and down the East Coast. CCA North Carolina will request decisive action at the MFC meeting in Pine Knolls, Feb. 10-11. “The MFC has an obligation to responsibly manage these resources,” said Jay Dail, Chairman of the CCA NC. “Allowing a fishery to dump thousands of dead stripers over the side as a regular course of doing business is not responsible management. At the very least, the Commission should immediately outlaw the use of indiscriminate, highly destructive trawls in state waters in favor of more selective gear.” In response to the first of the striped bass kills on Jan. 21, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries implemented regulatory changes to address discards of striped bass in the commercial trawl fishery. The Division replaced the previous 50-fish-per-day commercial trip limit with a 2,000-pound-per-day trip limit. The action was intended to allow the commercial industry to keep fishing while avoiding regulatory discards. The plan failed as another fish kill event, complete with trails of dead, floating bass, were again witnessed and recorded. CCA North Carolina will request the MFC to establish a commercial hook-and-line only fishery for striped bass, a far more selective gear that will prevent the tragic waste of striped bass common to trawls. Sadly, the NC Fisheries Association’s response to the recent fish kills wasn’t about the unwanted loss of striped bass, but one of location, "The federal government obstinately refuses to allow an increase on commercial quota or any percentage rollover, and the EEZ is still closed. These boats wouldn't be anywhere near these recreational boats who were taking all the videos if they didn't have to stay within three miles.” stated its director. “This isn’t a question of ‘getting away with it.’ It’s about a flagrant waste of a public resource. On top of that, the economic hit of denying those fish to recreational anglers should be a significant concern to the state,” said Jim Hardin, President of CCA NC.
In 2000, a study by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science indicated Virginia stood to generate about $181 million if the state allocated 100 percent of the striped bass to the recreational sector. Allocating 100 percent of that state’s stripers to the commercial industry would generate about $24 million. “Allowing this kind of destructive fishing practice to continue off our coast does not make sense at any level. It has to stop and we expect the MFC to take appropriate, effective action.”
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Patrick- that's the deal. We spend a lot of money to fish!
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More blood boiling info......
http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_news … ontroversy
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