Destroying Fishermen?

[snowmaker]

Do commercial fishermen really believe that the National Marine Fisheries Service is out to get them, and do they really think that our nations living marine resources would be better off without them (NMFS) or their protection? So there are recent reports of the rebound of fish stocks and fishermen are P.O.'d that they aren't allowed to catch more... Why do they think the stocks have made a slight rebound? With all of the technological advances in the last 60 years, New England's total yearly catch is only 60% of what it was in 1950.
http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/commercial/landings/annual_landings.html
I just saw this bumper sticker yesterday and thought it was the most ignorant comment I have ever heard in my entire life. - If someone can explain the reasoning behind it please enlighten me.
"The National Marine Fisheries Service - Destroying Fishermen and their Communities since 1976."
There are many more fishermen and they are using much more effective gear over the last 50 or 80.... (pick any number) years. Old timers have said that ground fish use to be fished near shore and now boats have to steam how many DAYS to reach what is considered productive grounds. Is it not very obvious to most people that without regulation they would have fished themselves out of an industry?
BTW, I am not crazy passionate about this issue, just a little disgusted at the ignorance of some (maybe they believe I am the ignorant one...?) Maybe we should just dissolve the NMFS and tell fishermen, "OK, now you all can go out as much as you want and catch as much as you want of any species you want." Where would we be in only 5 or 10 years?

[PRTA79]

i'm still waiting for them to ban commercial fishing for striped bass

[MarkO]

I just happened to watch an old family movie (mid 50's) with my dad last week. His uncles were out fishing (looked like Salem) and were showing off a string of about a dozen 3-4# fish that I couldn't recognize. He told me they were haddock! It blew me away they could catch these fish from a glorified dinghy in the harbor.
Another clip from the late 60's shows a cousin lifting the head of a tuna out of the water from a dock. It was gi-normous! I wouldn't be surprised if that tuna weighed 300#'s.

It appears we're heading in the right direction. I can remember how rare it was for my dad to land a striper back in the 70's and how much better it seems today. Same goes for tuna. I heard a lot of landings this summer. But who know's, my cousins swear it's the technology.

[Jim Tansey]

When I was a kid in Scituate we not only caught Cod and Haddock but also Halibut just about three miles out (also in the 50's).

Jim

[PRTA79]

I just happened to watch an old family movie (mid 50's) with my dad last week. His uncles were out fishing (looked like Salem) and were showing off a string of about a dozen 3-4# fish that I couldn't recognize. He told me they were haddock! It blew me away they could catch these fish from a glorified dinghy in the harbor.
Another clip from the late 60's shows a cousin lifting the head of a tuna out of the water from a dock. It was gi-normous! I wouldn't be surprised if that tuna weighed 300#'s.

It appears we're heading in the right direction. I can remember how rare it was for my dad to land a striper back in the 70's and how much better it seems today. Same goes for tuna. I heard a lot of landings this summer. But who know's, my cousins swear it's the technology.
i put in alot of time fishing this season 3-4 nights per week,i must have caught atleast 50 bass in the 24''-30''
range but with all the time i put in, i only caught one bass
over 30lb class this fall the fall run didn't happen this year
i don't think there are many bigger fish around anymore , and it would take at least 10 years of conservation to bring them back in decent numbers

i read an article a few months ago , that said the striped bass population was almost half this year from what it was in the last ten years
their popluations are going down again.
people say there are a number of reasons like lowering size limit down to 28'' from 36'',commercial fishing,seals,
weather,pollution?

[fanaglethebagle]

A huge issue with this is that the ocean is a very hard place to take statistics from especially when we don't even know various life-cycles. While I personally do believe that there is too much fishing in this area, I do understand the fisherman's plight. I am related and a part-time employee to a seafood company, and a huge part of the seafood business is shifting towards sustainability. These fishermen feel like they are being left behind and abandoned and have to place blame on the regulations because there is really nowhere else for it to go. There is nothing they can do, they have invested their lives in their boats and experience and especially in these economic times it is hard to find a new way of life.

[KSC]

The reason the striper population appears to be going down is the intense inshore recreational fishery. There are plenty of big (30-40lbers) spending the summer offshore. When these fish breed, their offspring instintively return to the areas where their parents resided. Did you know the recreational release mortality excedes the entire commercial catch? As far as this goes:The National Marine Fisheries Service - Destroying Fishermen and their Communities since 1976, it's true. They are the outfit that was in charge of regulating the fishery, and they did a poor job. The commercial fishermen were just following the rules set by NMFS, and providing the general public with the food that they wanted....

[PRTA79]

The reason the striper population appears to be going down is the intense inshore recreational fishery. There are plenty of big (30-40lbers) spending the summer offshore. When these fish breed, their offspring instintively return to the areas where their parents resided. Did you know the recreational release mortality excedes the entire commercial catch? As far as this goes:The National Marine Fisheries Service - Destroying Fishermen and their Communities since 1976, it's true. They are the outfit that was in charge of regulating the fishery, and they did a poor job. The commercial fishermen were just following the rules set by NMFS, and providing the general public with the food that they wanted....

you also can't accurately estimate the release mortality rate,
i think i killed 3 fish this year (gut hooked) that i released and know they didn't make it and thats out of maybe close to 100 caught total

i also don't buy the idea thats it's intense inshore fishing i think theres alot less fisherman days

this was a bad year for shore fishing ,large stripers were far and few from shore , just look on surf talk .com or stripers 24/7

also there weren't many blue fish this year either?

[snowmaker]

Thanks folks for not beating me up about my vent. :D Good comments - I'd like to see some more. Love the old timer stories. Here's another: A friend who grew up on Frenchman's Bay had a relative who commercial fished and lobstered. He said they would catch these gigantic fish that were worth absolutely nothing and cut and grind them up for lobster bait. He always knew the species as "Hos Mackerel" (Horse Mackerel). Now (40+ years later) he knows them as giant Bluefin Tuna!

[Jim Tansey]

That is very true giant Bluefin were considered a nuisance catch, also lobster tails were a favorite bait for stripers.

Jim

[PRTA79]

there was a show i recely saw on discovery channel about
lobster, and they orignally fed them to slaves and indentured servants if you can believe that

[kevinpratt823]

I come from a family of commercial fisherman, it put clothe on my back and food on my table. I fished for bluefin tuna for three years full time. My brother and father are two of the top tuna boats in New England, and my father is very politically involved in these regulations. His primary concern is the health of the stock, without it, where would we be. As far as tuna go, there is far more to it than you may think. Studies show these fish are migrating from here and Europe, meeting in the middle at breeding grounds, mixing together, then returning to one or the other, and not always the one they came from. They are also breeding in the Gulf of Mexico then following the Gulf Steam all the way up to New England, where they feed and fatten up, especiall in the bay, to make these long trips.
Now we are definitely not the only country fishing out of this migrating stock, but we are the only one with the strict regulations wich limit our catch. And when we don't make our quota partially due to these regulations, part of our quota(given in tonnage, not quantity of fish) is redistributed to other countries whom have far less, if any, regulations, killing numerous fish before they are mature enough to spawn, for every one adult that we take. So we are definitely between a rock and a hard place, if we don't do what we can to preserve our quota, losing it to other countries could have a far bigger impact than our fishing alone, and these are among many of the arguments being presented. My father has taken researchers up in his plane(he is a spotter pilot) and shown them schools of 500lb tuna bigger than a football field, and meanwhile, nobody could catch them. They were there, but if it was easy, we'd all be doing it.
As far as the recreational mortality rate, just because they weren't guthooked and they swam away doesn't mean they didn't die. If you hooked every fish in your tank then dragged them off the bottom and through hell, then handled them to unhook them, removing scales and protective slime, they would probably be more succeptable to die soon, never mind a codfish, who spends his time on the bottom, then gets dragged up to the surface, the drastic change in pressure alone is enough stress.
In short, there is far more involved in this stuff than many think, so thanks for giving me something to write about!

[Slainte]

A while ago, my wife's company had a party on Buzzard's Bay. The invite said there would be strippers for the fishermen. It was a typo, but I think a few of us were hopeful.

[kevinpratt823]

I hope you brought your rod.

[PRTA79]

As far as the recreational mortality rate, just because they weren't guthooked and they swam away doesn't mean they didn't die. If you hooked every fish in your tank then dragged them off the bottom and through hell, then handled them to unhook them, removing scales and protective slime, they would probably be more succeptable to die soon

thats my point exactly theres no real way to know real numbers for mortality ,but we you realease a fish carefully
you can tell if their good or not

and there are definately less recreational fisherman now than in the 70-80's and much more commercial nowadays

[KSC]

The exact opposite is true...
"there are definately less recreational fisherman now than in the 70-80's and much more commercial nowadays"

VISION 2020
APPENDIX IV: Recreational Fishing

Issue Statement 1: Growth in populations and coastal tourism are resulting in increasing numbers of recreational fishermen. Therefore, the impact these fishermen are having on fish stocks is increasing. As this demand for recreational fishing continues to increase, recreational fishermen will request increases in fish allocated to the recreational sector.

Background: According to a NOAA report[1], an estimated 153 million people lived in coastal counties in 2003. This population represents an increase of 33 million people or 28 percent from 1980. In addition, a review of NOAA sponsored Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistical Survey data from the years 1981 to 2005 shows a near doubling nationally of marine recreational anglers from 6.9 million to 11.2 million or a growth rate of approximately 3 percent per year. The value of recreational fishing as an economic engine for coastal communities should be recognized and exploited to a greater degree. The recreational fishing experience could rival or exceed recreational fishing catch as a prime motivator for recreational fishing.

Current Situation: The current rate of increase in the angling population creates new management concerns. If the rate of recreational fishermen continues to increase at 3 percent per annum, by 2020 the number of recreational fishermen will increase by 7.3 million to a projected level of 18.5 million. This change will result in a significant increase of fishing effort and catch (i.e., mortality), all else equal. By 2020 continued growth in recreational angling will require that anglers focus more on the fishing experience and less on the number of fish landed. However, while post-release mortality in catch and release fisheries is usually low (often 2-5 percent), as fishing effort increases, post-release mortality will become an increasing proportion of total mortality. It is conceivable that the cumulative total of post-release mortality could increase to levels equal to the total allowable mortality for a fishery. As the number of recreational fishermen continues to increase, improved monitoring will be necessary to assess the fishing effort and catch. A national saltwater angler’s registry under development will be a necessary tool to collect data.

Preferred State in 2020: Many recreational species have limited population growth rates and are too valuable to be caught only once. By 2020, catch and release fishing is emphasized and accounted for in specific species assessments. The proper techniques for release are refined and disseminated to lower post release mortality. For other fisheries, minimum size limits and reduced daily bag limits are sufficient management measures to maintain healthy standing stocks. Additional seasonal closures are considered to eliminate or redirect effort. By 2020, angler satisfaction is derived from the recreational fishing experience rather than the take or “kill” fish.

[1] “Population Trends along the Coastal United States: 1980-2008”, 2005 NOAA report, http://marineeconomics.noaa.gov/socioeconomics/assessment/population.html#Download

[snowmaker]

When we research these and similar issues, the root of the problems will usually stem from human over population. The time it takes for world population to double keeps getting shorter. It's only going to get worse.

[PRTA79]

The exact opposite is true...
"there are definately less recreational fisherman now than in the 70-80's and much more commercial nowadays"

VISION 2020
APPENDIX IV: Recreational Fishing

Issue Statement 1: Growth in populations and coastal tourism are resulting in increasing numbers of recreational fishermen. Therefore, the impact these fishermen are having on fish stocks is increasing. As this demand for recreational fishing continues to increase, recreational fishermen will request increases in fish allocated to the recreational sector.

Background: According to a NOAA report[1], an estimated 153 million people lived in coastal counties in 2003. This population represents an increase of 33 million people or 28 percent from 1980. In addition, a review of NOAA sponsored Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistical Survey data from the years 1981 to 2005 shows a near doubling nationally of marine recreational anglers from 6.9 million to 11.2 million or a growth rate of approximately 3 percent per year. The value of recreational fishing as an economic engine for coastal communities should be recognized and exploited to a greater degree. The recreational fishing experience could rival or exceed recreational fishing catch as a prime motivator for recreational fishing.

Current Situation: The current rate of increase in the angling population creates new management concerns. If the rate of recreational fishermen continues to increase at 3 percent per annum, by 2020 the number of recreational fishermen will increase by 7.3 million to a projected level of 18.5 million. This change will result in a significant increase of fishing effort and catch (i.e., mortality), all else equal. By 2020 continued growth in recreational angling will require that anglers focus more on the fishing experience and less on the number of fish landed. However, while post-release mortality in catch and release fisheries is usually low (often 2-5 percent), as fishing effort increases, post-release mortality will become an increasing proportion of total mortality. It is conceivable that the cumulative total of post-release mortality could increase to levels equal to the total allowable mortality for a fishery. As the number of recreational fishermen continues to increase, improved monitoring will be necessary to assess the fishing effort and catch. A national saltwater angler’s registry under development will be a necessary tool to collect data.

Preferred State in 2020: Many recreational species have limited population growth rates and are too valuable to be caught only once. By 2020, catch and release fishing is emphasized and accounted for in specific species assessments. The proper techniques for release are refined and disseminated to lower post release mortality. For other fisheries, minimum size limits and reduced daily bag limits are sufficient management measures to maintain healthy standing stocks. Additional seasonal closures are considered to eliminate or redirect effort. By 2020, angler satisfaction is derived from the recreational fishing experience rather than the take or “kill” fish.

[1] “Population Trends along the Coastal United States: 1980-2008”, 2005 NOAA report, http://marineeconomics.noaa.gov/socioeconomics/assessment/population.html#Download

another study i don't buy!
how can they account the number of recreational fisherman, how can they document them when their still isn't a saltwater licsense required, it's just an educated guess.

the population of people living in "coastal counties"probably has doubled, thats because more wealthy poeple have bought water front property, and everyone knows that has shut down the acess to many fishing spots not only in ma, but the whole east coast.


the real problem is poachers and over commercial fishing
and pollution and poachers.

http://www.stripers247.com/phpBB2/forumdisplay.php?f=41
http://www.savethefish.org/PDF_files/fish_file_7_stripedbass_031808.pdf

[KSC]

You don't have to "buy" any of the studies as you already have with your tax money. Poaching is a tiny percentage of the total striper catch, and in the majority of these poaching cases the defendants are recreational fisherman catching and selling stripers illegally. The problem with "researching" on message boards is the fact that all the googans that aren't catching fish are very vocal, whereas the highliners having great years keep their mouths shut. Maybe you should join Gripers Forever, they excell in spreading propaganda thoughout the internet.

[kevinpratt823]

I'm assuming if the study said that there were fewer recreational fishermen and more commercial, you would take it as fact, if that was what you wanted to hear. But the "fact" is, that fishermen are FAR easier to track and make accurate accounts for than fish, after all, there's no license required to be a saltwater fish, and we're finding ways to assess the stock, let alone mating habits etc. of all these fish.

[kevinpratt823]

As far as the bluefish, there are plenty. The tuna are dining on them nowadays, last year where we fish rod/reel for them, catching fish up to 1000lbs, using bluefish as bait, I could probably swim to shore if I had to.

[PRTA79]

You don't have to "buy" any of the studies as you already have with your tax money. Poaching is a tiny percentage of the total striper catch, and in the majority of these poaching cases the defendants are recreational fisherman catching and selling stripers illegally. The problem with "researching" on message boards is the fact that all the googans that aren't catching fish are very vocal, whereas the highliners having great years keep their mouths shut. Maybe you should join Gripers Forever, they excell in spreading propaganda thoughout the internet.

enlighten me on how they come up with the numbers of rec fisherman through taxes?? ,and i will stand corrected
what do they count sales of tackle, come on your jokeing right , the only way they could accurately count would be # of licsenses sold, and they aren't required yet.

one of the recent poachers caught had 44 undersize stripers , we can only guess how many times that one particular person has got away with that before he was caught ,and the fines are so small they will probably do it again. how can you call propaganda?

[PRTA79]

As far as the bluefish, there are plenty. The tuna are dining on them nowadays, last year where we fish rod/reel for them, catching fish up to 1000lbs, using bluefish as bait, I could probably swim to shore if I had to.
well there weren't many near shore this year ask around all
local bait shops , i caught 3 all year ,usally i can't get away from them

[naturebatslast]

Previously working on draggers and gill netters, the commercial take is totally off the chart when compared to any recreation take. Hauling a 5,000 lb bag dragging, or a 1/2 mile of gillnet, or even longlining (surface or demersal), the process cannot be compared to anyone fishing with a rod and reel. Overfishing is almost viewed as a right in the US.

After the mid 70's, very low cost federal loans were available to fisherman, mostly all upgraded. In the case of dragging, the upgrade let one fish 24/7 with a bigger boat and a bigger net. The only times you aren't dragging is when your steaming to and fro, or hauling your bag up. Essentially a huge vacuum cleaner that obliterates habitat and mines (read: taking in a unsustainable manner) for fish 24/7.

Secondly, I see no one discussing by-catch, which is huge and can be 50% or more for a haul. Life cycles, population estimates, fecundity can all be measured. Science doesn't argue that NE fisheries (and most fisheries in general) are mostly in collapse, if not in failure altogether, it's an accepted fact that's easily researched. The only argument is within the public that "doesn't believe" the science. It's absurd.

I don't blame fisherman for overfishing, but there's just no fish left. But the ones that can't reinvent themselves, their fisheries or think out of the box are (rightly) doomed. The first step they could do is underpower their fleet, total overkill on horsepower, zero efficiency and a hostage of fuel costs. Thankfully there are designs out of Gloucester to address that.

[PRTA79]

Previously working on draggers and gill netters, the commercial take is totally off the chart when compared to any recreation take. Hauling a 5,000 lb bag dragging, or a 1/2 mile of gillnet, or even longlining (surface or demersal), the process cannot be compared to anyone fishing with a rod and reel. Overfishing is almost viewed as a right in the US.

After the mid 70's, very low cost federal loans were available to fisherman, mostly all upgraded. In the case of dragging, the upgrade let one fish 24/7 with a bigger boat and a bigger net. The only times you aren't dragging is when your steaming to and fro, or hauling your bag up. Essentially a huge vacuum cleaner that obliterates habitat and mines (read: taking in a unsustainable manner) for fish 24/7.

Secondly, I see no one discussing by-catch, which is huge and can be 50% or more for a haul. Life cycles, population estimates, fecundity can all be measured. Science doesn't argue that NE fisheries (and most fisheries in general) are mostly in collapse, if not in failure altogether, it's an accepted fact that's easily researched. The only argument is within the public that "doesn't believe" the science. It's absurd.

I don't blame fisherman for overfishing, but there's just no fish left. But the ones that can't reinvent themselves, their fisheries or think out of the box are (rightly) doomed. The first step they could do is underpower their fleet, total overkill on horsepower, zero efficiency and a hostage of fuel costs. Thankfully there are designs out of Gloucester to address that.
you couldn't have said it better

[snowmaker]

Watching a Discovery TV thing about treasure hunting, after metal detectors indicate something they sent down an ROV video camera and I was shocked at the texture of the sea floor - looked liked a freshly plowed farm field. The ship operators indicated the furrows were from draggers and that every square mile of the entire area looked like that.

[kevinpratt823]

Draggers, don't get me started. We have fought long and hard to get them off some of our fishing grounds. Longlines are one thing, and with regulations only allowing so many days at sea, with a 500lb limit, they were barely breaking even last year. Draggers devastate the seascsape and have a huge impact on the ecosystem. Believe it or not, there are plenty of commercial fisherman(small vessels, 2-3man), who are very environmentally concious and concerned with the state of our underwater farm, and have a deep respect and understanding of the delicate balance. We're not all greedy corporate vessels,(they're putting us under),

[snowmaker]

Maybe repeating myself, or beating the dead horse - so to speak, but saw a thing on MPBS last night about world fisheries. A scientist on there stated that it is estimated that Bluefin Tuna may be extinct in as little as 5 years. Saw some follow up here:
http://www.bigmarinefish.com/bluefin.html
Also saw these poor folks So. Sierra Leone - artisanal fishermen (using dug out canoes) haven't been catching squat since illegal (non licensed) trawlers have been fishing there - 90% bycatch is pushed back in to the water (all dead) and selling catch to licensed European bigger boats.
This paragraph:
6.3 Interactions and Conflicts Between Artisanal and Various Industrial Fisheries
Here:
http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/R9003E/R9003E06.htm
Mentions that the policing agencies can't effectively control or enforce what laws they have.

Our species is such a parasite on this planet. What is disturbing is that we know it, we know what we are doing to it (land, water, atmosphere), AND we know how to limit and eventually reverse the damage done. BUT WILL WE? Sadly, I doubt it.

[fanaglethebagle]

Considering the current efforts to farm bluefin I would doubt they would ever go extinct. It seems to me to be more of a scare word to get a kneejerk reaction even though it should be getting a decent reaction anyways. So many people are just fishing for and buying bluefin for the fact that it's bluefin, it's kinda awful.

[Jim Tansey]

Must admit I have not followed the subject, but how do you farm Bluefin?????

Jim

[fanaglethebagle]

Pretty much the same way as any other fish but just not growing them into the huge monsters.

[kevinpratt823]

Almost all Atlantic Bluefin is shipped straight to Japan in a matter of days, they're the ones buying it.
The problem with fish farming is that it's extremely inefficient. The ammout of food a fish has consumed by the time it is mature is many times the yield of meat that fish has when harvested, especially a tuna. I have a panther grouper I raised from the size of a quarter in my 180, as well as a bunch of others(like "Goodyear" the puffer in my avitar), The ammount of food these guys consumes on a daily basis would fill my bathtub by now, and that's swimming around in a box being hand fed.

[NeverlosT]

I have a point of view here since my father was a director in the NMFS for 30+ years and I am friends with many commercial fisherman (having grown up on the Cape) so I had to kind of listen to both sides.

The long and short of it is, some of these guys just dont think about sustainability, they want to catch lots, make lots of money, and are more worried about the fuel bill this week than what the fishery will be like next year. It sounds mean, but there is a lot of shortsightedness running around.

The NMFS should have imposed regulations earlier than they did, but better late than never. Look at the striper fishery, they have bounced back from where they were a decade ago. I know it stinks that if we obey regs and dont overfish then another nation will probably just hit the fishery even harder, but someone has to lead the sustainability charge.

Fish farms, those big offshore aquaculture setups are pretty much a death sentence for the local environment. Do some googling and check out how they are working out with salmon in the pacific northwest, there are entire ecosystems being wiped out by these operations. As far as aquaculture goes, the technology just isnt there yet.

Lastly, dont get me started on dragging. My god. It is like deer hunting while driving a bulldozer through the woods. Ecosystem be damned, environment be damned. What a terrible way to fish. My favorite recent newsbit was the folks from "Save Our Sound" ranting about the windmills "destroying the pristine natural habitat that is the nantucket sound". Please. That seafloor has been drag fished since drag fishing was invented. It is barren, it is destroyed, making it a "national park" now is like making the walmart parking lot a national park just because it used to be pretty woods.

[kevinpratt823]

My father currently holds the chair for the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna on the NMFS Advisory Panel of HMS(Highly Migratory Species). He is currently preparing info. to bring to Washington on Wed., and goes there rather frequently for this. He is also a commercial fisherman with over 30 years fishing bluefin, the father of a commercial fisherman, and the grandfather of 2 kids, who are his pride and joy(other than me and my brother, I hope). I think what is most important to him is the health of the stock, as he wants to see his grandkids provided for and possibly have the opportunity to experience the ocean as he has. Yes there are flaws in the system, but there are people who care, whose livelihood is at stake, getting involved to the best of thier ability.

[kevinpratt823]

For info on what is going on with Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, you really should go to: www.theabta.com

[me2003]

Fisherman are their own worse enemy. Ask any fisherman.
They are worried about the other fisherman getting an advantage.
There seems to be several issues that never get resolved.
People want to support the local family fisherman but the
regulations they agree to end up putting them out of business.
Instead of fighting the science, Fisherman should focus on
sustainable harvest and economics that support family fisherman.
The biggest fear with the change from days at sea is people
will buy out licenses consolidating the industry.
Politicians get involved and make the problem worse.

One fishing issue currently is the loss of smaller fish
that are food for larger fish. You won't have strippers or tuna
if there a no smaller fish.Alewives,herring and blueback herring
are examples.
In the St. Croix watershed, Dams are controlled to limit Alewives
migration upstream to support Small Mouth bass (an introduced species)
Tourist from New York and Massachusetts fish for small mouth bass.
The State of Maine manages their fishery for tourist and it cost
the environment and people who fish for a living. The state of Maine
fishing season for endangered Atlantic salmon is another example of
management based on tourist. They only stopped the season when NOAA
told them they had to and the exception in the endangered species law
was removed. Politicians in Maine are still trying to get it restored
for tourist. Just as there are people who would kill the last Siberian tiger,
there are people who would catch the last Atlantic salmon and pay a
good price to do it.


Portland pressherald
October 7, 2009
Plan to cut herring limit adds to lobstermen woes
PORTLAND — Maine's struggling lobster industry is bracing for more
trouble.
Fishery managers from around the Northeast met Tuesday in Portland to
discuss deep cuts in the herring catch for 2010. No final decisions will be
made until November, but scientists are calling for a 53 percent
reduction from this year's catch limit because of uncertainty about the
health of the population.
Herring is the primary bait used in millions of lobster traps, and any
shortage of the small, silvery fish is sure to push bait prices higher, at a
time when lobstermen are getting the lowest prices in decades for their
catch.
"This will be a catastrophe for the lobster industry," said Dave Cousens,
a lobsterman from South Thomaston and president of the Maine
Lobstermen's Association.

[me2003]

"By 2020, catch and release fishing is emphasized and accounted for in specific species assessments."
This may be because the mercury level in fish will make them inedible by then.

Recreational fisherman introduce species like
small mouth bass,large mouth bass, northern pike,
lake trout and perch to areas all over Maine.
Even the State of Maine introduced lake trout
to Sebago for tourist dollars from Recreational
fisherman. Maine is building roads into the Allagash
wilderness to support power boats and get more tourist
dollars. Maine manages it coastal resources for tourist
dollars also. Recreational fisherman play a large part in
the issues of fisheries management. There are some groups
that support the environment and sustainable fishing.
I believe that if most fisherman understood the damage they
created, they would work to restore fisheries.

Northern pike spreading fear
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=186064&ac=PHnws

[naturebatslast]

Must admit I have not followed the subject, but how do you farm Bluefin?????

Jim

You can't, you get very poor meat quality.

[snowmaker]

Here's another issue that flat out proves just how stupid we are. Seaweed harvesting is now a "fishery". One of the bays up here... Cobscook maybe - they harvest seaweed... as much as they can. Big surprise what fish were left have dwindled. I'm not even a biologist, but I can tell you that if you take away the nursery habitat and bottom of the food chain, the lasting results will not be good.
So we rape the food chain from the top and bottom. I can't imagine anything else happening but collapse eventually.
... here's one article I found:
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/120705.html

Oh and this isn't very encouraging, regardless of the negative fact that it from a Nova Scotia based company:
To boost profitability, the company is investigating expanding its harvesting area to the entire Maine coast, Hunter said.

The key phrase that answers any question about "Why" is
To boost profitability That what it's all about isn't it?

I wish I had an answer to help solve these issues rather than just whine about them. I still believe that the root problem is world population is growing faster than we can feed it, but making more food isn't the answer as we will just make more babies. At some point though, if we don't take care of this, I suppose nature will find a way to reduce our numbers and what living resources are left will have an opportunity to rebound.

[KSC]

People have been harvesting this algae for 100's of years. I even "raped" the ocean of this many years ago, it was a great summer job
....:http://www.patriotledger.com/homepage/x627091518/Mossers-relive-glory-days-at-Scituate-reunion
I think this is the key phrase:“It’s like a land farmer cutting his hay, only we leave most of the plant,” Ugarte said. “We will never harvest more than 17 percent of the total biomass.”
And this is why,"the seaweed is the base for fertilizer and livestock feed supplements." Obviously you need to make a profit running a business or the harvesting will end just as it did in Scituate many years ago...

[fanaglethebagle]

You can't, you get very poor meat quality.

They're working on that ;)

[naturebatslast]

Since the 70's.
It's a hard fish to farm, the fish swim upwards of 40 knots (adult bluefin over knots) and can cover distances that literally crosses oceans...that's hard to grow in a pen.
Sadly, I almost have more faith in lab grown tuna than farmed tuna...
Artificial meat grown in a laboratory (http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/artificial-meat-grown-in-a-laboratory-needs-exercise-1835269.html)

[fanaglethebagle]

Now that's awesome

[marco67]

sounds like spam to me

and another piece of Star Trac tech come true o)

[Jennifer]

I am not sure I would want to eat lab grown pork.

[fanaglethebagle]

Why not?