price was down to .95 per # the other day...bounced up a little today because of the poor weather and fewer guys.

Is sb worth killing for .95 per #? In the early 80's we got as much at 8 bucks/# for bass...inflation adjusted that would bring it to 20 bucks per # today!

Hell I can get $1.50 per # for BLUEFISH!

What a sad fishery .

let the price hit rock bottom
maybe they'll stop fishing stripers

Didn't the price drop 50% last year compared to the previous year when they bumped the quotas 40 somethin % ?

we've got guys who do it here and the only thing I can figure is they have enough money so they really don't care what they are making as long as they are fishing and selling.

If I was married to a some of the weapons those guys are married to I would look for any excuse to get away from them.

:af: :smash: :af: :laughs:

The price is as another member would say is "SOUR".
3/4 the reason why I am at work today rather than out on the water. At that price, it isn't worth killing them. Even if you can manage to limit out, you can barely afford to cover the cost of gas, never mind make any type of profit and not to say the least about the time invested.
I feel a sense of sorrow for those that need it to support themselves and their families.

But at least we have fish to catch.

I do not believe any of the commercials make money at it.....I think they are kidding themselves!:smash: However if some of those folks like to go out there and fish and sell the catch to simply pay for their gear and gas then that is their decision.:huh:


I would be curious to know from any commercial fisherman...the last time you sold your limit (30 fish is it?) what was your take? Money wise for 30 fish, what was the payoff.....then we can do the math....subtract gas, gear and then time.:confused:

if its 30 fish then I can see how someone can make money. you can leave the shore here and 5 minutes later be onto them every drift. With multi eels out there I can see 30 fish being boated in an hour. Then they are sold whole. easy money

net per hour...is so low they would better off with a land job (and so would the fish and the rec based fishing businesses.)
According to the stats last year (when the limit was 40 fish) the number of fisherman that sold that many fish was less then 2 %.
If you look at what the average number of fish caught were it is like 1.5 or so!!

Yeah I know a lot of guys that catch 20, 30+ fish but most don't (fact) ...also, look at the effort/gear/bait/fuel/time and energy they put into it.

IT IS NOT WORTH IT and the fishery would be better off if they kept the bass off the markets.

Average fish weighs (and I could be way off here) I am guessing 18 pounds??? 18 x 30=540 lbs. 540 lbs x $1.00 per lb.=$540.00???? If that is correct then that is not worth it.....if its not then tell me waht the average 30 pound catch weighs.:confused:

Used to be, one additional reason for getting a commercial license was not having to pay sales tax on gear ;)

Wonder if that's still the case?

When those big bass were on Scorton's Ledge for a couple of years, guys were running out of the east end in tin boats on calm days. One I know of grossed about $15K and didn't pay nearly that much in gas, launch fees and bait. Didn't take much time to put 800 pounds in the boat when the limit was 40/day.

To each there own. It'll be over in a month and then we recs can continue with the kill two at a time (but we've got the numbers the strength in numbers - Foreigner rules) . If it wasn't for 2 kids that go bonkers when I'm not around (and I go a bit bonkers without them), I'd be out there giving it my all.

Originally posted by beachwalker
if its 30 fish then I can see how someone can make money. you can leave the shore here and 5 minutes later be onto them every drift. With multi eels out there I can see 30 fish being boated in an hour. Then they are sold whole. easy money

I wanna fish where you are. A striper every 2 minutes?

this years prices opened at a ridiculous number and I know of two boats that are not going to fish at this price. Last year we averaged over 1:50 and that was low as it opened at 2:50...even the Gloucester Auction opened very low...

Big fish is mostly correct, most guys do not make any real profit at the market.

Mike P is right...hold a commercial permit and no sales tax...you do not even have to use it...your fishing income and not doing so is a red flag to get audited

For me the real question is as follows...Knowing that there is and will be a commercial fishery....Do we 1) Make it for "real" commercials that have overfished and screwed up just about every species they fish for...or do we 2) Manage this commercail stock as special and have this anomaly known as the MA rod 7 Reel commercial fleet.

offshore it is that way. you guys didn't know that ?

They are stacked like cord wood on the Shoals until October :D

The beach people wait for them to swim in at night.

anything else ?

For me it's all about breaking even and not profit.
To get out for LONG days on the water and fish like hell and usually catch some very large fish is like a high for me!!!:cheers:
Just ask a few charter guys who know me, I jump at the chance to mate for them !!!
If someone wants to bitch about something, bitch about how many bass are killed by draggers , go out and watch one of them pull up their nets !!!
Lots more bass killed as bye catch than by the commercial quota every year :doh:

Ronnie

RONNIE...so true about the draggers....fact 2///rec's Kill 3 times the amount comm. do........but you never hear anyone pissin about that.....sportfish? you better hope it never happens. the state is making money,,they won't stop comm. lisc. from being sold......an yes,,some people count on the money they make from bass cause they don't have high paying jobs,,not because they their lazy,,they just don't have what it takes to be at the top,,, they already have the boat an gear so if it means putting in some extra hours on the water[fishing] to help with their income why not? I think they should stop selling eels,,for food or bait,,why not stop all bait sales...their wipeing out those off the waters....like flap said,,this can go around and around an go no where.

Originally posted by capesams
RONNIE...so true about the draggers....fact 2///rec's Kill 3 times the amount comm. do........but you never hear anyone pissin about that.....sportfish? you better hope it never happens. the state is making money,,they won't stop comm. lisc. from being sold......an yes,,some people count on the money they make from bass cause they don't have high paying jobs,,not because they their lazy,,they just don't have what it takes to be at the top,,, they already have the boat an gear so if it means putting in some extra hours on the water[fishing] to help with their income why not? I think they should stop selling eels,,for food or bait,,why not stop all bait sales...their wipeing out those off the waters....like flap said,,this can go around and around an go no where.

Easiest way to get you're commercial limit per day,
follow a dragger when they are pulling their net in!!! Lots of HUGE fish just floating DEAD!!!

Ronnie

yeh! but here you'd be over the 3 mile line:eek: I don't have one on my gps:hihi:

the state is not making squat on those lic's....Think about all the tax rev they *lose* by granting those very lics' ....from all those "cheating" on their taxes...ie using a comm permit to not pay tax on gear year after year and half not fishing...gimi a break. They lose more in that then they make in lic fees.

I hear pleanty about the dragger by catch. And you are right it is insane. But that does not JUSTIFY rod and reel comm fishing! Just cause they kill more they I do, leave me alone attitude won't fly. They both need to be stopped.

It will become some kind of a sportfish eventually IMO within 5 years...mainly because at some point the polititcal types will get fed up with the mismanagement that has been going on for decades and as recs become more and more organized political pressure will mount...some form of game fish status will be granted, I am sure of it. This "management" has a clear commerical lean to it from the get go and it is being exposed more and more.

Lets look at the 40 to 30 move this year...
They have been pressured to drop the 40 limit to 10 or less, and the logic was it would allow a more gradual hit to the local stocks, support higher prices without flooding the market with cheap bass and keep the season open longer. But instead of dropping to 10 they went to 30...why? They thought 30 would appease the recs in that they are moving in the right direction while still allowing the few heavy hitters (FACT: < 2% of the active lics sell 40 fish in a day last year) to exploit the system . Well it is clear today (while we sit at .95) that they don't know squat about their own industry. Is this what they call "management"...manageing the fish to sell it for less then a buck a #? ...Face it, they are baffoons and they should just shut the entire office down and manage it some other, more consistant and logical global way.

They take credit for "saving the bass" when in fact it was their own reg's that wiped it out. Basically the moratorim was forced upon them..they wanted to keep fishing them. I went to those meetings! They had no choice but to stop, and they re-started again just as though nothing has happened as soon as they could.

If you have nads to sell a bass for $0.95...I quesion your ethics and morals as a man.

The fish is more improtant alive for .95.

Hey its Wednesday...my turn to go fishing...:D

I'm still blown away that mass has a 30 fish limit- Because of that, its no suprise the price is so low.. the market is flooded.

If I had a liscense I'd be catching and selling fluke.

Mass. Commercial Bass is 40 fish at 34" till the limt of 1,141,517 pounds are caught.

I fish for Gas and tackle purposes and boat repairs. You are right no one is getting rich fishing just for the bass!! But if you add the $$ for the Bass, Fluke, Black sea bass, Scup and you have a pretty good income for the season!!
I got 40 fish aday 7 different times last year.

I was unemployed last summer and it was a great way for me to make money to fill my kids bellys!!

You guys are looking at one fish and thinking that, thats all any one is making monry at! But that is not the case!! You have to keep changing your fishing to make any money at it and it is long days, and hard work!!

I did not get rich, but I made $11,031 last summer and i will tell you when you are unemployed or even not it is a great way to make a few bucks!!

And I have not been out yet this year but I plan on it next week and I hope the price is better then .95 !!!

mac, this year it dropped to 30 fish a day. over on ffsw, this thread is going and a good point was brought up (it could be internet bs, but I'm taking it as gospel). in one harbor more lbs of bass are kept by charter boats than the total lbs allowed for all comms.
If people don't like the idea of losing this resource then act on it and fish with hookless bait, you'll still get the hits, but the fishy swims away without harm. If you're willing to risk the fishes life by putting a hook in them, how different are you?

Perhaps of interest toward this discussion...

http://www.capecodfisherman.net/permitproposal.html


Also, note the current price for stripers as of 7/14.

Best,
Mike Flaherty
Wareham, MA

http://www.basspond.com/broadcast/sb/images/sbprice14jul04.jpg

I doubt that amendment would fly...you will have a lot of crying as I bet 95% of those fishing don't make 66% of their income from fishing.


re prices...bad weather and the bass week is over till next week is the reason for the rebound. (no fish on the market till next week) It will drop again come monday I bet. It was much lower earlier in the week.