It was a slow (but nice) day as the SPINY DOGFISH took over the sound. :splat: We managed a few doormats and a few decent seabass but spent a good part of the day "running from the dogs". We finally found a dogfish free spot and I see this boat approach....Hey...I think I know this guy!?! I see that new suzuki 250 humming along.... Nice ride !

Thanks for swinging by and giving us a report. We picked up 2 more nice fluke after you left then headed in for the day.

I hate the spiny dogfish...I don't understand the states motives by protecting them. I think they are going to ruin a great rec bottom fishery.

according to the biological report more females are taken than males, and there's no way to target one side of the group, so they all end up having to be protected.

I haven't read the entire report yet so I couldn't tell you if there's an enviro reason for there being more males than females or what, but it is somewhat of an issue.

Anyhow, you can't just ruin one "insignificant to fishermen" species and expect the rest of the biosphere to stay the same.

Do that and the lobstermen will go insane as the spider crab population explodes.

yes but by protecting the dogfish you will overpopulate the area wth undiserable species, causing other problems you can notforesee. One will be the rec fisherman not going fishing for the bottom fish that live in these waters as often....causing reduced revenue to the industry and lost taxes rev.

I have no problem catching a dogfish now and again...but when you reel up double headers with 4 or 5 following the two that are hooked all day...let tell you there is no shortage...the females are there somewhere and that there is no reason to protect them and PERHAPS the study that this entire thing is based on is flawed. The bottom is paved with dogs now. The females HAVE to be there someplace. Besides, who says there has to be the same number of males and females for the species to thrive? This is NOT a problem...and IMO this is a case of the state trying to fix something that is not broken. There are a lot of other more improtant things they need to concern themselves with. ...like foragefish, flounder, eels, tuna, weakfish, ect...



Bad science is worse then NO science...even if it is the best we have.

I'm pretty sure the moratorium is aimed at the draggers though, the numbers aren't there offshore.

Commercial comes before recreational.

Sandman great crew you got there, your Sea Craft ain't too shabby either :btu: I wanted to stay out but my younger brother was crashed out underneath when we spoke and his last words before going down was let's go home :yawn: I ran into a 26' Sailfish CC and several guys aboard who were from RI and there last comment was something to the tune of we won't be leaving RI anytime soon for this type of fishing, I think they were all dogged out

To be honest that was the worst I have ever seen it (dogfish). I can't tell you how many we saw/caught...lost track. As much as i would like to do that noreast fluke contest in July, I doubt it would be worth a 35-40 mile trek each way to load up on dogs. I hope they split soon.

Even the lobsters don't like them

The rules prtecting spiny doggies are there because of a lawsuit brought byt he green groups against NMFS. NMFS lost. All of the science, both Candain and U.S. says that the population of breeding females is way down. But they draggers do concentrate on the females which are larger. During most of the year the schools are almost exclusively either male or female. I wish that NMFS would permit commercial fishng on the males.

I was looking for that earlier but couldn't find it, thanks Mike. :D

SM:

I feel your pain, they will be up soon enough. Last year they were so thick, we were bumping them on the surface while we were cruising.

I also think if there were really a problem with females then....WHERE THE HELL DID ALL THESE FISH COME FROM.....!!!!!!!!! NOT FROM MALES !!!!!

I think the problem is all about balance, they can take fish, but not target one species heavily as it effects another species adversly.

They need to spread the same effort on one species to all of them so that the percentage (?) across the board is the same and where it should be.

JMO