So I was reading The Fisherman last night and it opens up with a letter from a Mass North Shore Tuna charter captain, talking about the decline of the region’s primary forage fish species like menhaden, mackerel, and herring. This captain is really on the herring situation and makes a bunch of nice points. Now I’m not familiar with the tuna fishery or the bait situation “inshore” 10 miles out (that’s nearing offshore to me :eek: ) but if it’s anything like what is happening near shore in our bays and rivers, it’s gotta be in serious trouble.

I guess what irked me the most, and I may be suffering from the proverbial hair across the tush, but the editor’s reply had me fuming and a bit confused. His comments were:
[/quote]
Dear Gary,

Herring is a hot commodity. If I’m correct, the boats (I believe the editor is speaking of the large herring processing ships which process the herring caught from smaller local boats) you speak of pack up the herring they catch here, and ship it east to China and Russia. I too have seen these boats coming back to port so loaded they can hardly float. I know in Rhode Island and Connecticut, we’ve outlawed menhaden boats in state waters, and that has helped bring back our local bunker population. New Jersey has done the same thing. Perhaps we can accomplish such a goal with herring netters [/quote]

What irked me was this line: “I know in Rhode Island and Connecticut, we’ve outlawed menhaden boats in state waters, and that has helped bring back our local bunker population.”.

What bunker population? You mean to tell me that there is a secret, hidden, but otherwise thriving bunker population somewhere in New England? That these fish have recovered? I’ve seen a lot of juvi menhaden at times but have not seen or heard of any appreciable schools of adult bunker that historically ran the coast into Maine.

And “We accomplished something?”. The guys & gals in Jersey have done a standup job against netting in state waters but I’m not aware of anything in Ma, Rhody, or CT passed thru legislature that comes anywhere remotely close to what has recently happened in NJ ( :btu: to the people down there that got that done). And no plan has been in place long enough anywhere to “bring back our local bunker population”.

Sorry to put this up and again, I can’t tell if I just haven’t had enough coffee yet, that I’m seriously missing something, or just plain have a hair across my butt but I had to vent here a little….

Ok if you didn't like that then you probably won't like reading this from today's Cape Cod Times the latest on the Harwich Herring Run Situation:

Who runs the herring run?
Cape officials argue their case on Beacon Hill for local control of access and harvesting.
By DAVID KIBBE
TIMES BOSTON BUREAU
BOSTON - For centuries, the arrival of herring in runs across Cape Cod has been an honored, springtime tradition. During hard times, the herring were a source of food. Even today, some Cape natives still have a taste for herring roe, dubbed the poor man's caviar.

But the dwindling herring are also valuable bait, and an attractive target for poachers from off the Cape. That has led to fights over whether towns can restrict herring catches to town residents, or are obligated to let anyone dip a net in the run.

So far, the state Division of Marine Fisheries and the courts have ruled that towns cannot bar outsiders, because the herring are a state and regional resource.

Not satisfied, Harwich and Eastham officials took their fight to limit access to their runs to the Statehouse yesterday. A bill sponsored by Rep. Shirley Gomes, R-Harwich, and Sen. Robert O'Leary, D-Barnstable, would allow those two towns to set their own regulations on herring runs, including the right to limit the catch to town residents.

During a hearing before the Natural Resources Committee, Harwich town officials said they were best suited to manage the town's two herring runs, not the state. When selectmen discovered that out-of-town, commercial dealers were filling up pickup truck beds with herring last year, they decided it was time to fight back.

In a letter to the committee, O'Leary equated the herring debate to restricting beaches to town residents. "Much like resident-only beaches, this will both protect the natural resource and preserve it for those whose tax dollars and efforts maintain it," he wrote.

The towns may not have much luck on Beacon Hill. Rep. Robert Koczera, a New Bedford Democrat who co-chairs the committee, said he had "serious reservations" about the bill. Koczera said it could lead to different regulations in every town. The state oversees 144 herring runs along the Massachusetts coastline.

Letting towns regulate their own herring runs would "open the floodgates to create a patchwork of regulations for 144 different ladders," Michael Armstrong, the manager of recreational fisheries for the state Division of Marine Fisheries, warned the committee. Legislators did not vote on the bill yesterday.

Each spring, thousands of herring migrate from the ocean to the same ponds where they were born, before reproducing and returning to the ocean.

With state approval, towns already place limits on herring catches. Towns can also allow residents to take twice as many herring as outsiders.

Administrator Wayne Melville has never taken a bite of it - like many - but he said passions over the issue run deep in Harwich.

"This is more than a story about herring," Gomes said.

Town officials described it a clash of two cultures: the people who live in Harwich and have managed, maintained and paid for the runs, and outsiders who take the herring for profit.

"It's about old Harwich," said town Selectmen Cyd Zeigler. "It's about Harwich doing what they've been doing forever."

I read an artical recently in The Fishermans Call which is a commercial mag. The capt of a RI herring boat was saying how much herring there is of the RI coast. That seems to be the case inshore also,with all the herring coming into the local runs. The herring they sell to the Russians are sea herring(also called sardines). I don't think any of the commercial boats are targeting river herring. IMHO these guys are trying to adapt to a changing enviornment and targeting underutilized species. My opinions are more middle of the road as I have friends on both sides of the fence. Also, did you read the article on the West Wall. Mr. Levine states the best wind is "Northeast" as it pushes all the bass up against the wall. :confused: :confused: :smash: :smash:

Mr. Levine states the best wind is "Northeast" as it pushes all the bass up against the wall.

Sweet. Everyone knows the NE wind is the best at the wall. :D

I'm sure that a lot of you have already seen this article, but the menhaden issue is a big one. I don't know what to make of anyone saying that the bunker population is back (even locally as he states). Why do you think we have long lean racers now versus big fat cows?

http://www.discover.com/sept_01/gthere.html?article=featfish.html

the bunker population has rebounded so well in mass that i haven't caught one from a boat since '97 and one from shore since '95...:smash:

otherwise, they're fine...:rolleyes:

...the last adult "Live" Bunker that I've seen was this one........


and even that, was from behing a T.V. screen....:smash: :af: :smash:

http://striped-bass.com/images/bloo/bloo_abunker.jpg

S.T.O.B

Great artical! little long but worth the read.
too many bass eating the smaller medhaden.....what! leave it to industry to blame it on preditor species. of course comercial overfishing could not be the problem.
I hope that florida has some backbone their fishery with its flats and shallows will completely colopse with the loss of the medhaden.

Bloocrab

Even that Bunker is gone.

I know where the adult bunker are hiding :) They hit the same spot every year and i am there to great them with some snaggers :) MAY is the hot month for adult menhaden.

Unfortunately they're scooped up after May. I'd like to have live bunker, snag 'em in a boat and then fish them LIVE! But that doesn't happen much anymore...

:af: Hey Guys,
Not to switch the focus from the bunker thing (I must add that I've seen none live since 1983 or so), but the whole Harwich resident thing has got me extremely steamed!!!
I have been taking herring from the Harwich run for years without a problem, save last year.
I am one of those fishermen that follows the rules to a "T." If a fish is 1/4" short, I put it back GENTLY! I always buy a license for whatever state I'm fishing in earlier than I plan to go fishing. When I'm @ the herring run, I only take the bare minimum number of fish. I Never take bait unles they are live and I plan to fish with them that day.
I NE

Sorry I got cut off...
Anyhow,

again, sorry I got cut off...
I Never freeze bait!!!!
What really gets me upset is that the residents of Harwich feel the need to regulate such a natural wonder. I feel that it is a clasic case of "I'm taking my ball and going home" syndrome.
The cape is fueled by many people like us that venture down to enjoy the local fishing and spend LOTS of money doing so.
I think that the Harwich residents that oppose all legitimate Massachusetts residents harvesting herring legally only want us to leave their town. In short, they hate fishermen (and women).
Anyhow, I have a metaphor to add to this conumndrum...
Many people come to my restaurant every day with differing requests...we have rules, but every time I think about even the most outlandish of requests, I seem to accomodate them. Why???
In short, it's because the people who make these crazy requests pay my bills. They bought my big truck, they paid for my ner trailer, and helped me insure my boat as well...
I say, to the isolationist residents of Harwich, go to Florida, where there are no herring. Tell the gators you don't approve of their presence...Put forth a bill to your local geriatric congressman...Yor type is not welcome in Massachusetts any longer.

The Environmental Police are On Our Side!
Don't Pay any of their fines!
Good Luck,
Rick:af:

Rick - They're fighting it in court to get control of the run and it's a typical end run to exclude others. If you want to benefit your residents with a better herring supply, improve the runs and stop people from stealing them. If you want to close the Harwich Run off, you might as well close the rest of the town too...

As my folks have a summer place in town I have been following this story for the last two years with great interest. I have never been a big user of herring as bait but have seen the results they can produce locally and do try and get out with fresh dead herring a couple times a year. I find it ironic that you have to travel thru or over land in the town of Dennis to access the run yet the town fathers of Harwich have no interest in sharing the resource with their neighboring town even. If you have followed the chain of articles back to last year then you know a couple of the big supporters or promoters this whole thing are Cyd Zeigler of Cyd Zeigler Plumbing and Hemeon of Hemeon's Garage/Lawn & Power Equipment repairs. Now these guys are only watching out for the good ol local boys and not necessarily the resource as a whole, so those of you who think otherwise don't kid yourself. This was demonstrated last spring when immediately after they passed the new town bylaw allowing that only Harwich residents could take herring they raised/increased the allowable daily take from the standing quantity of 12 per person per day to 48! Then when they got called on the law they tried to change it back but said that residents only could still take one 5 gallon bucket of herring per week. Don't ask me how they intended on Monitoring this. What I found infuriating was when I inquired about getting herring since my parents own a home and pay taxes in the town of Harwich they said unless it was a permanent residence then no I couldn't take herring!!! What?????? You have to be kidding me. Again, this goes back to the good 'ol local boys mentality! Now a lot of why this all came about stems from eyewitness accounts of rampant poaching at the run. I had visited the run in prior years and can believe it to be true as it would take on a circus like atmosphere on the weekends sometimes. One of the biggest events triggering the changes was a supposed upper cape bait shop coming down with large tanks and taking herring to sell as bait for canal fisherman. The bottom line is that the run was due for changes but such severe and dramtic change in policy was uncalled for and even the local harbormaster was againest them. Why they couldn't go to system like the town of Middleboro has is beyond me. Now that is a well managed run that has a tremendous resource of returning herring every year yet they have found a way share the resource with out of town residents by allowing a certain number of non residents permits every year. In the process get get a little money back to pay for the monitoring and management of the run.