...The two pogie boats have decimated the menhaden at the hurricane barrier and upper bay...........today.....over 50% of population scooped...........:fury:

Isn't that the deal? They get 50 percent? Freakin sucks.
...The two pogie boats have decimated the menhaden at the hurricane barrier and upper bay...........today.....over 50% of population scooped...........:fury:i
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Isn't that the deal? They get 50 percent? Freakin sucks.
i
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I'll keep an eye out for you at the golf course this weekend.

....heard that not many pogies were seen today in the Mid Bay...they got them, now they start on the ones up the River.

I was talking with DEM Law Enforcement at the ramp today; We were discussing the menhaden situation/new regs, etc.....He got very defensive when I mentioned that a lot of pogies have been seined since it opened on Monday (if you do the numbers, it's probaly about a million pounds)- he said that all the new regs should work properly, that they are observing what they are doing, etc., etc.....one of the issues is that they are using the bait company spotter planes for quantifying the biomass in the Bay...sorta like the fox minding the hen house.....anyways, time will tell if the new RIDEM Plan works

I can smell failure which hopefully should finally lead to banning the boats in the bay completely like all the other states.The guy in the plane can decide which way your season is going to go.I'm sure he gets gifts.This is RI.I am interested in trying figure out the way they think they can even calculate pounds of fish by spotting them overhead.Is there a math equation ? My guess is this.Bear with me but this is how I picture it.The pilot buys coffee.Pilot works for Pogy's-R-us .Pilot makes $$ off whatever is netted....Pilot is not a fisherman and is from another state.He flies over pods of bait.Says to pretty clueless guy" that looks like a half million pound baitball".I've been doing this for 50 years.Slow guy writes down .5 million pounds .Three days later they are up in the bay.The system is corrupt and there's a few groups that think it's ok for them to do what they are doing.I've heard fish kills this that bla bla bla.Fish die and the crabs and other creatures eat them.Three miles off shore these boats can do what ever they want.Stay out of our bay and take the squid busters with you.:wall:

one million pounds removed from biomass this week(4 days)=approx. 1.2 million individual menhaden scooped........

saw that this morning when i was fishing the breachway... at least someone was catching fish :smash:

This makes me sick,

We have so many problems in the world that we cannot control. This one is easy, ban these boats from the bay and let Narragansett Bay get back to normal. All the money that was spent digging the overflow tunnel to protect the upperbay from sewage overflows , then we go and let this practice disturb the natural cycle in the bay.

The spotter planes are common practice in the herring fishery. Usually the governing body of the state oversees the operation but it is usually still a commercial spotter doing the job.

There is no reason to get angry with the DEM officers. There really is not much they can do with a boat on the water. On the other hand, that catch is weighed somewhere.

went out on the Frances Fleet fluke fishing today and it was slowwwwww.
If the seiners trashed everything today and yesterday, that would explain it... :-P

its been SLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWW:uhuh:

save the pogies now.....eff the commercial take. $$$ wise it makes no sense. these few out of state outfits pay peanuts for the license (probably less than a vs reel) and recreactional fishermen add how much to the states economy??? millions i'm sure....time to end this bs.

A guy I work with was out on the bay and said they we selling them directly from their boat to your boat.

Great way to exceed the quota and make a few bucks on the side.:hs:

its not funny but its true .................................................. ..........................most of the people on the internet sites / bitch , & moan & groan about the pogie boats / pogie boats / pogie boats .
BUT in the off season . there are meetings held by DEM ..
they are all open meetings / some are to hash [stuff] around / some are the Marine fisheries counsel & others I don,t know whose actually running them ;;but they are ALL open meetings .
that,s the places you all should be doing the bitchin ;
There were changes made to the regulations to the commercial pogie fisheries . most relate to the size gear , indenifing & certifing the nets by the state . // also raising the level pof pogies in the bay until they reach 2 million pounds / otherwise this s $%^&* would have started earlier / also its now law that the DEM <> is suppose to watch them & the amout of pogies in the bay / & fishing would cease when the level went down to 1.5 million ## We have to stay on the states ass ...... ya see stuff [ make the call over & over .....you can bet you life / if they started getting 100,s of calls a day .... not just DEM ... but your rep/ counselmen / senator/ [governor] So we did make some progress .But it going to take numbers that will make the difference ........ that ,s what shakes up the political side of things ;;
You know who spends the most money & makes the most money ,, when the pogies are in ;;
That,s right >>>>>>>>>> the REC angler & the small businesses that make or break off sales related to fishing with pogies .... :fishin::fishin:

Guess WTF ........ @ 99% of the meetings ....... there are no straight [rec] only ; anglers @ any of the meetings . & if there is . they don,t say . #^&#^&#^&#^& S$%^&..

So to me . This same talk . every fu%^&*( year is getting real tired .

Its like .. Do you vote ??? F $%^&*( no .. it doesn,t matter >>>>>>>> then my reply is . then STFU you have no right to bitch ;

If 20% put your moaning & bitching into getting off your asses in the off season & bitchin @ the meetings . These boats wouldn,t be here today

have a good day :wall::wall:

So what your saying is we need to round up all of the fisherman in the off season and hit DEM meetings.We really should get serious here and start another thread.Ask for all members of this site to give up a few hours of the off season to try and make a difference.We'll need a group leader to keep us all informed of when and where the meetings are.We will also need some facts about neighboring states laws and the effect on the bay and the local economy.Wouldn't want to go in with no information.I for one would sign up to participate in this.I would like to think that from this site alone we could drum up a good size crowd and add a few more members.If we win and get the boats the eff out of the bay it would be a great accomplishment and we would all benefit from it.So who wants to run the show ? Who wants to get information and put it up here so we can print it and take it with us for ammo ?We could also start a petition. I am more than willing to give this a shot.A little information goes a long way.Who else would like to get involved ?

BTW Clammer thanks for the information.Even if it's in clam I understand.I still owe you a few bucks for the S-B sticker.Got anymore ?





its not funny but its true .................................................. ..........................most of the people on the internet sites / bitch , & moan & groan about the pogie boats / pogie boats / pogie boats .
BUT in the off season . there are meetings held by DEM ..
they are all open meetings / some are to hash [stuff] around / some are the Marine fisheries counsel & others I don,t know whose actually running them ;;but they are ALL open meetings .
that,s the places you all should be doing the bitchin ;
There were changes made to the regulations to the commercial pogie fisheries . most relate to the size gear , indenifing & certifing the nets by the state . // also raising the level pof pogies in the bay until they reach 2 million pounds / otherwise this s $%^&* would have started earlier / also its now law that the DEM <> is suppose to watch them & the amout of pogies in the bay / & fishing would cease when the level went down to 1.5 million ## We have to stay on the states ass ...... ya see stuff [ make the call over & over .....you can bet you life / if they started getting 100,s of calls a day .... not just DEM ... but your rep/ counselmen / senator/ [governor] So we did make some progress .But it going to take numbers that will make the difference ........ that ,s what shakes up the political side of things ;;
You know who spends the most money & makes the most money ,, when the pogies are in ;;
That,s right >>>>>>>>>> the REC angler & the small businesses that make or break off sales related to fishing with pogies .... :fishin::fishin:

Guess WTF ........ @ 99% of the meetings ....... there are no straight [rec] only ; anglers @ any of the meetings . & if there is . they don,t say . #^&#^&#^&#^& S$%^&..

So to me . This same talk . every fu%^&*( year is getting real tired .

Its like .. Do you vote ??? F $%^&*( no .. it doesn,t matter >>>>>>>> then my reply is . then STFU you have no right to bitch ;

If 20% put your moaning & bitching into getting off your asses in the off season & bitchin @ the meetings . These boats wouldn,t be here today

have a good day :wall::wall:

i'm with you adam...

There are a few guys on this site that can post when & where meetings are being held .
they arn,t always in the same place .

SB stickers ....... Ya all have been pounding the Boss Man for 2 years ........ I don,t have the contact or the info on where he had them made .

I,ll do all the mailing & stuff but someone has to light a fire & get a rerun of them . I remember that during the winter there was a thread on a new design /logo .But as has been the case NADA was done ;;:devil2:

So your saying you want to be the guy who informs the group of when and where the meetings will be ? All you'll have to do is post a thread with the info and we'll see if we can get the boss to sticky it.Once we get a roster of who would participate we can make sure everyone see's the post through PM's,E-mail or phone.:)

So we need to hear from the boss about stickers.I'd be willing to donate some $$ into a sticker fund as long as I get one or two.


There are a few guys on this site that can post when & where meetings are being held .
they arn,t always in the same place .

SB stickers ....... Ya all have been pounding the Boss Man for 2 years ........ I don,t have the contact or the info on where he had them made .

I,ll do all the mailing & stuff but someone has to light a fire & get a rerun of them . I remember that during the winter there was a thread on a new design /logo .But as has been the case NADA was done ;;:devil2:

If any of you could get some pictures of stripers being thrown off the net boats they would sure go a long way during quote show n tell at those meetings.Ron

Why the off season ?

It could be to late to implement any changes during the off season. Now is the time and not when it is convenient to you during the typical off season.

The off season will happen soon when the bass search for food and the pogies are not there.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Why the off season ?

It could be to late to implement any changes during the off season. Now is the time and not when it is convenient to you during the typical off season.

The off season will happen soon when the bass search for food and the pogies are not there.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

From what Clammer says the meetings are held then.I'm pretty sure your not going to be able to change the rules in place that are there until the season is over.So are you in ? The more people we have the better chance of making a difference we have.

The feds should look into this because I willing to bet people are getting paid off and/or making conflict of interest decisions.
Now that you have a fed fishing license your voice will have a greater impact.
Also the group of people involved with "stripers forever" should be notified to help this cause.
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RST

The meetings are held in the off season .. so & discussion and/or changes can be discussed prior to the next season beginning .

the only thing you can do now / is if you see something going on that you know is illegal //is call dem / again , & again // & again .

they have been around this year / & they are checking ...I got stopped coming back to port Weds & they check everything / licenses/ reg / safety equipment & all my fish & did search all my storage areas for anything that may have been hidden .

the DEM agent told me ... their concerns are . no RI or FED license & noting obeying the fishing reg, ...ie sizes & quanity . they said especially the scup quota ... rec & Commercial ..

Asafar as getting the Feds involved .. IMO what they have gotten involved in so far / they have F $%^&*( up or its heading that way ::::soon:

The feds should look into this because I willing to bet people are getting paid off and/or making conflict of interest decisions.
Now that you have a fed fishing license your voice will have a greater impact.
Also the group of people involved with "stripers forever" should be notified to help this cause.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

You know anyone in\from Stripers Forever that we can contact to try and get a wider group this information.Even a link to this thread may start a ball rolling....

A777

I have to pass on that one .. they are against R/R commercial fishing [stripers] & myself & adescent number of members on this site have commercial licenses in different states ;;:fishin:

i agree with the clamman on not getting stripers forever involved - although i share their goal in making stripers a gamefish, (i was a commercial fisherman in the '80's and helped contribute to the decline) i believe they may be a bit to radical. we need a ri based group to pull this off. my 2 cents.

That's a shame. Back when Stripers Unlimited was going the commercial guys still worked with those of us that were against comercial striper fishing for the good of the fish.A shame that the ethos of the buck has gotten so strong as to kill that. Ron

Ron
Bob Pond worked with us / & we all had/have:fishin: a common goal .

S/U takes it too far / soon they will be hooked up with PETA

Don . is also aware that with them it won,t end / If & when the striper is a game fish .. then they will have another agenda ...

IE / no trolling / no live bait // no f $%^&*() hooks

That,s my personal opinion ...mIKE

A guy I work with was out on the bay and said they we selling them directly from their boat to your boat.


And how many of the people buying the bait signed a no pogy boat petition...

The feds should look into this because I willing to bet people are getting paid off and/or making conflict of interest decisions.

Knowing some of the biologists at DEM overseeing this, thats a pretty %$%$%$%$ed up thing to accuse people of Vic.

You know anyone in\from Stripers Forever that we can contact to try and get a wider group this information.Even a link to this thread may start a ball rolling....

Keep S/F the hell away from it.
Pretty soon it will be 'no pogy fishing for anyone' meaning snagging.
I agree with mike, they are 1 step from PETA!

Do a quick search on the Salty Dogs. They were instrumental in getting the reduction boats out of Jersey State waters back in 2001 or 2002. No reason a group of passionate fishermen in Rhode Island couldn't do the same thing.

JF
Amen .that,s what my 1st post intended .....get involved / push the higher ups ... its the only way > again IMO MIKE:gh:

The meetings are held in the off season .. so & discussion and/or changes can be discussed prior to the next season beginning

As Clammer said, the Menhaden Advisory Panel mtgs are usually held in the off season; Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Council mtgs are usually held once a month....a wealth of information is available on RI Dept Of Environmental Management's website (Public Hrgs, info stuff, agendas, etc); just go to their Fish and Wildlife/ Marine Fisheries sub-section of the main web page.

My understanding is that the State is not doing a flyover till Friday for biomass assesment...may be too late to keep the 50% threshold (most people I know on the water think that has been far exceeded) available....same story as last year.

Alright scratch that idea of SF.Still a good amount of information coming out here.I'm looking into the other group and the hoops they had to jump through to make it happen.We still need more people on board with this.I'm all for involving other groups with the same interests as long as we can all agree on the same thing.I'm not for banning any fishing for bass or menhaden by rod and reel.Just the net boats charging in the bay and taking our resources without us having a say in anything.Right now they are just pulling the wool over our eyes with this new plan.Just enough to be able to take all they need while making us think they have a cap.Read what jmac just posted.That really is unacceptable.They are still taking and another assessment isn't until Friday.

...word on the bay(by pro fisherman out there ) is that over 2 million pounds of pogies removed this past week.......approx 2.4 million individual pogies.....thats a substancial forage base for bass & blues..gone...

Well Mike I hear what your saying. Thats one of the reason i joined some of these mega clubs so as to try to make sure the anti's don't get too carried away like the fly fishermen tried to do by making all hooks barbless so as to make releasing fish easie LOL. would have put many hook companys in a tight with machining and so on plus not all fisherman want to release what they catch.
Hopefully those issues won't take hold .There are still a lot of ways for us all to work for the stripers. Sometimes it means working with people that feel a little different on one side of the issue but the same on the problem that is at issue at the time like the glut of the poggie boats.I've done commercial netting up here in Maine yrs ago and lobstered and seen the glut and greed mentality at work. Takes a lot of work to gat past it. Ron

Hey Ron

Do the woman in the rural Maine backroads screw the same way as the city woman ???

Do they shave under their arms & legs >>>>:huh::huh:

Hey Ron

Do the woman in the rural Maine backroads screw the same way as the city woman ???

Do they shave under their arms & legs >>>>:huh::huh:

they respond to the pickup line - "nice tooth!"

stripers forever is a narcicistic bunch of to hell with you a all for me individuals. Back in the late 60's and early 70's there were pogies everywhere. They were not used for bait (striper) at all. I didn't use them until '70 and the first time I used them I had a group from East Bay Anglers for a charter and I got a call the day before asking if I wanted to try some live pogies. They said that the Warren and Barrington rivers were loaded with them. I said I didn't know but we would try them. They had a Trash barrel in the trunk of the car with a aerator in it and eight of the biggest pogies I have since ever seen. To make a long story short we caught 3 over 50 and 4 or five others over 40. And dropped a huge fish that was the first hooked up. And there was 3 fish that were hooked up after that one that came to gaff before that fish was dropped and we never got it close enough to eyeball. The point is that was in June and I did a little looking around and there was pogies in every inlet and harbor in Buzzard's bay. There is no seining in Buzzards bay. And for the last 10 or 15 years damn few pogies compared to back then. For a good month I could steam along horseneck beach on the way out in the morning and find a school to stop and load up with bait. And that was when the Tidewater fleet out of Md. and Va. were operating. The bait boats out of Fall river are not the cause of lack of pogies. Back in the eighties they used to fish the bay until labor day and beyond and there was plenty of pogies.

If Stripers Forever had their way there would be no bait fishing for bass at allo!

Obviously there is quite a process to get it from an idea to a bill and then passed into law.Takes tons of work and support.Anyone a member of RFA ? They really helped make it happen in NJ with support from a bunch of local groups.I don't want to knock RISAA but it's almost like they are accepting the rules as a victory and then ignoring the obvious exploiting.:wall:

Started live lining pogies '69-'70....with the likes of Jim Paterson, the Sevigny Brothers, Tom bartolomeo and George Simes...."other" refined utilization of whole pogies came shortly thereafter with the Jack Gouda era..............................what happens when local bait boats remove the existing pogies the spring early summer bay bass fishery suffers-plain and simple....no rocket science needed........................the huge Omega onslaught of Chessy region menhaden....is a major blunder......also........and the "Tiny Tim" huge purse seine of yester year killed the bay bass fishery in one or two net sets.....repeat-localize removal of bay/river pogies has a negative effect on the striped bass fishery......

TP

RICH /YA LEFT OUT QUITE A FEW OLD TIMERS ;;

DO YOU REMEMBER WACKY ROLAND TO NAME JUST ONE


&& THEN JM [not Joe] RJ / DF/ EJ/ TW/TD/

:buds:

& then the 3rd wave & finally the flood gates :wall:

The bait boats out of Fall river are not the cause of lack of pogies

No one is saying they are the problem in the BIG PICTURE.....that problems stems from the fishery down South. But when there are close to 4 million pounds (RIDEM stats) of menhaden the begining of the week, and then 2 boats work for 4 days, and then by the end of the week Bay fishermen are having problems finding bait, while one boat sits all morning at the Hurricane Barrier seining every school coming out of the Upper River with the tide....then I say, yes, there is a problem.

The heigthened pogie controversy this year really started 2 years ago....with the addition of another seiner (from Gloucester); for years the Fall River boat has worked together with the RI fishing community (not without some give and take); I don't believe he really needed to fill his boat every day. But with competition came the fear that one or the other were going to end up on the short end of the stick; so they seem to be racing each other to make sure they get their share....and damn anybody that get's in their way.....simple econonmics. And RIDEM, in their infinite wisdom, sits by trying to institute a plan that just can't work in an expeditionary fashion..because they are not on the water like the fishermen who see the dwindling stocks every day.
And with the removal of the bait, so go the bass/blues....I've seen it since 1974 in the Bay....it is such a basic, simple relationship.
In NJ, since the menhaden fishery was banned in the inshore Bays (I believe menhaden seining is not allowed within 3 miles of the coast line), their inshore bas/blue fishery is the best it's been in years...Cowhunter (from NJ) can attest to this.
So yes, the Bay menhaden seining is the problem...it's a"rite of passage" every spring ...

DO YOU REMEMBER WACKY ROLAND TO NAME JUST ONE

Clammer-
can't forget Gary...who made us all laugh with his wacky behavior...cracccccccccck.....there goes another rod.................

.......Don Gladou, Ray Jobin, Tommy Ditmar, Johnny Martini, even Bill Mancini...among others.............and........pogies should be multiple use species........keep the bait boats.....however....develope a bay sanctuary......no seining above a line from Poppaquash to Prov Point on Prudence Island to Warwick Light to Sandy Point Warwick(Green River)....just eliminate the localize elimination of menhaden in the upper bay and Prov River.........just give the !@#$%^&*()+ pogies a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is getting deeper already.I'm asking a few NJ guys on another forum for some more info.I think basically it's coming down to the boats are exploiting the rules and the areas.The share we are giving them is not being watched carefully enough and they are overfishing.From what I'm reading they are already taking more than they should this year but how does anyone really know until it's too late.Like last year.If it fails again this year we will really need to push for a new plan.Not just sit back and watch them rape the bay again.:wall:

develope a bay sanctuary......no seining above a line from Poppaquash to Prov Point on Prudence Island to Warwick Light to Sandy Point Warwick(Green River)....just eliminate the localize elimination of menhaden in the upper bay and Prov River

....such a simple solution that we have been suggesting since the 70's......then no more quotas, biomass speculation, "caps", "floors", other "voodoo" fisheries science...and most importantly, a little protection for the Upper Bay....and maybe a dissapearance of seiner/fishermen confrontations....

Mass has a bunch of closed areas look at their page..

good morning fisherman ;;

TP

think about it .you named 5 guys & 3 are actually dead .......................... get ready its coming ><><><>:soon:

Are they fishing where they are allowed to fish? If not make a formal complaint giving your name and number. If t hey are allowqed to fish where they are, not much anyone can do until fall.

JMAC

I didn,t forget him .........yeah there were laughs ............ but he,d probably be dead by now .. with his track record ;; of IOU,s & Screw you .........
You had to see him when he dug / I think he either threw overboard or smashed more than he made :jump1::jump1:

Clammer

New flares??????

If you fish out of Bolds Point,obey the no wake zone,EP harbor master giving out tickets like candy,to a tune of 150.00,now that will make your day.

Guess WTF ........ @ 99% of the meetings ....... there are no straight [rec] only ; anglers @ any of the meetings . & if there is . they don,t say . #^&#^&#^&#^& S$%^&..

So to me . This same talk . every fu%^&*( year is getting real tired .

Its like .. Do you vote ??? F $%^&*( no .. it doesn,t matter >>>>>>>> then my reply is . then STFU you have no right to bitch ;

If 20% put your moaning & bitching into getting off your asses in the off season & bitchin @ the meetings . These boats wouldn,t be here today




You are 100% correct. Here in NY it is the Marine Resource Advisory Council. They hold monthly meetings and are the DEC's eyes and ears on regulations.

I won't lie saying the meetings are not boring as hell because some are. Some are interesting though and there is a lot to be learned by going to these things.

I make them when I can, especially if something important is coming up, but they have them at 2 pm on Tuesdays. Not very job friendly, unless you are a comm guy. These meetings are filled with them and sometimes I am the only rec in the house. Not cool at all.

Each meeting, and I am sure it is the same with your DEM meetings, has a public comment period. They are very important and the board can sometimes base their decision due to these comments.

Get to these meetings, get up and say something and you will be doing your part to fix what is broken.

..,,Clamma,,,,,,,,,pine box with bas-relief carved pogies being chased by open mouth corker striper.....with a pen/ink scene of a seine boat in the far distance down by the Homestead............:rotf2::fishin:..taking orders now

DENIS:

I went the next day .flares accomplished // looked all over wacky world for something to carry/protect my log book from the weather / water ;
Havn,t found anything yet ;:confused:

no pogies, no herring make Homer go crazy..... :smash::smash::smash::smash::smash:

This is what I got from Jersey guys.This is copied from their regulations.Seems the .6 nautical mile from shore is what makes it work.If we could implement the same type of rule into the existing set we have already it may even the playing field a bit more and keep the bait boats off the exploit areas.They still would be allowed to get bait in the bay.Just not set up at the pinch points.Have we tried to implement this in the past and failed.If so what was the theory.I would think that keeping them a safe distance from piers,docks,and local traffic would equal to safety and that being a high priority for DEM it really should be a no brainer.



SHIRRED OR PURSE SEINES FOR MENHADEN FOR BAIT
SEASON: January 1 to December 31.
AREA: Atlantic Ocean - between 0.6 and 3 nautical miles from shore, jetties or piers; Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook Bay - not closer than 0.6
nautical miles from shore, jetties or piers; Delaware Bay - that portion of Delaware Bay south and east of LORAN C line 42850 not closer than 0.6
nautical miles from shore, jetties or piers.
GEAR: Purse or shirred net.
SPECIAL RESTRICTION: Applicants must apply for a bait permit between January 1 and March 1 in every calendar year. No applications shall
be accepted after March 1 in any calendar year. Maximum length of vessel is 90 feet. Maximum length of net is 150 fathoms (900 feet). Removal
of fish from purse seine shall be by brailing or dip netting only. Fish pumps are prohibited aboard harvest vessels permitted to purse seine menhaden
for bait. All fishing and related activities may not occur any closer to the shore, jetties or piers than 0.6 nautical miles in the Atlantic Ocean,
Delaware Bay and Raritan and Sandy Hook bays. No fishing permitted between sunset and sunrise. No fishing permitted on Saturdays, Sundays or
any holiday officially observed by the State of New Jersey (New Year's Day, Martin Luther King's Birthday, Lincoln's Birthday, Washington's
11
Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Election Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day, and
Christmas Day). No stakes, markers, buoys, crab pots, lobster pots, fish pots, or staked shellfish grounds shall be disturbed by the act of fishing.
Possession of any fish other than menhaden is prohibited.
Any vessel engaged in fishing for Atlantic menhaden for bait must obtain a bait permit and shall display, on both sides of the vessel amidships, a
yellow capital letter "B" not less than five feet in height on a black square background not less that six feet on a side, or as otherwise specified in the
regulation. In all cases, however, each side of the black background shall be no less that three-quarters of the height of the gunwale at amidships
from the waterline.
A permit suspension/revocation schedule exists for violation of authorized fishing areas. Any vessel operating under this permit is required to
notify the Division’s Marine Enforcement Unit (609-748-2050) on a daily basis of the identity of the vessel, the intended fishing locations of the
vessel or any change in intended fishing location prior to the onset of fishing activity. All persons licensed to take Atlantic menhaden for bait
purposes only shall keep and submit accurate records of the amount and location of Atlantic menhaden harvested.
FEE: Based upon gross tonnage - range $20-$700.

These are the areas permanently closed currently.Anyone have a map outlining these places to make viewing easier.This would be the only section we would need to get changed to fit goals we are looking to accomplish.If we keep the current system in effect using the "floor" that DEM has established and the 50% rule.Plus add a new rule to keep them out of the upper reaches it could work for both sides of the game.They would still be able to net bait.We would still see gamefish and be able to benefit from the bait also.Anyone know of any RI shops that get fresh pogy's from any of the bait boats ? I read somewhere that ARK bait was in good with some bait shops.




16.2.6 Permanent Closures -- The following areas are permanently closed to purse seining for menhaden:
Providence River
- In the Providence River, all waters north of a line along the hurricane barrier.
- All waters east of the east line of the Providence River navigation channel, south to the northwest corner of the Getty fuel dock on the East Providence shore in the Boyden Heights area.
- On a line from Pomham Rocks to Sabin Pt. and then along a line to BP thence along a line from BP to the tower at Nayatt Point.
- On the west side of Providence River, all of Pawtuxet Cove and all waters inside the dike.
- All waters in the Fields Point area north of a line running from Arnold Ave. on the West Shore to C"39" on the east thence running north to the easternmost extreme tip of Fields Point.
Greenwich Bay
- All waters in Greenwich Bay west of a line from the flag pole on Warwick Point to Sandy Point.
- All waters of Potowomut River west of a line from Marsh Point to Pojac Pt.
West Bay Area:
- All waters of Allen Harbor west of a line running north and south from the easternmost point of land forming Allen Cove.
- All waters west of a line drawn between the towers marking the entrance to Wickford Harbor.
East Bay Area:
- All waters of the Warren River, Barrington River and Palmer River, north of a line running from Rumstick Point through N"2" to the seaward end of Gibson Road at Bristol Highlands.
- All waters of Bristol Harbor north of a line from the end of Johnston Estate Road through R"6" to the Bristol shore on the east at approximately the seaward end of Franklin Street.
- All waters of the Kickemuit River north of a line running from N"6" through N"4" to the shore at the end of Narrows Road in Bristol.
- In the Sakonnet River all waters bounded on the north by the Swing Bridge and on the south by "Stone Bridge" including the waters of Spectacle Cove.
RI Marine Fisheries Statutes and Regulations
Part XVI -- Menhaden Regulations
Page 7 of 8
- All the waters of Nannaquaket Pond south of the bridge to Nannaquaket Neck.
Southern Bay Area:
- All waters of Dutch Harbor south and east of a line from the westernmost end of Orchard Road on Conanicut Island to the Quay on the northeastern shore of
Dutch Island. Thence along the eastern shore to Dutch Island Light then easterly to N"2" and then to the most northerly tip of Beaverhead Dock.
- The waters in the area of "Melville" south of a line running from the end of the breakwater to the easternmost point of Dyer Island and thence to Carr Point.
- In Newport Harbor, south and east of a line from the western end of the breakwater in Coasters Harbor south to the southeastern tip of Rose Island thence southerly to C"1" thence east to G"3" to the northern tip of Goat Island, thence south along the east shore of Goat Island to the southern tip of Goat Island and then west to the northernmost tip of Fort Adams.

I also believe there is a closed season (before July 15) in the West Passage (Wickford, High Banks, Potters Cove, etc); there was talk about giving up East Greenwich Bay (ever since the change that made it off limits, no pogies seem to go there anymore...almost like fate intervened..bad fate), as a tradeoff to get the upper Bay closed (Conimicut Pt. North), but Arc Bait/ Advisory Panel/RIDEM would not go along with it....this area makes the season for the seiners. Beleive me, the bait seiners don't want to go up there if they don't have to (fishing boats, confrontations/tanker traffic, fuel costs, etc) but that's where the bait is driven (warmer water, more nutrients, by gamefish-natural fish trap); it would be much easier for them to stay near port (Upper Mt. Hope Bay).

It is an interesting situation the way New York handles it; no seining in LI Sound/Jamaica Bay/NY Harbor. The tackle shops get all their bait from individual commercial cast netters; there probaly is about 75 guys doin' it for a living. They supply the shops with fresh, nice bait, make a nice, little living...and no adverse effect on the menhaden biomass...everybody's happy...and believe me there is oodles and oodles of pogies there (been there, done that).

What I'm thinking is we'll get some pictures of these boats in places they really don't belong.Try to catch them off guard just enough in the areas we don't want them to exploit and explain they don't belong there.Considering they have the right of way and set up in some rather tight spot may be enough to make a case for some of the spots along the Prov River.Outside the barrier.Anyone fish there regularly enough to get pictures of them midset ? I've never stepped foot in a RI shop that claimed they got the fresh ones in the cooler from ARK bait.So I can say I've never benefited from the bait boats.NY sounds like they got it made.If all we had were cast netters that were supplying the local shops we'd have plenty enough to go around.Who supplies the NY lobster fleet with bait ?The same netters or do they go elsewhere ?

Who supplies the NY lobster fleet with bait ?The same netters or do they go elsewhere

Lobster fishermen have traditionally used herring; herring quotas took a deep hit this year (45%??)...anyways, that's why the demand for menhaden as bait has risen....its relatively cheap, plentiful (the Southern reduction fleet is what puts the pressure on menhaden)...mackeral is also used as bait...the NY lobster fleet is small (300 boats, maybe). Most of the menhaden used in NY, NJ, DL is caught off the NJ ocean front during the summer (it is amazing the amount of menhaden off the NJ shoreline-up to 10 miles offshore)...usually Ark Bait moves their operations to NJ when the Bay is fished out.

its not funny but its true .................................................. ..........................most of the people on the internet sites / bitch , & moan & groan about the pogie boats / pogie boats / pogie boats .
BUT in the off season . there are meetings held by DEM ..
they are all open meetings / some are to hash [stuff] around / some are the Marine fisheries counsel & others I don,t know whose actually running them ;;but they are ALL open meetings .
that,s the places you all should be doing the bitchin ;
There were changes made to the regulations to the commercial pogie fisheries . most relate to the size gear , indenifing & certifing the nets by the state . // also raising the level pof pogies in the bay until they reach 2 million pounds / otherwise this s $%^&* would have started earlier / also its now law that the DEM <> is suppose to watch them & the amout of pogies in the bay / & fishing would cease when the level went down to 1.5 million ## We have to stay on the states ass ...... ya see stuff [ make the call over & over .....you can bet you life / if they started getting 100,s of calls a day .... not just DEM ... but your rep/ counselmen / senator/ [governor] So we did make some progress .But it going to take numbers that will make the difference ........ that ,s what shakes up the political side of things ;;
You know who spends the most money & makes the most money ,, when the pogies are in ;;
That,s right >>>>>>>>>> the REC angler & the small businesses that make or break off sales related to fishing with pogies .... :fishin::fishin:

Guess WTF ........ @ 99% of the meetings ....... there are no straight [rec] only ; anglers @ any of the meetings . & if there is . they don,t say . #^&#^&#^&#^& S$%^&..

So to me . This same talk . every fu%^&*( year is getting real tired .

Its like .. Do you vote ??? F $%^&*( no .. it doesn,t matter >>>>>>>> then my reply is . then STFU you have no right to bitch ;

If 20% put your moaning & bitching into getting off your asses in the off season & bitchin @ the meetings . These boats wouldn,t be here today

have a good day :wall::wall:




Thanks Mike. I was just about to say the same thing. Where were all you guys that are bitching and moaning????
There were 3 of us at the meeting: MYSELF, MIKE (CLAMMER) and VIC (THROWING TIMBER).
The meeting was at night. It was listed here on this board. Yet 3 of use showed up. YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY GUYS FROM ARC BAIT WERE THERE????

Bunch of f***ing hypocrits on here. You are all bitching now because the pogy boats are taking all the pogies Waaaa waaa! Like Mike says if some of you would get off your asses and help maybe we could be heard but not when there are 30 or 40 of the pogy boat guys and 3 of us.:fury::fury::fury::fury::fury::fury::fury:

Pogies are not cheap considering in the eighties they were 12.00 per barrel. What are they now? Lobsters were paying 3.00 a lb. roughly and now thay aren't much more. As long as yo-yoing is legal I'll never side with the bass guys and I made my living catching bass for 20 years!

Cut me a little slack.I'm trying to rattle some chains.Maybe form a group.I also responded on the other site.Same guy.:wall:



So what your saying is we need to round up all of the fisherman in the off season and hit DEM meetings.We really should get serious here and start another thread.Ask for all members of this site to give up a few hours of the off season to try and make a difference.We'll need a group leader to keep us all informed of when and where the meetings are.We will also need some facts about neighboring states laws and the effect on the bay and the local economy.Wouldn't want to go in with no information.I for one would sign up to participate in this.I would like to think that from this site alone we could drum up a good size crowd and add a few more members.If we win and get the boats the eff out of the bay it would be a great accomplishment and we would all benefit from it.So who wants to run the show ? Who wants to get information and put it up here so we can print it and take it with us for ammo ?We could also start a petition. I am more than willing to give this a shot.A little information goes a long way.Who else would like to get involved ?

BTW Clammer thanks for the information.Even if it's in clam I understand.I still owe you a few bucks for the S-B sticker.Got anymore ?

There were 3 of us at the meeting: MYSELF, MIKE (CLAMMER) and VIC (THROWING TIMBER).


At the Menhaden Advisory Panel mtg in Jan., there were approx.20-25 guys (I was there)...at the Public Hearing, I think I was the only one there....I pushed for the 2 million pound floor (originally RIDEM wanted 1 million) and got the Marine Fisheries Council to pass that....there were guys there for the Fluke Sector Program, Gillnetters and a few guys from RICRRA...nobody else that I knew (Clammer may have been there)

Like Mike says if some of you would get off your asses and help maybe we could be heard but not when there are 30 or 40 of the pogy boat guys and 3 of us.

there was only 4 guys from Ark Bait....nobody from Gloucester's Group Lakeman (Taylor Pt/Ugly Duck)....

At the Menhaden Advisory Panel mtg in Jan., there were approx.20-25 guys (I was there)...at the Public Hearing, I think I was the only one there....I pushed for the 2 million pound floor (originally RIDEM wanted 1 million) and got the Marine Fisheries Council to pass that....there were guys there for the Fluke Sector Program, Gillnetters and a few guys from RICRRA...nobody else that I knew (Clammer may have been there)

Thanks for showing man.I wish I knew then what I know now.Do you have any idea on how they came to 1million pound floor.

Thanks for showing man.I wish I knew then what I know now.Do you have any idea on how they came to 1million pound floor.

RIDEM "modeling"...or should I say "science"......

......catch 'em up---------beyond the 50%(like last year with a virtual 100% removal, a repeat in the making for 2010)-------then move north & south along the coast.....give the pogies needed bay/river sanctuaries---instant replay in the making............the :biglaugh: is on the pogies...unfortunately.........:uhuh:..gonna be a 2 vessel race until this Friday,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,:wall:

.............recreational & commercial utilization of the Bay menhaden resource is honorable..............however, the pogies need a break in the form of sanctuaries........real time areas such as the Prov River etc. .......................thats all.....................common sense

I fish south of the PR this morning but I got a call that said there was 1 small school and 30 boats on them. Insanity I say!!!

Pogies will be the next herring. Let the moratorium begin.

The RIMFAC used to meet the first Monday of every month. You can look up the agenda for the coming meeting on the DEM website abd also see the minutes of the previous meeting.