Hook restrictions on Striped Bass
 

MarineFisheries Advisory

October 11, 2011



NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS:

HOOK AND LINE GEAR RESTRICTIONS IN THE STRIPED BASS FISHERY

MANDATING CIRCLE HOOKS AND PROHIBITING “YO-YO” RIGS


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Under the provisions of M.G.L. Ch 30A and pursuant to the authority found in M.G.L. Ch. 130 ss. 17A & 80, the Division of Marine Fisheries (MarineFisheries) and the Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission (MFC) have scheduled two public hearings to accept comments on proposed changes to 322 CMR 6.07. To promote the conservation of the striped bass resource by reducing the discard mortality associated with certain hook and line gears, the Division of Marine Fisheries is proposing the following actions:



Mandate the use of circle hooks. Traditional “J” hooks are often swallowed by striped bass causing internal damage and increasing discard mortality. Circle hooks have demonstrated the ability to hook the fish in the mouth and thereby decrease discard mortality rates. Consequently, MarineFisheries is proposing to require both recreational and commercial fishermen fishing for or in possession of striped bass to use circle hooks when fishing with whole or cut natural bait.
Prohibit the use yo-yo rigs. “Yo-Yo” rigs and other similar gear that use natural baits rigged with embedded weights not attached to the terminal tackle increase discard mortality when striped bass swallow the bait and the associated weight. MarineFisheries is proposing to prohibit the use of this gear by both recreational and commercial fishermen.


Two public hearings have been scheduled:

November 29, 2011 at 6 PM at the CoCo Key Hotel and Water Resort, 50 Ferncroft Road, Danvers, MA 01923.

November 30, 2011 at 6 PM at the Radisson Hotel Plymouth Harbor, 180 Water Street, Plymouth, MA 02360.



Public comments will be accepted until 5PM on December 2, 2011. Please e-mail all public comments to marine.fisheries@state.ma.us or jared.silva@state.ma.us or send to 251 Causeway Street, Suite 400, Boston, MA 02114.

For further information please contact Jared Silva by phone (617-626-1534) or through e-mail (jared.silva@state.ma.us), or visit our website (Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries). You may obtain a copy of the draft regulations here.

You forgot this part

Prohibit the use yo-yo rigs. “Yo-Yo” rigs and other similar gear that use natural baits rigged with embedded weights not attached to the terminal tackle increase discard mortality when striped bass swallow the bait and the associated weight. MarineFisheries is proposing to prohibit the use of this gear by both recreational and commercial fishermen.

This will be like putting a band-aid on a severed leg.

...Because gut hooked bass are the reason for deteriorated stocks...can't be the worthless recreational and commercial regulations. Morons.

x2
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The hook manufacturers will sue the gubberment to stop banning the use of most of their products........$$$$$$$$

Obviously making people switch to circle hooks for bait is a bad thing. You'll never be able to catch a fish ever again right?

They do nothing, people bitch. They do something, people bitch. Who are the morons again?

Be serious!
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I use circle hooks, silly goose.

Something isn't always better than nothing. Now they can say "see, we are taking steps to preserve the species" even though this potential regulation is relatively meaningless in the grand picture.

If they really see problems with the striped bass stocks, they'd move to a one fish per day standard.

They should just move towards a tag system and be done with it. Buy your license and receive 5 tags. Direct, quantitative evidence to how many fish really are being killed with a simple way of managing how many are taken out of the water. Enough screwing around.

Or, the price of circle hooks go through the roof to make up for lost sales.
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That's great - piss on a positive step, and counter with something ridiculous.

Likwid is right (I can't believe I just said that) - you guys piss and moan when nothing is done, and bitch even louder when something is proposed.

Ban hooks all together
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Not nearly as ridiculous as 2@28" and the people that take their limit as often as possible.

This will have zero effect on the systemic problems plaguing the species.

go wash your mouth out with some herring chum....


I don't love this step, but would adapt if needed.

I'd still rather see 1@36".

Taking less fish is not a ridiculous suggestion towards saving the stocks. The problem isn't gut hooked bass, it's over fishing by recs and coms. Hook management seems like a terrible waste of time. Are we really having this argument?

On point Bryan. 1 36" is part of the answer.

That law would be impossible to enforce.

Simply lower the kill.

This proposal has been hanging around for awhile.. it's nothing new...at least it is a tiny step in the right direction.. that direction being something to cut down mortality... I personaly dont like them ( circle hooks) for eel fishing, but would accept it.. If I can use them for live lining Macks.. I guess I can figure out how to cut down on my losses using eels...

My biggest problem with a mandate is.. what is next... one single barbless hook on a plug.. the stopping of using any dead or live bait... or maybe a complete moratorium..unfortunatly politics always gets involved, the real issues lost in red tape as user groups fight each other rather than putting their energy into the real issue of sustaining a healthy population while maintaining an on going fishery..

You can bet Groups like Green peace and PETA are waching this closely... they would like nothingmore than to shut down yet another out door activity..

I'd still like to see a state/nation wide slot limit myself and 1 fish per angler..

I'm pretty sure they banned J hooks in the Gulf and those guys aren't hurting. They have the right mindset down there when it comes to conservation...

Don't they have a pretty good management system down there though? Unlike the impotent ASMFC.

I'd imagine the ban on J hooks down there is just one part of a broader, more effective approach to conservation.

Where as our regulators have an approach of "what is the maximum we can allow them to take before the striped bass stocks collapse?" Conservation isn't part of the regulatory mentality up here... it's not a part of many fishermen's mentality either though.

Yes, the whole system, mentality is very pro-active down there. A lot of the regs wouldn't fly with the fishermen up here. BTW, I agree with most of what you've said...

so many issues , when i fish live bait i use nothing but circle hooks with great success but a circle hook not fished properly will cause more damage , bigger issues are trawler bycatch , poaching breaders prespawn , omega killing every pogie that swims , comm fishing highgrading , ect. , that said i am in favor of a 1 fish limit but how about some help on the larger issues .

New #^&#^&#^&#^& Tracy Hook for striped Bass,

Give up ALL hooks.......

And say hello to "Down-easter hand-fishing"!
It can be done from shore or from boat!
Find breaking fish and jump on in!!!

Seems like addressing the hook aspect now is like closing the barn door after the horse has gone, and the barn has burned down!

I also like the "bandaid on severed limb: comparison too!

Because most are a bunch of whiny little ........ :rotf2:

"They" need to get off their high horse and do something.

Whiny little silly gooses?

Will a circle hook function properly on a tube n worm rig???

And if you attach the weight on a Yo-Yo rig to the terminal gear with Braided line then it will be legal to Yo-Yo ?

There is a link on my first post to send them your comments. PLEASE DO!! and be nice

Well played sir.

Would be nice if there were real fishermen on the DMF advisory board so that some effective steps towards managing the fishery would be put on the table... Who are these people and what are their qualifications? Scientists? Political appointees? What is their agenda? This is the best they can come up with? If this were a corporation that answered to shareholders, the advisory board would be out on their azzes with this proposal.....

I believe you will see a more restrictive catch limit next year. Rumors are flying. I'm thinking 1 fish but they will keep it at 28" for the masses that don't know how to fish.

That's high class, expensive whiting chum these days, sir.

And you're absolutely right about 1 @ 36" if you really want to bring the levels back up.

My point is this - circle hooks have been proven to decrease mortality, therefore good in my book.
There are certainly bigger problems out there - total catch, black market, poachers, Mid-Water trawler by-catch, draggers culling in the Carolinas - but this is one step that is easy to implement without hitting any one group too hard, and without hitting anyone in the pocketbook. This is one step, and there should be more.


And anyone that doesn't think this will make any difference, didn't see the sh*t show that went on at P-town 3 seasons ago.

Good luck tubing with a circle hook..............

At least in RI, the proposal was for circle with live and dead bait only...
didn't make it as far as this one....


Jay, excuse me....

While circle hooks may have their place for chunking they are virtually worthless for many other types of fishing. Try slow trolling live bait, fishing a tube, etc with a circle hook and see how that works out for you. My guess is the same crybabys who can't catch a fish now will be joined by the rest of us who won't be able to hook a fish. Try setting the hook when you get a hit.....works wonders.

Thought you'd get a chuckle.

I agree Jay, an easy step that will make a difference, but as you explained it is just a small drop in the huge bucket of problems. The changes that must be made to make THE difference in ensuring healthy future stocks are the ones that will hurt a lot of guys financially and they are just dancing around it because of the uproar it will cause.

And it is understandable, someone who makes part or all of their living off the species will not want to be told they can no longer fish it or can only fish it to an extent where it will not be profitable, but if we want to see these fish in the future something drastic has to be done.

Thats pretty much the same proposal in MA.....Whole or Chunked bait

Billfish tournaments all require circle hooks with bait, live or rigged.

I fished for Sailfish in FL and we "kited" live blue runners
We used nothing but circle hooks. Tally was 3 "sails" and 1 white marlin all on circle hooks
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