I got this earlier today...
 

Those netting bastages down in Jersey... I'm on a mailing list of a New Jersey tackle shop. I know that area has been fighting hard to stop the inshore netting that's going on but we don't see so much of it up here, I figured I give us northeners a peak:

This is from Betty & Nick's Bait & Tackle in Jersey...:
And a follow up message that came shortly after... That is just TOO much. Now we have a problem up here with the bunker boats that does not last long because it only takes a couple days to net them all but these Jersey guys have ALL KINDS of netting going on. Just imagine if a boat parked off the end of the canal to catch everything the tide dumps out....
:mad:

No, but you can find drift nets at the opening of the West Wall parallel to the beach at certain times of the year.

I was a comm. clam digger in the great south bay on Long Island for 10 years in the 70's. What I saw (netting in bays)would break your heart. I saw giant schools of weakfish breeding in the flats not 3' deep and commerical netters surrounded them and took every last one pre-spawn. They filled the cockpit of a 45' open bay boat so the the netter was hip deep in roe-filled weakfish. They dropped the price to .15 /lb. 15 cents! I would have paid 15 cents a pound to let them spawn. What a waste.
I started attended state reg. meetings for fishing for about the next 10 years. Whatabunch of fools. I went to most striped bass reg meeting in the 80s and attended many from MD to MA. When you look at the "voting board" you see sportsman are outnumbered in most states. You have netters screaming that typical responses like "you can't prevent me from taking my fish....MY dad fished, My grand dad and you can't stop me from making a living..blah blah blah" The sportsmen say their part, and demonstrate the impact to local economies and make a case for reasonable limits for sportsman that should not impact the charter boats and tackle shops. The biologists make there point about the breeding stocks and the state of the water quality at various locals in the bays and rivers in MD and the Hud. I suppose the biologists speaks on behalf ovf the fish.

I see the need for reg's (bag limits and size limits) but frankly after all the bull#^&#^&#^&#^& talk, if you simply take the price off the fish's head, and keep the waters clean, you will have a resource that lasts forever.

I feel there should be NO netting in bays or along any coast within 1 mile. You have to give the chance for the fish to feed and reproduce. Just because we have the technology to take every last fish does not mean we should. When I hear comm guys complaining how poor the fishing is....My response is, it is your own damn fault. Most of these guys blame sport fishermen for their problems. can you believe it? I stopped going to the meetings because it made me too upset. If you ever want to get pissed off, attend a state reg meeting when it comes to limiting sport and comm catches.

That's ridiculous. Give them an inch, they take a mile. They have the whole ocean to destroy and they choose the shore. This is why we need to shut down all netting. That way, the DEP, DEC, whatever sees a net, it gets confiscated and their boat. No measure to the shore. Just shut it all down. I often think to myself. Some of these netters have kids. Can't they see what they are doing to their kid's future?

Sandman, I have been to a few in recent years - not as many as you - and sounds exactly the same as what goes on now. Threats, accusations, and generall stupidity. But it just does not take a rocket scientist to realize that if you take too much fish from the sea - you'll run out. Personally, I'm for more stringent regs on recreational and far more stringent on commercial. Not just the bass but on the forage fish too.

Did you see that Discover Magazine article on the Menhaden a month or so ago?

yeah, remember when those big bunker where EVERYWHERE? I can't tell you when the last time I used my large snagging hook to snag a bunker. friggin sad.

Did you see the methods they used to catch nearly every last one. I hope they come back, IMO it is one of the reason the big bass are not running up the bays anymore.

I saw something recently that showed helocopter drop nets that catch every last friggin fish in the school.

There was something to be said about the traps that caught and kept alive nearly all the fish. Netters had to go though each fish and toss back (alive) those that were trash fish or did meet the regs. (too much work , and too much maintence)

Have you ever seen a book called "mens lives" it is about the baymen and striped bass netting along the south shore of long island where they use to row a boat from the beach and drop the net as they go, turn and go along the beach for a while then head back in. These guys could wipe out anything that came down the beach...I will post a couple pictures of this sad industry.
And this behavior when on through the 1980's! this was not some good-ol-days 1930's or 40's thing.

haul-seining...I guess it is still done today. I thought it was banned years ago.

take a look at these pics: "Haul Seine Horror Show "

go to:

http://www.noreast.com/personalpage.cfm

lower left of the page as a little show I am sure will make your blood boil.

That was also from the 70's but I think until recently, they were still doing that on Long Island. There was an uproar a couple years back when the Piano Man was trying to help the one or two families that still seigned keep seigning regardless of the local laws at the time. I forget all of the particulars but many embers were riled up about that...

It should pi$$ people off but one thing to remember before all of the nasty grams start - that was 30 years ago. Half of you weren't born and most of the rest (like me) were soiling diapers...

What still gets me is the fact there are still too many loopholes open that allow such waste to happen, not only with stripers, but that is the fish we are most associated with. That was a huge amount of poundage netted - I forget how much. But easily that many get killed in a day and sometimes tossed overboard dead - just as bycatch. :mad:

Never did sit well with me Catching and releasing 28" 30" 32"36" Limits while folks down south could take their limit 10 @ 18".
All the Grand Father Licenses should be "PULLED".
Later:mad: