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Interesting article on Rec Cod Fishing in this morning's Bahstin Globe

Interesting article that everyone should read. There is a lot of valid stuff and a little he said she said and there's even some well I'm gonna take my ball & go home... I have my own beliefs on "what's fair" which are losely based on the data but still open to move when I hear stuff like this....

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/09..._supply+.shtml

Quote:

Sport fishing cuts cod supply

By Beth Daley, Globe Staff, 4/4/2002

MARSHFIELD - By 5 a.m. most days, bleary-eyed fishermen pile out of cars with New Jersey and Connecticut license plates in Green Harbor parking lots. In groups of six, they board charter boats and stake out a position with rod and reel.

Within two hours, the boats are working one of the world's most renowned fishing grounds, hooking cod after cod. The fish can get shin-deep on deck and the customers - all recreational fishermen - sometimes need help carrying coolers packed with fresh fillets off the boat.

They are catching so much cod, in fact, that regulators now see them as a major factor in the region's overfishing crisis.

At a time when hard-pressed commercial fishermen face strict limits on where they can fish and how many cod they can catch, charter boats are prospering from a loophole in fishing rules: They can go anywhere and catch as many fish as they want.

Nearly one-third of all the cod caught in the Gulf of Maine - the vast body of water stretching from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia - was taken by both charter boat customers and other sport fishermen in 2001. That figure is growing as cod stocks rebound from a vast cod stock collapse in the 1990s. In 1996, there were 413 charter boats allowed to fish for cod. By 2000 there were 610.

But now federal regulators are cracking down on all recreational cod fishing - not just charters - to comply with a federal judge's order to better control overfishing. As early as May 1, all New England sportsmen could face a larger minimum size on cod they can keep. Charter boats would be prohibited from their prime fishing grounds, and anglers on private boats could see the number of cod they're allowed to keep on trips reduced from 10 to 5.

Individual states also are proposing limits. Massachusetts officials want to increase size minimums and restrict charter boat customers to 15 fish each during the main fishing season.

The proposed rules pit recreational fishermen, who see the sea as an open public hunting ground, against New England's beleaguered commercial fishermen, who see it as their paycheck. Marshfield fisherman Ed Barrett is so angry at the vast amounts of fish he sees Green Harbor's charter boats bring in, he's documenting their trips - and he says their catch is even higher than regulators say.

''These guys are catching so many fish, they are taking them off the boats in U-Haul trailers,'' said Barrett. ''Here I am, I can't go fishing for my livelihood.''

Charter boat captains have a far different view. They say stricter rules would devastate not only their businesses but dozens of motels, coffee shops, and restaurants the fishermen frequent. Some afternoons, most of the customers at Marshfield's Compass Rose Restaurant are recreational fishermen. So entrenched is cod in the fishing business in town, a charter boat company even opened a Cod Lodge.

Ninety percent of Green Harbor's charter fishing business is from out-of-staters, virtually all of whom come for the ''no-limit'' rule. Wesley Cure, a ruddy South Jersey clammer, caught 13 fish last week. ''We wouldn't drive 600 miles if there is any limit,'' he said. ''We come here for as many fish as we can get.''

For centuries, New England was sustained by cod. The succulent white-fleshed fish was both a daily dinner staple and the driving force behind the region's economy. The region's cod fishermen were the stuff of legend - defying weather and odds to haul rope nets full of the fish.

But commercial fishermen - and technology - got too good at finding the vast schools of fish. Armed with sonar, bigger nets and, in some cases, enormous boats, they began emptying the sea faster than the cod could reproduce. By the early 1990s, cod stocks had collapsed - not only for commercial fishermen, but for the hundreds of thousands of recreational anglers in New England too. Since then, commercial fishermen have faced a wide web of restrictions: They are banned from thousands of miles of the ocean and the size of their catch and their nets is limited .

Charter and party boats, however, were never similarly limited. For years, sport fishing was largely ignored by fishery managers because commercial fishermen caught many more fish.

As the cod population collapsed in the 1990s, many charter boats went out of business. But cod stocks have begun to rebound, and the charter business - still largely unregulated - is surging back. Sport fishing is now responsible for a growing portion of the total fish landed.

Angling for cod may not spark the same passion as hooking a feisty tuna, but it has always been a popular sport. Even in chilly March and April on the open sea, fishermen brave the elements to catch what can be 50-pound cod.

On Tom DePersia's Big Fish III charter boat in Green Harbor, most customers are diehard fishermen like Cure or Raphael Burke, a New Jersey charter boat captain. Burke left his fishing job on a recent Monday to go fishing in Massachusetts Tuesday ''because that's what we love to do,'' he said. DePersia charges $1,140 for a party of six to go out on the ''six-pack'' boat, bait and tackle included, and he's booked almost every day of the week. Most of the increase in charter boats is with six-packs; boats with more than six people have much stricter safety and liability guidelines.

The boats leave the harbor for the region's richest fishing grounds, most of which are closed to commercial boats. As fishermen stand in front of a rod and reel tethered to the boat, they lower a hook, or maybe two, into a school of fish below and start reeling in. By the end of the day, the fish is filleted by a boat mate and placed in a cooler filled with ice for the drive home.

In Marshfield, the charter business is so brisk that commercial fishermen have begun to wonder if some of that catch is being illegally sold. DePersia has taken to placing signs on the boats reminding customers that they have to consume the fish they catch. But with charter boats sometimes hauling in 600-800 pounds a day, commercial fishermen are raising questions about how many fish someone can stack in a freezer.

''We're only allowed to catch 400 pounds a day and we sell that,'' says John Haviland, a Green Harbor commercial fishermen. ''You are telling me that six people on a boat are catching 100 pounds of fish each and taking it home for dinner?''

Federal officials say they don't know exactly how much cod recreational fishermen catch, because data fluctuate widely and are largely based on self-reporting or imperfect surveys. But regulators say it doesn't matter: As cod stocks struggle to rebound, recreational fishermen of all types are taking too many fish.

''It's just not possible to deal with the overall fishing problem, especially cod, without looking at recreational fishing anymore,'' said Teri Frady, a spokeswoman for the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Some charter captains agree that modest regulations are appropriate. Up in Gloucester and Newburyport, charter boat captains tend to cater more to locals, and say a catch limit around 15 is fair. Many party boats - those large charters that take 30 to 40 people - already have self-imposed fish limits for customers.

But charter captains like DePersia, who cater to out-of-staters, are lobbying hard to keep the regulations minimal. DePersia says he would accept an increase in the size of fish he can catch - but not any limit on the number. ''If they limit what these guys can take,'' he said, ''why, that's like putting a $1,000 limit on what you can win at Foxwoods. Who would come?''

Hey JohnR,
Very interesting article. I do agree that there should be limits on all involved, but I also feel that the destruction of the big nets and draggers hasn't helped either. I personally think they should make it a hook and line fishery and that might prevent alot of the problems in the long run and help sustain the fishery. Just my 2 cents. those big nets take more than just cod in them which the article doesn't happen to mention!!!! If they are all hook and lined fish at least they know if they are legal size and can be released if not, and no other species are harmed.

I Agree... The only question I have on the hook & line, rec or comm, is that when a cod is caught from very deep water, does it have a good chance of survival when released ?

I have been on and seen 6 pack charters where there were a lot of cod taken. I quite frankly don't agree with people keeping that much fish. I like to take some home myself , but 6 fillets are plenty, unless you want to eat fish every day of the week.

Thats an interesting point John. I have seen many come up with their inside coming out of their mouths.

Specialist - I've seen that too and that's why I wonder about...

I don't think the 6 pack charters should have a loophole with cart blanche access. I think there fares should be subject to the same limits as recs but not necessarily have areas closed to them...

That's my take on it...

JohnR & Specialist, I don't know what would happen with the bladder coming up on the fish, I have seen on some of the fishing show, how they will poke the bladder with a needle and then release the fish. This way the fish will return to the bottom and be OK.

How many fish do you think come up in a big dragger net from deep water and have there bladder in their throat. Also all of the other species that they may be picking up as by catch which end up dead because of all the weight in the net. At least if you are catching one or two at a time you have time to at least puncture the bladder on the smaller fish and then release them. Just my opinion and I am not trying to stop peaple from making a living, but if there is nothing left out there to catch, your not going to make a living that way either.

If these boats are taking more than commercials can take, I don't think they should be lumped into the recreational sector in terms of blame.

How we define a recreational angler may need to change. If I take my small boat out and catch a few cod in Boston Harbor, how can I be lumped in with these people taking truckloads. And how can I be lumped in with a party boat that can take hundreds of pounds of fish in a few hours.

If these six-pack boats and party boats are taking big numbers of fish, than they need limited. If they are taking the same or bigger numbers as commercial guys, then its just as ridiculous. Certainly the dragging does alot more damage. But we brought this up before and I still say 400lbs. from a comm, 400lbs. from a party boat, 400lbs. from a six-pack boat... why is one more acceptable than the other. I have to side with the commercial guy in the respect that you can't limit them just so these so-called "rec" anglers on party boats or charters can load up. That is completely hypocritical.

The part I don't get is the private rec boat guy who is already limited to 10, getting cut to 5. How many fish are these people taking? I mean, I'm really asking, I don't know. Are there that many recs out there taking alot of cod?

Personally, I hope to learn that near-shore cod fishery a bit this year, but I would only keep a couple fish here and there anyway. 5 is more than I would ever need. But that seems a bit out of whack.

You gotta love the loopholes. Why is there always someone there to take advantage of the loopholes for their own personal gain. Greedy.

Those guys must be selling their fish when they get home. What is anyone going to do with that much cod? And if they're going to freeze it, they might as well eat styrofoam.:mad:

I think they should have a 6 pack, party boat category, separate from recs and commercials. Give them their own quotas. They are just as bad. I been on some boat where they have kept shorts, they say just bury it in the bottom.

I can't believe they are sqawking about a 15 fish per person limit. What's the word???? Oh yeah greedy. :)

Of course a lot of that fish is sold. Lots of people do freeze it like 100 pounds of cod and 80 lbs of fluke , etc but if you don't believe a lot of that fish is sold , you were born yesterday.

So anyway , my opinion is they should have both an increased size and a daily limit.

I also posted this elswhere. I apologize if it seems redundant...

I think this is another example of why there should be no distinction between a recreational fisherman who fishes from the shore, a private boat, and yes - a
charter boat. I am usually one of the first ones to shout when I think that recreational fishermen like myself are getting the shaft. However, to
shut down a whole area to commercial fishing only to let charter boats in with a no limit at all is a slap in the face to those who fish for their
livelihood. In addition, it helps to delegitimize arguments that the comms created this problem so they should bear the brunt of any new regulation.

What I'm trying to say that no matter who created the groundfish problem, it's tough to now blame the comms when charter boats and other sportfishermen account for 1/3 of the codfish take.

This article mentions a proposed daily limit of 10-15 fish and the charter guys say that it will "devastate" local businesses like motels and donut
shops. I say the only business hurt by such a reduction will be U-Haul because the 90% of out of staters who charter these boats won't need to
rent them to bring their cod back to NJ and CT. Ten to fifteen fish is plenty for the freezer especially when it seems that a plausible option could be ZERO if this Conservative Law Foundation has their way.

Am I all wet on this? Is the article simply biased? Maybe so. Afterall look at the title and then ask yourself how the other 2/3 of the fish
are being caught. Furthermore, one thing this article doesn't mention is the fact that there is virtually no bycatch from the charter folks except maybe for some fish that might die when they are released.

I'm an avid deep sea fisherman, and have seen first hand what operations are like on both commercial and party type fishing boats. What destroyed the fishing economy in the first place was the gill nets, they killed just about everything they came in contact with and ripped up the bottom like a plow removing snow from your street in the winter. Any undersize fish caught in a gill net were usually took damaged to survive, and what's worse is that the lazy or poor fisherman would leave their gill nets out for several days and allow large amounts of fish to spoil in the water.

To give everyone an idea of how this affected the habitat there are still very many "lost" gill nets roaming the bottom of the ocean that continue to kill schools of fish, that because of their composition will never decompose. The resurgence of large catches on hook and line fishing is the product of the banks (georges, tillies, and cashes ledge) being closed to the netters and the populations being allowed to reproduce the way it should happen. It's also illogical to assume that because hook and line fisherman are taking more fish that the population is being harmed because we don't fully understand what the current status of the population of cod is, but we know that it is growing because the schools are denser and located in closer proximity to each other.

This is an arguement that is made from jealous commercial fisherman who are upset the cod are returning and they can't get at them, while overlooking the fact that they nearly killed the species off in the north atlantic years ago. To allow netters to go back to their old ways, despite the innovations and regulations on the new "safer" nets would do nothing more than put us back to where we were in the late 1980's and say "okay they're back, go and deplete them again"

I'm in favor of larger size limits on Cod and a smaller take for a day, but let's compare apples to apples and see what the real impact commercial fishing has besides just the number of fish they take each trip.

I agree - but it should be a group effort, just don't exclude the people that didn't create the problem....