Not off base at all. Some, a few, will come to RI and get the herring into Mass or CT, some will come to RI to fish. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that all,most, or even half of the CT & Mass guys will be invading RI, and that is not the impression I'm trying to make. My point is that RI likely has as much of a herring problem as Mass or CT. My hope is that RI herring get's closed (with defined triggers to reopen) and my fear is that even if that happens, it still does not address the "offshore mortality" that is happening with these fish....
RI had some odd rules in the recent past which allowed excessive take from a few runs when done downstream of the saltwater demarcation point which I saw with my own eyes had people taking thousands of fish at amounts and on days that were illegal on the freshwater side. Guys taking litterally several hundreds of fish in an afternoon because they were not in the "freshwater" portion of a run. Fortunately, that was addressed last year.
But, there were times when I saw Mass guys taking advanatage of those older rules and filling up with herring. Not picking on Mass guys as a whole (remember I am/was one), just an observation. And it was not illegal at the time. In talking to people pretty active in the herring situation, they say they have seen out of state plates going to runs late at night on "off' nights getting herring.
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Originally Posted by MoroneSaxatilis
But John, isn't it a moot point since even simple possession of river herring in Mass waters is not going to be allowed? I suppose that some Mass guys might simply fish RI, but I know that myself and the guys that I (boat) fish with, wouldn't. We don't trailer our boats, and it's unlikely that we would bother to steam all the way to RI and have to learn new bottom. Plus, we would still have to transport them to/from Mass which will be illegal. I, for one, would not be willing to take the chance.
Am I way off base here?
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