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This nothing new and yes you should all be outraged. This is the fleet I have spend 13 years fighting. Twenty plus are currently working the back side of Cape Cod and Gansett/Block Island Sound.
MSBA, The Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association, a couple of Tuna Groups that are now ABTA formed CHOIR many years ago to fight this fight and we still are at it today. We have been winnigna s their operations are far more restricted then they were when we began but the fight is far from over.
"Dock Talk" in the last few days is that a pair of Mid Water Trawl Boats (should be called super draggers or mid water draggers) possibly owned by the company Sea Freeze (NJ/some operations in RI?) got 5 300-500 lb Blue Fin on one day this week and on the second day got 3 more. I just got a call that maybe 4 more on a third day.
There is also a dock rumor that an observer was on board. FYI...observers just write down what they are allowed to see and sample, they do not enforce or point out violations, they are not law enforcement and have a very tough job as it is.
The dock talk rumor is that the crew cut one tuna up to eat. In my eyes better than wasting the fish but also clearly that is the only illegal part of what is going on in RI State Waters.
If I lived in RI I would be calling the state and demanding that this fishery be pushed outside the 3 mile line. Most states have a 90 foot state waters limit.
Herring and mackerel fishing is not bad when done by smaller boats with captains tied to the resource and contributing to the local community. These local operators can coexist with our shared resources.
Industrial Pair Trawling should not be allowed near our waters. We need to save local fishermen. Take the minimum wage low income industrial sweat shop factory jobs being filled by god knows whom back to the countries from whence they came. I want traditional New England Fishermen and our natural resources protected.
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