Problems at Herring Run!!

[179]

Picked this off of the RISAA e-mail forum. I think it would be wise for any of us with cell phones to bring them to the run when we are going....

"Took a ride down to Gilbert Stewart this morning to check it out. With the kids on vacation, and the Herring having several weeks to go up, thought we'd go down and chase some. When I arrived one fellow told me two lobstermen from CT had been there since 6 AM and just left with 2 barrels full. There was another fellow fishing under the bridge who said he was netting for lobster bait. As I left to get the kids he took a bucket up to the truck to dump it. Came back an hour later and he was still fishing with a group of about 5. Didn't have the DEM # so (perhaps wrongly) decided to confront him. Told him that the regulations are there for a reason and wanted to warn him before I called the DEM. This led to an ugly situation in the parking lot for I had totally embarrassed him, and everybody does it, and its non of my #@*&%$#@ business. Perhaps I could have handled it better, maybe taking him aside to speak with him. Bottom line is none of us like being the enforcer, but feel compelled to sometimes when these activities take place. It seems that most of these flagrant activities take place early in the AM when the offenders believe it is safe. If it continues we will be put in the same situation as CT....having to close the resource to all. Spoke w/ Steve Mederios this morning. Steve suggested that there is strength in numbers when dealing with the DEM. If this issue concerns you, please take a moment to call their enforcement office at 401-222-2284, D.E.M.

[JohnR]

179 - thanks! You beat me to this but I'm glad its brought up.

This should not be allowed to happen, unfortunately if these guys see this board and others they might be less likely to go & get caught, on the other hand if they realize people are looking for them now, maybe they won't be as blatant about it.

Now the fact that they are taking drums and drums worth of herring now also means that they are taking drums from future years as they fish are swimming up to spawn.... Ashwipes!

If you see this - call DEM, get a picture if you can, license plate numbers, descriptions, etc......

[179]

Just curious as to why the catch limit is at 24 per day? I would think after what happened in Ct and the increase of commercial limits maybe a better daily limit of 12 is needed to maintain the spawning populations? At the 24 per day this means someome could legally grab nearly 100 herring per week, that's an awful lot.

[ridler72]

good for you! same thing happens up here in the boston area....big thumbs up for that effort......it gets me pumped!!!!!!

[JohnR]

Had to copy my earlier reply from the "OLD" board...

179 - 24 per day is not a problem as long as people don't grab pre-spawn herring or fill up 55 gallon drums to go lobstering. then 24 per day 4 days on 3 days off is no problem at all....

If the existing laws can be enforced we will not have a problem, if the recreationals are forced to take a further reduction BECAUSE someone else is violating the system we have several problems...

[denis]

I'm not sure but I think if you have a commercial lobster licence in R I there is no limit on what you can take.

[fishaholic18]

We have to look into that, because it's not right if they can take an unlimited amount of herring for lobster bait.

[Scotch Bonnet]

I know a good percentage of the Herring the draggers bring in goes to lobster bait. Maybe some of the smaller boats catch there own bait, but it would seem like a pain to dip net enough fish to bait 50 traps.

[TheSpecialist]

The Watertown run is the same way. You got lobstermen, immigrants who get them to feed their family and don't know any better. It has to stop.

[slapshot]

Hey guys, I am from CT and have been living with the herring ban for the last couple of years. Do something about it, before the same happens to you. They say it takes four years for the young of this years breeding return. It will take that long for CT to know if the moratorium is helping.

[jettyjockey18]

before 1995 middleboro's herring regs were written back in puritan times...all middleboro and lakeville residents were allowed 1 bushel of herring per season...technically the run was only open only to middleboro and lakeville residents but i remember watching commercial lobster guys back their pickup trucks down to the edge of the ladder and fill barrels with fish...thousands at a time... fortuneatly, some concerned people got organized and drafted new regulations and started to actively monitor the runs and prosecute offenders and today you have the most productive run in the state...

if they hadn't put the time and effort in they'd probably be in the same boat as a lot of other runs now...