Factory Ships in Narragansett Bay

[Fishpart]

One of my co-workers brought this article to my attention:

http://www.projo.com/report/html/06984081.htm

It appears that we have three Russian Factory ships off Jamestown purchasing and processing the "underutilzed" herring and mackerl from RI fishermen. While I am happy to see RI fishermen working, I am concerned for a couple of reasons.

Do the recovering groundfish (Cod) rely on macks and herring for forage?

With no need to come into port to unload is there anyone preventing these ships from slipping a little bit of bycatch aboard?

When the sea ia stripped of these two species what is next?

I don't have any idea of where they fit into the food chain, but I can only think that herring improve water quality in the same manner that menheden do.

[Slipknot]

Let them go fish in their own waters.

[schoolie monster]

The more I read, the more I wonder if we can win this fight.

I know we've gone over this before, but what's the point in protecting and managing gamefish if we wipe out their primary forage.

The herring, mackerel and bunker stocks support the gamefish. Tuna, billfish, blues, bass, and on and on up and down the coast and all over the world.

Anyone check out the "blue planet" special on Discovery last week? These forage species are under amazing pressure. Gamefish, sharks, seals, dolphins, whales and birds rely on them for life.

You would not want to be reincarnated as a herring.

And harvesting fish to eat is one thing... fertilizer and chicken feed don't seem to be a good trade off for stripping the ocean of one of its basic food sources.

[Got Stripers]

Good points and I agree, we need to control the people overfishing these forage species. Since the bunker have left our waters, I've seen a big increase in seals each sping and fall. I don't know if it's because their populations have exploded or that they are now forced to search for food where they never had to before. If they can't find bunker, they will chow down on stripers for sure.

[AnthonyN]

"From a fisheries management perspective, the permits are beneficial because they take the pressure off over fished species while it maximizes underutilized species, Ballou said. "


They may be underutilized to us but don't they stop and think about the other marine species that use them for food? Besides that there still is a local fishery for herring in RI most rec fisherman catch their own, and they use them for bait in lobster pots. We don't need any extra pressure on the herring.


Then again what do I know I have no position of power and no matter how much I rant nothing ever gets done. They do what they want no matter what me you are anyone has to say about it. All we do is complain yet no one organizes anything to fix the policies and get our points of view and our concerns across.

[Clammer]

For what its worth!!!!! There is a agreement between the US & Russia on this venture

No,we don.t eat these fish in the US but they do overseas, Yes they are part of the food chain cycle,but where do you draw the line

these ships are factory ships and buy and process the fish, they are being caught by local day boats,many which are on the smaller side,In the winter, boats have to travel further off shore to get a catch,For some this is their only means of income for the winter//

I realize there is abuse in some of our fishing laws,but everything can,t and isn,t going to favor the so called sport fisherman!!!!

Things arn,t perfect and mistakes have and will be made/////
DO you really think someone has the all the answers?????
Never happen
I,ve seen screwups on both sides, BUt I doubt on purpose////

time to go for this is like religion and politics, never win,or agree/////

later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JohnR]

I think everyone will agree that the forage fish that needs the most protection right now IS the Menhaden. That fish is the kingpin that keeps everything together on the east coast. That's the one that needs the most protection...

[schoolie monster]

I did pop off before I read the article, but whether they are american boats or foreign boats, my point is that those species are underutilized by whom?

Certainly not the gamefish and other multitude of species that need them to live.

They are underutilized compared to what? the cod or tuna or swordfish that were and are overfished. How about the bunker that are something like 90% wiped out.

I appreciate that commercial guys want to make a living, but lets talk economics. Do you think commercial fisherman would be the first group affected by changing times? Why don't they go talk to the steel workers across the country. Times change and people have to evolve.

Simple economics folks... recreational fishing brings a huge amount more than what commercial fishing brings to the economy. That is fact. Times have changed. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but alot of groups of workers have had to change their livlihood as society changes.

Are all these species here for us to harvest? This isn't about better fishing, this is about the whole f'n ecosystem and the bottom line that I see is that we are just going to move from species to species until everything has had their stocks altered and reduced by almighty man. Pretty f'n