Discover Article on Pogies

[schoolie monster]

Does anyone remember the Saturday Night Live skit from the 80's of the Tobacco Industry executive sitting there smoking like 8 cigarettes saying, "studies, what studies... I have studies that show cigarettes are good for you"

Why are the quotes from corporate heads always the same. All the people saying the menhaden are disappearing are lying? People don't know what's really going on... does that sound familiar to anyone.

Its like they have access to information that non of us have and we should just shut up let them make their millions... if that's the case than enlighten us.

Oh yes, its the overpopulation of striped bass that is wiping out the bunker stocks, not the huge boats that harvest entire schools.

Are we really supposed to believe that? Are they assuming the public is that fuc#ing stupid?

I have a great idea... they will stop overharvesting bunker if we open striped bass back up to commercial netting. Does that work for everyone here?

I'm sorry Patrick... I know you're gonna take this wrong, but you are way off base if your biggest concern is the striped bass bycatch. Its the ecosystem as a whole. If we don't manage the marine environment as a whole, it doesn't matter if stripers are completely protected and left alone. When the bunker are gone, they will move on to herring or mackerel... when they are gone, they will grind up small crabs or clams for fertilizer or something... then what, seaweed. All the while they use their millions to lobby for the lifting of restrictions on other species... they will just move on to the next exploitable resource that isn't protected and wipe it out. What are stripers, blues, tuna, etc. gonna eat... are they gonna become vegetarians, or are they going to hang out in the harbor waiting for tourists to throw them bread.

THEY ARE WIPING THESE FISH OUT FOR CHICKEN FOOD!!! Why do we think that this will end with stripers or bunker?

What really scares me is the efficiency that commercial fleets are capable of... and that article addresses that. They can virtually wipe out the population.

And this filter feeding issue... I also had no idea and that seems to be a threat to all species. But its all lies anyway. There's no problem. Plenty of fish in the sea or so the saying goes.