Stripers forever!

[Krispy]

Originally Posted by Crafty Angler

Well said Flap -

Those are the real issues impacting the health of the fishery.

A few years ago my wife did a documentary for Friends of the Waterfront on the history of Newport's waterfront, it's access issues and how everything is predicated on fishermen's rights going back to the King Charles Charter of 1661.

I filmed an interview she did with George Mendosa, the retired owner of the Tolman and Mack Fish Trap Co. here in Newport who was in his 80's at the time. George is famous as the Kissing Sailor in the iconic photo taken in Times Square on VJ Day.

At any rate, we got to talking about the amazing abundance of fish in our area years ago, the catch rates for striped bass going back to the late '20's when he was a kid and the current state of the fishery today.

George said the real culprit in the decimation of the stocks wasn't the commercial fisherman despite the finger-pointing - it was the housewife with her laundry detergent and all the other sources of pollution in the estuaries and rivers.

I couldn't agree with him more.

Here's a pre-WWII photo of George and his brothers tending their nets at Green Bridge, where he said the eelgrass was once so thick you could barely row through it, much less use an outboard. You'd be hard put to find eelgrass there today more than a few yards across.

It was the most important estuary on the Island and currently undergoing restoration - hopefully, it will one day recover.

Like Flap said, SF has it's own agenda - and from all I've heard and seen it's not an organization I'd want to be associated with. There are others whose goals are a lot less self-serving.

From my reading, George Mendoza was no friend of the Striped Bass, and was quick to blame everything else before taking personal responsibility for the commercial sectors hand in the demise of the SB.
Him being the "Kissing Sailor" has been debated, as well.
That info might be from "Striper" by John Cole, not positive

[The Dad Fisherman]

http://www.militarytimes.com/news/20...sailor_070806/

[basswipe]

If you believe even an ounce of what #^&#^&#^&#^& Russell wrote,George Mendoza was satan as far as illegal striper fishing went.

Being a local and knowing so many...what should I say?

[Crafty Angler]

Originally Posted by basswipe

If you believe even an ounce of what #^&#^&#^&#^& Russell wrote,George Mendoza was satan as far as illegal striper fishing went.

Being a local and knowing so many...what should I say?

Norm, I assume you're talking about Striper Wars - vaguely recognize the name, don't know the title of the book and didn't know he referenced George.

I would guess that's the reason I got waylaid by these ****ing gibronies after my earlier post. I'll have to read it at some point to see what Russell has to say.

I've known George since I was old enough to walk although I've never spoken with him personally until that interview. I have both friends and family who are - or were - commercial fisherman, anti-Christs to some of you.

I'm not recanting in my agreement on his statement on pollution, which was my point.

Regardless, I'd still rather listen to what he has to say - since he walked the walk, whether I agree with all of his views or not - than any number of you internet experts and self-appointed leading authorities relying on half-assed Google searches.

If you disagree with me, then we can agree to disagree.

If you don't like the cut of my jib, go **** yourself.

Period. End of story. That's all she wrote.

[StriperNutBag]

Can I make a living as a commercial stripe bass fishermen

[DZ]

Originally Posted by basswipe

If you believe even an ounce of what #^&#^&#^&#^& Russell wrote,George Mendoza was satan as far as illegal striper fishing went.

Being a local and knowing so many...what should I say?

Basswipe,
I know #^&#^&#^&#^& Russell, read his book, and lived through all the contentious fisheries meetings during that time. #^&#^&#^&#^& Russell always took notes and his book portrays a very accurate history of those meetings and he was at almost every one of them. Both George and #^&#^&#^&#^& were very passionate about their views. Stripers Forever may be a little mis-guided in seeking gamefish status but I truely admire those people (just as I admired Bob Pond) for being passionate about protecting striped bass.

DZ

[Sea Flat]

Originally Posted by Crafty Angler

Well said Flap -

Those are the real issues impacting the health of the fishery.

A few years ago my wife did a documentary for Friends of the Waterfront on the history of Newport's waterfront, it's access issues and how everything is predicated on fishermen's rights going back to the King Charles Charter of 1661.

I filmed an interview she did with George Mendosa, the retired owner of the Tolman and Mack Fish Trap Co. here in Newport who was in his 80's at the time. George is famous as the Kissing Sailor in the iconic photo taken in Times Square on VJ Day.

At any rate, we got to talking about the amazing abundance of fish in our area years ago, the catch rates for striped bass going back to the late '20's when he was a kid and the current state of the fishery today.

George said the real culprit in the decimation of the stocks wasn't the commercial fisherman despite the finger-pointing - it was the housewife with her laundry detergent and all the other sources of pollution in the estuaries and rivers.

I couldn't agree with him more.

Here's a pre-WWII photo of George and his brothers tending their nets at Green Bridge, where he said the eelgrass was once so thick you could barely row through it, much less use an outboard. You'd be hard put to find eelgrass there today more than a few yards across.

It was the most important estuary on the Island and currently undergoing restoration - hopefully, it will one day recover.

Like Flap said, SF has it's own agenda - and from all I've heard and seen it's not an organization I'd want to be associated with. There are others whose goals are a lot less self-serving.

Read "Striper Wars" by #^&#^&#^&#^& Russell and you may not want to take what Mr. Mendonsa says to be his real feelings. he was a very crooked person with personal agendas that did not care about the potential wiping out of a species.

What he said in the quote he gave your wife sounds good I just really doubt how much he actually believes it.

[Sea Flat]

Should have read all the posts before replying i guess. Sorry to be redundant.