Anyone want to guess? - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

JohnR · 07-24-2002, 01:18 PM

Not to start another war here but anyone want to take a guess at how many Mass Fish Dealers are authorized to buy striped bass from licensed bass comm anglers?

GBOUTDOORS · 07-24-2002, 01:21 PM

To many???????

fishsmith · 07-24-2002, 01:25 PM

If there was a prize I'd count, but it looks to be over 100

http://www.state.ma.us/dfwele/dmf/Bass_Dlrs2002.pdf

AveMariaCharters · 07-24-2002, 01:26 PM

IT'S 111 DEALERS

Van · 07-24-2002, 02:00 PM

Where does commercial striper go?
I don't see it in the markets around here.
I hope at least its being used for human comsumption, not
some stupid use like cat food !!!

STEVE IN MASS · 07-24-2002, 02:25 PM

Fish Market in Buzzards Bay had it this last Saturday.....

Used to be a fish market in Duxbury (actually there still is, but it is with new owners).

Years ago, I helped a guy who was landing a 30 (Lbs, not inches) off the bridge at Powder Point. I stopped at the fish market later to buy some softshells, and lo and behold, his fish was in the case........at $8.99/lb.....this was about 10 years ago....though I think it is still in that price range....

PS...have also seen it in Sudbury Farms (the upper class Roche Brothers) in Needham....their's came from the Cape and the Islands...or so they said....

Van · 07-24-2002, 02:30 PM

But in total we are talking about 750K to 1 Million pounds of fish
per season. (I think that is the yearly quota).
EITHER WAY IT IS A ****LOAD OF FISH.
Where is it all going ????

JohnR · 07-24-2002, 02:31 PM

A lot go to restaraunts, some sushi bars. I've seen striped bass on the menu on occasion. Personally, I like all my fish cooked and I always get a little tweaked when eel is on the menu....

Yep - that's the link....

IRL · 07-24-2002, 02:42 PM

I saw it at a sushi bar" NO I'M NOT FANCY I WAS THERE DRINKING "
it was called suzuki.....funny

chris L · 07-24-2002, 02:55 PM

STEVE IN MASS · 07-24-2002, 03:02 PM

Actually, Mr.Kav just told me recently that he had Striper Sushi at a resturant called "The 10" in Providence this past weekend....

I've had wild striped bass at The Barking Crab in Boston.....

The Iceman 6 · 07-24-2002, 03:55 PM

In Manhattan I see striped bass on the menu all the time in the seafood/italian restauraunts - I always laugh and obvisously being a striperman I tell my friends we'll just cook one up 3 hours after she's been in the water, fresh on the grille. Also, the price of a striper per lb in nyc fishmarkets ranges from $11 - $14 - NO i'm not kidding. On the menu's in the restauraunts I see striped bass in cilantro/chilean sauce for about $25 - prob straight from E. River....

Ice

JohnR · 07-24-2002, 04:00 PM

Couple years ago I was on Nantucket with Schoolie Monster's family, they wanted $28 per pound. Now the interesting thing was that the Mass Comm season had been closed for 3 weeks....

From another state? I dunno...

Clammer · 07-24-2002, 04:36 PM

90% go wholesale to N/Y

Saltheart · 07-24-2002, 06:37 PM

There are supposedly farm raised stripers too. I've heard as high as $16 per pound.

likwid · 07-25-2002, 11:11 AM

Yeah, and farm raised taste absolutely awful in comparison to "the real thing".

Tried it, never again.

But yes, most of the commercially caught stripers up here go straight to NY, you'd think they could catch their own or something, but I suppose not.

(Oh yeah, they just about erradicated stripers from the Hudson! duh! lol)

DZ · 07-25-2002, 11:49 AM

The striped bass sold in restaurants has always been a problem to track. Many if not most of the restaurants in Rhody buy their bass direct from fishermen which in Rhody is illegal. There is not enough law enforcement officers to check on the restaurants. Just last week the Providence Journal interviewed restaurants in Newport for its Food Section. The managers of the restaurants boasted that their chefs caught and served their own bass. This is illegal. Every commercial bass has to be tracked through the market. Next time you order bass in a RI restaurant ask for the tag that is supposed to be on eash fish. Black market bass is big business in Rhody.

Crafty Angler · 07-25-2002, 12:29 PM

Hey D. -

Yeah, considering that over the counter prices on bass run from $10-16 a lb. for fillets, the temptation is there -

Considering the fillets I put in my brother-in-laws cooler yesterday on his way to TF Green, I told him he shoulda gotten a ride in a Brink's truck...

BasicPatrick · 07-25-2002, 12:45 PM

Ok Folks,

My brain tells me to stay out of this discussion, but, to hell with it. I know quite a few members of the list and trust those that I know. This is currently the fifth year that I have had a MA Commercial Rod & Reel License with a Striped Bass Endorsement. Though I have n9ot sold a fish this year, I usually earn enough $ to keep me fishing 4 days a week throughout the season.

The Ma quota is currently at 750,000 pounds with a proposal coming out at the upcoming public hearings to raise the number to 1,000,000 pounds. Myself and quite a few of my MA commercial friends are opposed to the increase due to a variety of reasons like leaving the pressure on the larger fish as is, wanting the quota to be filled prior to the beginning of the fall migration and price stability.

The numbers that I have heard from dealers reflect that 75% of the SB landings by the MA commercial fleet are sold out of state. One of the main reasons for this is that MA has the largest quota in the North East.

Fresh Striped Bass in the Boston-South Shore area is currently being sold at fish markets for between 15 & 19 dollars per pound.

There have been long standing rumors of a gigantic black market for SB from the south being trucked through Boston dealers and sold to ethnic markets. There was a rumor of a Federal Investigation a few years ago, but nothing after that.

I see more Farm Raised SB sold in Ma than fresh and I personaly think that a law should bve passed requiring that wherever a farm raised SB is sold it is posted as such. How can we blame ethnic groups for taking under sized fish when they can buy them in their local markets.

just some of my thoughts

JohnR · 07-25-2002, 01:24 PM

Crafty - how the heck are ya? Northern Alliance meeting soon?

Patrick - I agree that the current limits are enough (actually - maybe too much IMO). What disturbs me is that so many are being caught now, the commercial price is depressed - well below $2 a pound, right? What's wrong with restricting the bag a little and getting more per pound?

Yep, I definitely would like to know if it's farm raised or the good stuff. Sometimes I've seen supermarkets advertising the fish as farm raised though. Personally, I'd much prefer to catch & eat my own....

Saltheart · 07-25-2002, 01:43 PM

People who get caught with undersize fish should be fined. Doesn't matter if they speak english , french or tazmanian. Doesn't matter what they see at fish markets. they are suppose to know the law. Take their gear and impound their vehicle until they pay the fine. No Excuses.

Someone gets caught with a 27.5 inch fish , show discretion that maybe someone messed up the measurement by half an inch. maybe a warning ticket . Someone gets caught with a 24 inch fish , nail them. No excuses.

A restaurant buys or sells fish illegally , shut it down for two weeks. It'll cost them thousands. When its not worth the risk , they won't do it! No excuses. (do I hear an echo)

I agree farmraised should be ID'ed as such. We should promote fish farming. Either I or a friend has caught any bass I've ever eaten but If I were going to buy some , I'd get the farm raised if available. marinate it for better taste.

I'm tired of hearing about language barriers or ignorance as excuses for POACHING!

likwid · 07-25-2002, 02:58 PM

poaching is poaching

whether its 5 inches of 1/4 of an inch

having known some of the DMF guys doing fisheries patrol.... you wouldn't wanna be caught with a fish an 1/8th under...

dragnfly14 · 07-25-2002, 04:21 PM

If you watch cooking shows on TV that are filmed in NY you will see alot of the chefs are featuring Stripers.

BasicPatrick · 07-25-2002, 06:38 PM

Saltheart and others,

I was definately not trying to make excuses for poachers. I do witness on many many occaisions some ethnic fishers (I hate to use stereotypes) taking small fish. Almost every time I see this, more experienced fishers are watching and snickering with disgust. Sometimes, someone calls law enforcement. I can say without question that I have never, ever seen someone appraoach the offender and educte them on the regs, including myself. I have seen some aggressive displays. Some people do break the law out of ignorance. In addition, I have rarely met a fisherman who has never broken a fishery regulation at some time or another. I guess my basic point with this libne of thinking is the the solution lies in education and communication, not belidgerance (probably spelled wrong)....How the Hell did I end up here.....gotta go fishing

RickBomba · 07-25-2002, 08:50 PM

As a restaurant owner, you guys would be surprised how hard it is to buy illegal fish, unless you stand behind a bunch of guys fishing somewhere and offer them a fistful of money.
All of the fish wholesalers that I deal with wont even sell striper in Mass unless it's during commercial season. It used to be that I could buy Virginia fish outside the July-August window, but not after this year...I couldn't tell you if its a new law or some sort of self-regulation to target illegally marketed fish during the non-commercial season; whatever it is I like it, it keeps us chefs honest. Maybe I buy from extremely reputable purveyors, but all five outfits started doing this around May of this year.
Right now, I get primo stuff for like $6.50 a pound. Farm raised is usually sold by the case of 25 that average about 4# a piece. They're cheap and they taste like crap!!! I used to be a bigwig at a very posh restaurant at the Cape; we sold hybrid striper all year long for $27. an entree, until the customers finally stopped buying it because it's so bad!!!
A final point...My Health inspector knows I fish for stripers a lot, she has asked me before to present my invoices for striper when I have it on the menu (for the bargain price of $13.95, I might add). Maybe she's overconscientious, but I'm always happy to cough up the evidence. Everything that comes through my back door comes from an inspected retailer with HACCP certification. For me, its worth everything I can do to make sure the fish I sell is super fresh and inspected!!!
Anyhow, there are many guys in the industry like me. We are all mandated to undergo sanitation courses and know the dangers of selling inproperly handled food of any kind. I don't know what those yahoos in Providence are up to, but let me reiterate that the vast majority of those uf us in the industry are not like this.
OK that's it.
Later,
Rick

JohnR · 07-25-2002, 09:00 PM

Hey Rick - how is it going...

There are a few restaraunts that take fish under the table. And it's not too hard for a sea side restaraunt to get some. I know of it having happend in 3 states. I've never sold a fish myself but long before this site, when I was young and stupid and didn't know any better, I did give a fish I caught to a guy that said he worked at a restaraunt. He offered me some short money for it but it was dead and I didn't want to cook it (this was before my wife).

It was said before in this thread, ignorance. Simply not knowing the law. Granted there is a lot of defiance of it, but there is also a great deal of lack of knowledge....

RickBomba · 07-25-2002, 09:19 PM

Hey John..You know, maybe you're right. I was thinking about all of my friends in the industry, and you know what, they all fish.
I realize now that my opinion on the subject is biased.
I also realize that there's lots and lots of people who didn't grow up fishing who run restaurants. Lord knows what they're up to.
Anyhoo, that's why I stick to my own kind, makes me feel safe. Careful what you eat; everybody should eat @ my place.
Love, Self Effacing Rick

PS-I checked all my ground beef last week, too...Holy Con Agra

Jenn · 07-25-2002, 09:28 PM

Quote:

If you watch cooking shows on TV that are filmed in NY you will see alot of the chefs are featuring Stripers

BIG time! I think its the latest trend...

Quote:

Anyhow, there are many guys in the industry like me. We are all mandated to undergo sanitation courses and know the dangers of selling inproperly handled food of any kind. I don't know what those yahoos in Providence are up to, but let me reiterate that the vast majority of those uf us in the industry are not like this.

Rick.....(and all) I have been in the rest.business long enough to see too many things I didnt want to see...

it really is too bad.....sad but true folks....while there ARE many reputable businesses there ARE scumbags out there too.....

Crafty Angler · 07-25-2002, 10:50 PM

Hey John, howya doin'? Tried to reply earlier but it seems like Cox was having problems.

Yeah, Uncle Crafty is still alive and well, finally done with all that stuff I had to get done on the house before the season busted wide open here (which it has now) - my honey-do jar coulda been a bait barrel, I'm tellin' ya - yup, nothin' like a 170 year old house to keep ya outta mischief

.

As for the Alliance, we're on maneuvers now - traveling under cover of darkness, packing wriggling bags of live plugs, and talkin' quiet so's not to arouse the suspicion of the Sand People.

Anyway, saw the Iron Man tonite, we're goin' out on a mission tomorrow nite it looks like, he just got a new 10' Ron Arra he's gotta break in - hey, remember the talk we had at O'Brien's after the club meeting last winter? Naw, I mean the fishin' part, not the stuff about those wacky Bahstin saloons - are ya ready for a trip across the Big Bridge? - lemme know. Are the legs up to it yet?

Iron Mike said to say hello - I guess I'm back to being his web medium

We can whip ya right back into shape, ya know - besides, I hear blooberries are a good analgesic after a long walk.

PM me if you're up for some salt water therapy - Gawd knows I am!

Mr. Sandman · 07-26-2002, 03:48 AM

I read recently ( in "On the Water"), That in Ma, the only legal commercial activity for bass is rod and reel fishing...anyone want to guess:

a) how many fish commerical rod and reelers are allowed to take?

b) how much a commerical rod and reel striped bass license costs?

c) In MA, since commerical SB is only a rod and reel activity, if a netter catches a striped bass by mistake, and it is dead from being drowned or killed in the haul, what does he do with the fish?

d) how many fish are wasted in MA alone?

e) what is the impact on the spawn next season?

There should be no waste and every fish should be given the shot to reproduce a time or two.