eel moratorium.. has it begun?

[eelman]

Originally Posted by basswipe

I'm curious.

If possession of eels were to become illegal would any here continue to use them?

If yes how would that be different from keeping an undersized bass or hunting/
fishing out of established seasons?

I cant answer your question on how it would be different.

As to would I still use them...I plead the fifth on that

I would have no problem at all fishing sluggo's they work great, so if eels were none existant thats what I would use.....

[BrianS]

It might be time to get the 55 gallon plastic drum out.

My uncle had a nice system going for years with pots and keeping them in the drum.. He isnt using the hardware anymore.. might as well get some use out of it.



and if you really want to be an activist, instead of making ridiculous comparisons like eel use and killing schoolies... go picket the party boats where I would guess that 50% of what comes up in the way of small cod/haddock dont back down alive.

[likwid]

Originally Posted by bjs

go picket the party boats where I would guess that 50% of what comes up in the way of small cod/haddock dont back down alive.

Overseeing how people unhook fish on a party boat is a mate's job most of the better boats they actually do their job.
DEM was down at Capt Leroy's thursday night checking permits and fish.
They were also in Padanaram creeping around after a couple reports of shorts being taken off the breakwater.

And its the correct comparison.
If you're gonna ignore laws, you might as well just take short fish.
There's no difference.

You got a problem with a moratorium on certain species? Fine, take it up with the DEM and the State. Don't ignore the laws and do whatever the hell you want, because it'll make you no different than the piles of people down at the East End or any number of "popular" places that blatantly ignore the size requirements and catch laws.

[eelman]

Look, if I want to fish eels , then I am fishing eels! simple as that.

You guys are taking this way to far, there is no "moratorium" on eels and its not gonna happen, relax and dont worry about it. thare are plenty of landlocked eels in freshwater ponds, pot those and your ok in my opinion.

[BrianS]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

All the self rightious people!.

No kidding.
But its the internet, you get used to it.

[Nebe]

remember there was a large group of people who didnt think the bass were in trouble in the 80's and they didnt have the internet to compare notes.

[BrianS]

Originally Posted by Eben

remember there was a large group of people who didnt think the bass were in trouble in the 80's and they didnt have the internet to compare notes.

and not to underestimate this valuable tool, nor the crisis that marine fisheries in general are facing, but you still need to weigh the value of the information based on what you know of the source.

[Bass Babe]

Endangered species regulations have a purpose, despite how silly some may seem, or how destructive to someone's lifestyle. I doubt that eels will be listed as endangered, as I have heard otherwise in fisheries management circles. But if they were, I'd find another bait and respect the managers and the law. That's just me; y'all can do what you want, although I do advocate obeying wildlife management regulations.

The breaking of wildlife laws should not be excused with the question "am I going to eat it?" Someone probably ate the last dodo. That doesn't justify it any more than someone shooting it for feathers for hats, or whatever. No matter why it occured, the conscious destruction of an endangered, regulated species, should not be condoned. If you're hungry, buy ramen noodles instead of bait or ammunition that you would use to break the law.