article on the winter flouder population crash

[bloocrab]

We used to have a very good amount of flounder in our local waters...Sakonnet/Taunton river....in our case, pollution put an end to that. Remember, flounder are a bottom fish....the environment definately hurts bottom dwellers in the upper rivers with settling pollution....unfortunately even strong tidal currents don't clean our bottoms enough....take a snorkel ride to the bottom, but bring a strong light cuz you ain't gonna see a choggy never mind a flounder in the Taunton river. Our rivers need an enormous flushing.

[RIROCKHOUND]

I'd argue that the bottom in most places is healthier than it was 30years ago; less metal manufacturing waste etc.. getting to the bay/river waters..
I truly think the cause is a combo of overfishing, commorants and warmer waters; be it global warming, local cycles or power plants, increased predation from Sand Shrimp and crabs stems from the warmer waters;

[bloocrab]

I'd argue that the bottom in most places is healthier than it was 30years ago...

Yet there were definately more bottom dwellers and fish in general in the bays and rivers 30 years ago, just ask the clam-man, he'd can attest to that..It was the years and years of pollution throughout time that slowly pushed em out...unfortunately, there really isn't anything pulling them back in. As far as the

global warming, local cycles or power plants

...that definately increased the decline in population. It's an ugly mess and even though water testing shows improvement, the sea-life just hasn't rebounded. I'm sure you have more statistics and would know better than I, I'm just talking about what I see first hand and hear from my locals. Is it getting better in one way and worse in another??...Only time will tell...

[RIROCKHOUND]

I dont really know either; not hard evidence, just my theory pulled from what I've read; I'm a geologist, not a biologist;

re: global warming; I do Believe that change is taking place; how much is us and how much is natural variation is still up in the air in my mind

[Clammer]

I can,t [offhand] think of any current fishery //[[maybe offshore ]] that is healthier now than 30-35 years ago ..

except the possible f %^&*( bluefish ] no that,s wrong /that was better then also //

how about these //& any would help me figure where WTF is it gonna end ..
Winter [[Flats ]] 100 a day per man was not uncommon / I havn,t caught one on R & R in years ..

White Perch / Spring & Fall -- haven,t caught any at all in the salt/brackish in 16 years // I had a 400 pound day from shore the day after Thanksgiving // oh shoooooo its only a spring fishery..

Tom Cod ==one was on the main board last week /didn,t know what it was // we use to catch them from september to May ==thru the winter ..
EELs // three good eel pots would get you enough eels to fish two guys all weekend //

Cod --from shore or shallow water // use to catch them just outside Beavertail. & always a mixed bag of cod & tautog in shallow water outside of Westport ..

Frost fish/ spearing at nite w/ flashlights / what a ball =====gone

kingfish/whiting // not much around //

Balloonfish //I,ve seen one in the last 15 years & it was in a lobster tank ....
Sharks - 6 to 12 ' the summer was always good for a few good sized ones in the bay ===========especially MT HOpe /when the discharge was real hot ..

Squeteague // cycle //none when I was a kid /a ton for about 8-10 years / the less there were ,the bigger they were ;; my last Squet was taken on a live Menhaden 20 years ago & it was 15#...

Even the Stripers // the schoolies /you could have nonstop action all season /Not just the spring & fall runs ;;
Bulls // in the upper bays in the spring / 40,s & 50,s weren,t uncommon ;; 20,s weren,t even looked at ;;

I caught a 36+# way up Lees River that last week of May tooooooooooooo many years ago & entered it in a tournment held in the bay /it was the largest for that day // It didn,t even place in the standings //

these two fish /I know where & personally know both anglers :;

A 53# in 5' of water in Warwick & a 63# caught in the upper bay /north of the islands ....

[[GIANT }} bluefish tuna right off Beavertail, & scarboro Beach & a mile off Matunic

I remember fishing the old Newport Striper tournament in October & guys that choose to tuna fish down the Cape instead of the tournment / calling up // with [[who wants a Giant]] these weren,t 315 # fish either ..
they had a harder time getiinga pickup to go get them ///than catch them....

the two fish I have seen make a comeback << are summer flounder & Black sea bass ...

Did I miss any ?????????????????????

[Clammer]

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Herring // didn,t even herring fish last spring/enough said..

Scup ./ the largest Scup I ever saw caught was north of the MHB. it was caught while Striper fishing..

Mackeral == we use to catch them steady in the fall /right off the docks in Bristol harbor
I caught them from shore at Barrington Beach . Fishing foe Stripers.
We use to just go to Black face & get all ya ever needed for bait ;;
In September when we were fishing for Giant Tuna .. I actually saw .4 guys fill a full size trash barrrel while killing time Tuna Fishing ::