"Striper Wars" by #^&#^&#^&#^& Russell

[DZ]

I'm in the process of reading "Striper Wars" by #^&#^&#^&#^& Russell. I have to tell you that this book really brings back the memories of the fight to save the striped bass when the stocks were low during the late 70s and 1980s. The author recaps many of the fisheries meetings that I attended during that time frame and recalls the names of all the "combatants". This book is very accurate right down to quotes of dialog during the meetings that took place from Maryland to Mass.


If you get a chance pick up a copy or borrow it from someone over the winter - find out how close we were to losing this fish because of greed.

There were a handfull of "conservationists" along the coast that deserve full credit for the striped bass comeback - they (and those that supported their cause) are why many of you are avid striper fishermen today - without them you might have been playing golf.

WELL DONE #^&#^&#^&#^& RUSSELL!

DZ

[BigFish]

Picked up a copy a couple months ago...waiting for a cold snowy night by my new fireplace to start reading it!

[Mr. Sandman]

He visited here this spring and gave a talk. I picked up the book and had a chance to talk to him briefly. Nice man. He wrote a nice passage in my book.
I have to say though there were things I really liked and a few thinkgs didn't like about the book and the man. He is pretty politcal and kind of blames a lot of events (menhaden loss for instance) on global warming and George Bush I and II. At least he did in his talk. It went over well with the liberal crowd here but IMO it has little to do with what really happened. I have to say though that he did his homework, everything is properly documented. He gives a great slide show and had some wonderful anictodes about the meetings to which DZ refers. I attended some of them back then but at times they become pretty hostile and I backed out of the latter ones. It is a book that we fisherman all should read....like a homework assignment.

DZ check out the secret life of the lobster, a lot more fun and interesting. http://www.secretlifeoflobsters.com/ and by the way...how is your "project" coming along?

[Swimmer]

Massachusetts own Bob Pond is one of the biggest saints the stripedbass have and that is well-documented in Russell's book.

[choggieman]

It was a good read, and shed some light on how proactive Bob Pond was in the welfare of striped bass. My respect for Mr. Pond was always high, but now he is in a different light- somewhat of a savior.

[reelecstasy]

Wednesday, June 28
#^&#^&#^&#^& Russell will be at the MSBA monthly meeting...
“Striper Wars”
#^&#^&#^&#^& RUSSELL, a longtime environmental journalist, is the author of Striper Wars. He will give a presentation as well as have a brief slide show about his book, Striper Wars. ”When populations of striped bass began plummeting in the early 1980s, author and fisherman #^&#^&#^&#^& Russell was there to lead an Atlantic coast conservation campaign that resulted in one of the most remarkable wildlife comebacks in the history of fisheries. As any avid fisherman will tell you, the striped bass has long been a favorite at the American dinner table; in fact, we've been feasting on the fish from the time of the Pilgrims. By 1980 that feasting had turned to over fishing by commercial fishing interests. Striper Wars is #^&#^&#^&#^& Russell's inspiring account of the people and events responsible for the successful preservation of one of America's favorite fish and of what has happened since. “

[The Iceman 6]

Great book, really puts things into perspective...

[basswipe]

Just got done reading it.

All I can say is you'll get the true perspective on many things you thought you knew.

An eye-opener for sure.

[Clammer]

Where can I purchase it ?????????????

Does it have pictures?????????????

[Raven]

big lipped stripers blowing you kisses....theres a whole section...

hurry lol

[BrianS]

Ive checked a few stores.. havent been able to find it.

[basswipe]

Originally Posted by bjs

Ive checked a few stores.. havent been able to find it.

Island Books in Middletown RI has it.Though that is a bit of a trip for a book.But I would imagine Amazon or any of the other online book sellers would have it.

[Swimmer]

I'll send my copy to whomever wants to read it as long as your registered on this web site and you promise to forward it to another person who wants to read. All who read it, sign it. Lets see where it ends up.

[BrianS]

ill take that offer

[eelskimmer]

DZ: thanks for bringing up this book and glad to see there are
a few surfers around who are like me are a "little long in the tooth."
I worked with Bob Pond, Joe Juffrey and Stripers Unlimited in
the 70s to save the striper. I have not been able to get a
copy of Striper Wars from my library and have put myself on list
for Swimmers copy.

Sandman: thanks for reminding me that #^&#^&#^&#^& Russell is playing
with strange people. He writes for NRDC whose website con-
spicuously condemns both Bush Sr. & Jr. for a multitude of sins.
Big money at NRDC.

Swimmer and Choggieman: Bob Pond is over 80 and reportedly
has the big A. He and Avis Boyd married a few years back, God
bless Avis. Visited with both Christmas 2004, they would love to
hear from old friends. Shoot me a PM and I will send you Address
and tel. # for Bob Pond.

See ya all on the beach next Spring.

[Offshore]

Striper wars was an interesting book and the author did a pretty good job of covering the collapse and recovery of the Stripers.

Unfortunately, he has some wild ideas of what the causes are for various environmental happenings.

[basswipe]

Originally Posted by Offshore

Unfortunately, he has some wild ideas of what the causes are for various environmental happenings.

Not his ideas but those of actual educated scientists who did many years of thorough research..Acid rain and nutrient rich run-off from farming were/are two of the biggest reasons for the degredation of inshore striper wintering over breeding grounds then and still some places now.

As far as the menhaden goes one needs not look much farther than Omega Protein.

It all sounds so far-fetched.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by basswipe

Not his ideas but those of actual educated scientists who did many years of thorough research..Acid rain and nutrient rich run-off from farming were/are two of the biggest reasons for the degredation of inshore striper wintering over breeding grounds then and still some places now.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
when you study the practice of organic farming you find out that your trying to increase the amount of organic matter in the soil which in turn feeds the earth worms that eat that organic matter and they create HUMUS which by itself (is worm %$%$%$%$e) and can hold ten times it's weight in water...

this makes for far less run-off of nutrients...which in this case is basically fertilizer which was made origionally from oil and was expensive.

a typical acre of soil which is aproximately 200 feet by 207 feet square can hold a population of a million earthworms but with farming methods using only chemical fertilizers your lucky to have a population of 10,000 worms per acre.

Our present method of agriculture does little to increase the organic matter for one thing by consistantly tilling under cover crops and then your essentially MINING the micronutrients and the acid rain keeps lowering the PH making the soil more and more acid which is unsuitable for earthworms where as organic matter gets it back up to neutral....
and so you loose the tilth ...or the spongy-ness of the soil which prevents the run-off in the first place.....

[reebok]

For those close enough the guy is speaking at the Nashua Public Library soon. It's in this month's OTW, in the club events page or whatever it is. They've got a nice program of winter fishing seminars they've been doing there for umpteen years now.

[eelslinger]

He will be at the Marlboro, MA Fly show this weekend.