lets talk herring

[macojoe]

I hate chasing the herrin and paying for the permits!! I have not used them for 3 years now.
I use live scup now, but they were almost as hard to get last summer??

[ZuluHotel]

Interesting post.

I have to admit I understand little about where anadromous herring (as opposed to Atlantic herring) spend their time when they're not in rivers--way offshore, nearshore, along shore. NMFS has repeatly noted there's very little interaction between the mid-water trawlers that target Atlantic herring, and bluebacks or alewives. Then again, observer coverage in the form of qualified fish biologists who can differentiate between Atlantics and bluebacks has been very small percentagewise. It could well be that big numbers of river herring are being sucked up in that fishery.

Then again, it could be the resurgence of our beloved striped bass or not-so-beloved dogfish, at the same time many other historic food sources that diverted attention away from river herring (i.e. mackerel, pogies, etc.) that is putting unbelievable pressure on the bluebacks and alewives. Could be more holdover bass waiting in the river systems, could be pollution, could be upstream obstructions.

Complicated problem. I think increased observer coverage on the mid-water boats would be a good starting point to eliminate or confirm that possibility.

Curious to see what others think.

[ThrowingTimber]

I think the ban should include rhode island as well. We're now trapped between two states where possession is illegal. We're gonna get squeezed even worse...

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by ThrowingTimber

I think the ban should include rhode island as well. We're now trapped between two states where possession is illegal. We're gonna get squeezed even worse...

YEp..

[MoroneSaxatilis]

Originally Posted by macojoe

I hate chasing the herrin and paying for the permits!! I have not used them for 3 years now.
I use live scup now, but they were almost as hard to get last summer??

Not to mention that they shut down the rec scup, so if you didn't have a comm permit you couldn't even have ONE on board.

[Raider Ronnie]

Mike,
I think that you will be going through the DTs from herring withdrawl come early june !!!

[BobT]

Problem...............now what do I do with all the frozen herring that's in my freezer???????????????????????

[Slipknot]

feed it to the cat

[slapshot]

Originally Posted by MoroneSaxatilis

Not to mention that they shut down the rec scup, so if you didn't have a comm permit you couldn't even have ONE on board.

I'm not sure what State Googanville is in, but where did they shut down the rec scup fishery?

[riverrat2]

I think the herring ban can only help. I just hope that they dont go right back to the old ways next year.

[ThrowingTimber]

Clearing something up. The russian ships stay away a few miles, its our guys netting/selling to them as I understand it

Lets just all take up golf, I'll set up the t time, we can still wear our waders, and korkers, that'd be nuts, knocking balls outta the water traps with waders on... whaddya say?

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by ThrowingTimber

Clearing something up. The russian ships stay away a few miles, its our guys netting/selling to them as I understand it

Just to make it really clear, the Russina ships stay tied to the dock. They used to dock in Jamestown, but I think they moved somewhere else last year.

[CANAL RAT]

Originally Posted by ThrowingTimber

Clearing something up. The russian ships stay away a few miles, its our guys netting/selling to them as I understand it

Lets just all take up golf, I'll set up the t time, we can still wear our waders, and korkers, that'd be nuts, knocking balls outta the water traps with waders on... whaddya say?

golf cant even be compared to fishing or hunting,golf is boring!!!

[CANAL RAT]

i think its a mix of non U.S. and U.S. comercial fishing and river herring mixing with sea herring and also alot of poaching at night at the herring runs. my grandfather tells me how the russian trawlers would come in and it seemed like they would scoop up everything in the god damn ocean,my grampa hates those bastards and people that hurt the ecosystem.my grandfather would watch the herrings runs like a hawk back in the day and report them or take matters into his own hands

[MoroneSaxatilis]

I'm in Massachusetts. The rec scup fishery was shut down around the end of August and the comm limit was first doubled, then more than tripled.