Pair Trawlers Banned from Inshore GOM Waters - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Raven · 02-01-2006, 08:15 PM

for the herring

PNG · 02-01-2006, 08:44 PM

WoooHooo thats big news

Diggin Jiggin · 02-01-2006, 10:34 PM

Any body have an idea of when the sea herring show up? I know in my local runs, by May 1'st there are years the run is almost over already. April seems likes its the peak near me. I wish the ban you mentioned took effect a month or 2 earlier.

Mr. Sandman · 02-02-2006, 08:21 AM

long overdue, hope it is not too little too late. Once again, poor management has got us to a complete shutdown.

If they want to rebuild herring stocks they will need to do more then just stop fishing for them. (althought this is a first step) How about some federal and State $ for rebuilding historical runs and improving the newer ones? How about relaxing all the overbearing permitting fees that are involved in re-building a run? How about putting some people on the re-building efforts that really know what they are doing and oversee this to compleation? They have been taking from this fishery for decades, it is about time they give something back.

PNG · 02-02-2006, 08:40 AM

Quote:

They have been taking from this fishery for decades, it is about time they give something back.

So true.
This fishery has gone from basically no regulation and almost ZERO oversight to being shut down. Hello, NMFS where are you, hello.
This is like when they were screaming the cod stocks collapsed * stop all fishing * when in reality their survey vessel was and had been towing a collapsed net catching nothing. This was discovered by a commercial fisherman.

JohnR · 02-02-2006, 09:18 AM

A little scared about the May 1 date as it might be too late, Now RI and CT fish don't fall into the G.O.M. so I hipe they do something down here too (what is the migration range of the herring anyway??). I know we see the herring coming into the runs in March down here and I think Mass is no more than a few weeks later from Boston and points north...

But it is a start - too late - but a start

Redsoxticket · 02-02-2006, 09:44 AM

Council limits herring vessels

New regulations to take effect in 2007, New England fishing regulators voted to limit the number of fishing vessels that can catch Atlantic herring in a move to stabilize the growing fihery.
Under the new rules that take effect in 2007, vessels that entered the herring fishery after 2003 will no longer be allowed to catch Atlantic herring. Future boats will also be barred from the fishery.
This would eliminate so called "derby fishing" when vessels race against each other to catch as much of the quota as they can before the fishery is closed, As more vessels enter the fishery, the incentive to race for fish will grow. Derby fishing can lead to overfishing and cause negative impacts.

Offshore · 03-24-2006, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diggin Jiggin

Any body have an idea of when the sea herring show up? I know in my local runs, by May 1'st there are years the run is almost over already. April seems likes its the peak near me. I wish the ban you mentioned took effect a month or 2 earlier.

Sea (Atlantic) Herring do not spawn in coastal streams, but at sea. It is the River Herring and Alewife that spawn in your coastal streams. But, they (alewife) mix with sea herring near shore in spring-summer and that's why pair trawling has been banned inshore during that time.

Diggin Jiggin · 03-24-2006, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Offshore

Sea (Atlantic) Herring do not spawn in coastal streams, but at sea. It is the River Herring and Alewife that spawn in your coastal streams. But, they (alewife) mix with sea herring near shore in spring-summer and that's why pair trawling has been banned inshore during that time.

Bill, I know a little about the alewifes but nothing about sea herring, that's why I asked when they started to show. What I really wanted to know is where they are in relation to the alewifes now and over the next 5 weeks. Do they only mix after the alewifes spawn or do they travel together.

The first of the river herring are showing up now. You've still got 5 full weeks till that ban goes into effect. Where are the sea herring now in relation to the schools of alewifes that our making their journey to spawn. They are both offshore somewhere... I am hoping they are no where near each other, as the bulk of returning alewifes will be coming to spawn in the next 4 weeks, and you still have 5 weeks till that ban goes into effect.

Also as I understand it the alewife only spawn at a certain point in their life cycle. So where are the ones that aren't spawning this year, are they anywhere near those sea herring???

timw · 03-25-2006, 08:21 AM

Sandman, there is quite a bit of money available for restoration projects. The Army Corp, NOAA, American Rivers and other government agencies and non profits have good restoration grant programs. It is up to folks at the local level to go out and get them and put them to good use. As fisherman and people concerned with these matters it is up to us to take the bull by the horns and make it work for our concerns.

Offshore · 03-28-2006, 08:58 AM

Diggin,
The times when the River Herring mix with the sea Herring varies. The experts claim the S.Herring come inshore as the water warms and can be there between May and Sept. The R.Herring begin spawning now through July but some don't drop down to the salt until later. The inshore pair trawling ban is as much guess-work as knowledge, IMHO. At least they are trying to take some preventative measures.