Are the Weakfish stocks down because of overfishing? Does it have commercial value? Has the weakfish become a major source of food for other predators now that menhaden are not as plentiful?
I have no idea and I have never seen or caught a weakfish. Just curious if anyone has any ideas.
Probably all of the above. But IMO it's also due to a lack of understanding of the species by the fisheries management groups resulting in poor regulations across the board.
Are the Weakfish stocks down because of overfishing? Does it have commercial value? Has the weakfish become a major source of food for other predators now that menhaden are not as plentiful?
I have no idea and I have never seen or caught a weakfish. Just curious if anyone has any ideas.
I don't know anything about commercial pressure on them elsewhere, but like I said before, they've never been what you'd call plentiful this far north except in short bursts. There were none at all in RI in the 1950's and 60's. I didn't even know they existed and I fished just about every day back then. When conditions are favorable here and the population is up they might appear for a year or two, but otherwise, they're just sporadic visitors. Cape Cod is probably the extreme northern limit of their range, even in good years. I've caught more jack crevalle in RI than I have weakfish.
Hybrid Mode
