The stripers have changed

[Sashamy]

Tim
we haven't had pogies up here in mass but for about three years or so, pogies run in cycles....the bass are plenty fat this year...plenty of peanut bunker and sandeels and even herring...I don't know how we can blame pogie fishermen for somethingb that only started 2 years or so ago...

[t.orlando]

[QUOTE=Sashamy;779416]

Most fish I have seen this year have been nicely proportioned.

[FishermanTim]

Originally Posted by Sashamy

Tim
we haven't had pogies up here in mass but for about three years or so, pogies run in cycles....the bass are plenty fat this year...plenty of peanut bunker and sandeels and even herring...I don't know how we can blame pogie fishermen for somethingb that only started 2 years or so ago...

We've only taken notice of it starting 2 years or so ago.
How long have "fish oil" pills been on the market? For decades?
That's why I stated "may", "region" and "If" because not even area suffered a reduction in fish.

My comment was not accusatory, only hypothetical, which makes me wonder.... are you defending them, or have a vested interest in the fish oil market?

With an ever-increasing biomass of stripers, if the netting continues at the current pace, the stripers MAY not have enough food to maintain their overall health, and will probably seek out alternative food sources. That COULD account for a change between different YOY fish sizes.

Here's a hypothetical scenario:

If the pogies are netted to a point of the collapse of the region's biomass (pogies), and the stripers seek out alternate food, what kind of uproar would there be if they chose the blue crabs as their new food supply and decimate the Chesapeake Bay stocks?

[Tagger]

I've heard if it wasn't for the Hudson river we'd barely have a striper fishery .. I don't know if that's true but, I wonder what the percentages are of fish Hudson River vs. Chespeake Bay .,, Now and years past . The latter always being regarded as the larger ,quality fish . I don't think you can measure the fishery by that blast of large that blows thru the canal every year .. Some fishing the primary holes are still doing well .. what about the secondary holes ? .

[timmah]

It's funny, but i've noticed that the overwhelming majority of my fish this year have been much fatter than in the past. Almost all the fattest side of the measurement/weight scale.