Same old story

[jmac]

Too many people do not understand the severity of the threat mycobacteriosis poses to the striped bass fishery.

The subject of mycobacteriosis always seems to come up in any discussion of the state of the striped bass fishery. I do not dispute the claims of scientists and others when this discussion comes up. My thoughts are the following.

I have been fishing for striped bass for a long time (commercially AND for the fun of it also...in the spring-plugs, plastics, flies). I would say on the average, I catch upwards of 500-1000 bass a year, i.e., sell what I can legally, let the rest go. I may have seen 2 or 3 cases of fungus affected fish in all the years I have been fishing. All others are healthy, clean, great coloring, etc. The past couple of years most of the fish are fat (not racers like a few years ago)....all these fish have been caught in MA, RI. Most of the fishermen I know are as productive as I am (if not more)...and in all cases, they agree with my observations.

What I would like to know, is if anybody else is seeing mycobacteriosis in the fish they are catching....I am not being cynical, I would like to know what others are seeing....

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by jmac

What I would like to know, is if anybody else is seeing mycobacteriosis in the fish they are catching....I am not being cynical, I would like to know what others are seeing....

Not everyone with a cold presents with the sniffles and a cough.

From what I understand, the red sores on fish are a sign of an advanced infection.

Now, to be fair, I still think ASMFC is incompetent and their reports are pathetically inaccurate. With that in mind, I guarantee their estimates for a 70% infection rate are off. Let's say they are off by a factor of 2, I'd still say a 35% or so infection rate is pretty significant.

Either way, 70% or 35%, there will be a significant impact on mortality furthering an already downward trend in abundance. The only difference is that one will probably thrust the bass to critical levels while the other may almost completely wipe out the species.

[inTHERAPY]

Originally Posted by jmac

The subject of mycobacteriosis always seems to come up in any discussion of the state of the striped bass fishery. I do not dispute the claims of scientists and others when this discussion comes up. My thoughts are the following.

I have been fishing for striped bass for a long time (commercially AND for the fun of it also...in the spring-plugs, plastics, flies). I would say on the average, I catch upwards of 500-1000 bass a year, i.e., sell what I can legally, let the rest go. I may have seen 2 or 3 cases of fungus affected fish in all the years I have been fishing. All others are healthy, clean, great coloring, etc. The past couple of years most of the fish are fat (not racers like a few years ago)....all these fish have been caught in MA, RI. Most of the fishermen I know are as productive as I am (if not more)...and in all cases, they agree with my observations.

What I would like to know, is if anybody else is seeing mycobacteriosis in the fish they are catching....I am not being cynical, I would like to know what others are seeing....

I'll show my ignorance here.....always learning. To the question: While I spend far less time on the water than you do, consequently not catching as many as you do, I do usually catch. For the past 6 years that I've been fishing hard, I have not seen the signs of the disease. The bass that have the high percentage of infection are Chesapeake bass, yes? Are the chesapeake bass the fish we see here all season, part of the season, never? Art

[CowHunter]

Originally Posted by inTHERAPY

I'll show my ignorance here.....always learning. To the question: While I spend far less time on the water than you do, consequently not catching as many as you do, I do usually catch. For the past 6 years that I've been fishing hard, I have not seen the signs of the disease. The bass that have the high percentage of infection are Chesapeake bass, yes? Are the chesapeake bass the fish we see here all season, part of the season, never? Art

Art, out of all the bass put on my boat in a season I may only see 2 or 3 that have sores mentioned... Hate to say it but they are all caught in the NJ / NY Bight area... I fish the Chesapeke and have not caught any that show symptoms down there in the last few years...

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by CowHunter

Art, out of all the bass put on my boat in a season I may only see 2 or 3 that have sores mentioned... Hate to say it but they are all caught in the NJ / NY Bight area... I fish the Chesapeke and have not caught any that show symptoms down there in the last few years...

Key words in there: "that show symptoms". You can't always look at a person and know if they are sick or not, you can't just look at a bass to know if it has myco or not.

From a Virginia Institute of Marine Science FAQ about Mycobateriosis (my emphasis added):

Mycobacteriosis of Chesapeake Bay striped bass is predominantly a visceral disease, infecting organs such as the spleen and kidneys. Internal signs of the disease typically include small grayish white nodules called granulomas in these organs. A small percentage of the infected fish also exhibit unsightly shallow, rough-surfaced, reddened, or darkly pigmented skin ulcers.

We have all probably held tons of fish infected with myco and had no clue because only advanced infections have outward signs.

The VIMS FAQ also states a 76% infection rate of Chesapeake Bay bass as of 2001.

According to tagging done by ASMFC, a majority of the bass we see are from the Chesapeake Bay.

If anyone is interested, http://www.maine.gov/dmr/recreationa...ts/mycoFAQ.pdf

[inTHERAPY]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

Key words in there: "that show symptoms". You can't always look at a person and know if they are sick or not, you can't just look at a bass to know if it has myco or not.

From a Virginia Institute of Marine Science FAQ about Mycobateriosis (my emphasis added):

We have all probably held tons of fish infected with myco and had no clue because only advanced infections have outward signs.

The VIMS FAQ also states a 76% infection rate of Chesapeake Bay bass as of 2001.

According to tagging done by ASMFC, a majority of the bass we see are from the Chesapeake Bay.

If anyone is interested, http://www.maine.gov/dmr/recreationa...ts/mycoFAQ.pdf

thanks, i did not know that

[numbskull]

What we really need is a better public advisories regarding the PCB concentration in large striped bass. This should include warnings on restaurant menus and at counters in fish stores. These large fish contain chemicals that damage brains and cause cancer. The levels vary from fish to fish and can be shockingly high (so using an average doesn't protect you). The bigger the fish, the worse it is (how many kids are getting a dose from all those 60lb fish? Would you feed one to your family?). Shouldn't consumers be aware of this? Why is MA the only state without an advisory? Most other states have one......but the public is probably unaware. So why no warnings on restaurant menus and at the counters of fish stores? Who is benefiting from that policy? Who is being harmed? Fish Consumption Advisory for Striped Bass, Bluefish In Atlantic Coastal Waters - Southern Maryland Headline News


Make that info more public and I think the over-killing issue would shrink quickly.