Industrial fleet working the SHORELINE of RI!

[DZ]

Could look on the bright side - apparantly a robust local population of herring and macks which is a very good sign. And these comm fishermen are still employed.

DZ

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by DZ

Could look on the bright side - apparantly a robust local population of herring and macks which is a very good sign. And these comm fishermen are still employed.

DZ

It's tough to even humor looking at any positives when there are so many major down sides to indiscriminate fishing methods.

It's like telling the Brazilians, "Yeah, I know your rainforests are being completely clear-cut and the entire ecosystem is being destroyed forever, but at least those loggers are getting a paycheck." This is exactly what is occurring in the seas right off our local shores - an entire oceanic ecosystem is being destroyed so that a couple people can get a paycheck.

[DZ]

Johnny - I was just making an observation. I'm assuming that if the fishing is occurring its probably legal and herring/mackeral quotas haven't been met? It's probably a good time of year to harvest these species as gamefish by-catch is probably very low. If what they're doing is illegal then by all means shut them down.

DZ

[Fish_Eye]

DZ
This is one of the few times I disagree with you. Yes, what they are doing is legal and that's the problem. I've been to the meetings and every time we push for more observer coverage (I believe it's 5% or less now) or mounting cameras on the ships they claim it's too expensive and they can't afford to pay for it. It's all bull#^&#^&#^&#^&, I was at the meeting in Newport in 2010 and left there sick to my stomach.

We have (perhaps had) a growing inshore cod fishery that could have produced shore fishing for cod once again. It was common to catch cod from shore from mid-November to April in spots like Brenton Point, Beavertail and especially Charlestown. These nets and the constant pressure so close to shore is going to destroy yet another fishery...not to mention what they are doing to the all important base of the food chain.

[DZ]

Interesting viewpoint Mike and I respect your opinion. But it's in the middle of the winter! Would you rather the dragger crews use hook and line with sabiki rigs? What about all the hook and line guys catching loads of mackeral and herring the past few weeks of the piers and bridges in Rhody - should they be told to stop fishing because they're depleting the bait? I'm usually the last one to condone commercial fishing but I see nothing wrong with this at this time of season.

DZ

[RIROCKHOUND]

Originally Posted by DZ

Interesting viewpoint Mike and I respect your opinion. But it's in the middle of the winter! Would you rather the dragger crews use hook and line with sabiki rigs? What about all the hook and line guys catching loads of mackeral and herring the past few weeks of the piers and bridges in Rhody - should they be told to stop fishing because they're depleting the bait? I'm usually the last one to condone commercial fishing but I see nothing wrong with this at this time of season.

DZ

Set horsepower and landing limits. Keep it open to more local boats, the guys doing day trips and such. Keep it away from the pair trawlers landing 600K lbs every 36hr....

[Fish_Eye]

RIROCKHOUND, You're right on the money. Restrict the horsepower, time and territory closures that make sense, keep the fish for the local fleet whenever possible and stop the squeeze on the little guy.

DZ, the impact of even a pretty savvy angler such as this one, doesn't add up to a hill of beans, even if there were 500,000 anglers doing this it wouldn't equal what one MWPT does...and there is a fleet of them doing it day after day after day.

[big jay]

Originally Posted by RIROCKHOUND

Set horsepower and landing limits. Keep it open to more local boats, the guys doing day trips and such. Keep it away from the pair trawlers landing 600K lbs every 36hr....

Exactly.

Just an observation, you really should get involved in fisheries mgmt -you always seem to see right through the BS and are spot on with these things (even when we don't agree).

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by DZ

Johnny - I was just making an observation. I'm assuming that if the fishing is occurring its probably legal and herring/mackeral quotas haven't been met? It's probably a good time of year to harvest these species as gamefish by-catch is probably very low. If what they're doing is illegal then by all means shut them down.

DZ

Granted just hearsay from the Tuna section but... 5 giant BFT caught in the herring nets off of RI. Illegal to keep so the tuna must be discarded.

Still think this is a good time of year for indiscriminate fishing methods because "by-catch is probably very low"?

[DZ]

There's always going to be some bycatch. I just assume let them fish in the winter months to reduce it. Much better than having them dragging the same areas in October/November.

It sounds like most guys here just don't want anyone dragging at any place any time. A small time dragger could just as well caught the same tuna and they would still have to be discarded.

Attached are a few NOAA docs to give some background on the herring fishery. Appears the fleet in now working on the 2012 quota. Seems the full 2011 quota was not reached.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by DZ

It sounds like most guys here just don't want anyone dragging at any place any time. A small time dragger could just as well caught the same tuna and they would still have to be discarded.

Pretty much my opinion of dragging. You eliminate dragging and you resolve a number of ecological issues. Not only is by-catch a major issue, it seems pretty common knowledge that they have no regard for sustainability, bottom trawlers completely destroy habitat that could harbor juvenile fish and there is literally no accountability.

To re-emphasize my earlier analogy, dragging is no different than the companies that clear-cut rainforests, doing whatever they can to make money without regard for the lasting effects on fish stocks or the overall ecological consequences. A few small groups will eventually completely ruin the seas for the rest of us.

[likwid]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

A few small groups will eventually completely ruin the seas for the rest of us.

I wouldn't exactly call them a "small group".