Fishing ain't that EEZ

[monkfish]

It seems that boats fishing SW ledge or any BI waters and return to mainland are in violation! Isn't some of the water between the island and mainland federal waters? It's no different that boats leaving the south shore of the cape and fishing east of Nantucket which is some of the best bass water in the world. The CG was stopping boats coming back to Harwichport and Chatham for illegal possession of bass in Federal waters. Why there and not RI?

[zacs]

Originally Posted by monkfish

It seems that boats fishing SW ledge or any BI waters and return to mainland are in violation! Isn't some of the water between the island and mainland federal waters? It's no different that boats leaving the south shore of the cape and fishing east of Nantucket which is some of the best bass water in the world. The CG was stopping boats coming back to Harwichport and Chatham for illegal possession of bass in Federal waters. Why there and not RI?

Call it a double standard but apparently the rhody lobby (maby risaa?) was able to get an exclusion of the fed waters between BI and the coast...

The text of the law, direct from NMFS:

EEZ closed to all striped bass possession or fishing. Atlantic Striped Bass may not be fished for, harvested, retained, or possessed in or from the EEZ. One exception - within Block Island Sound, possession of Atlantic striped bass is permitted, provided no fishing takes place from the vessel while in this EEZ area and the vessel is in continuous transit through the area. This area is north of a line connecting Montauk Light, Montauk Point, NY, and Block Island Southeast Light, Block Island, RI; and west of a line connecting Point Judith Light, Point Judith, RI, and Block Island Southeast Light, Block Island, RI.

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by monkfish

It seems that boats fishing SW ledge or any BI waters and return to mainland are in violation! Isn't some of the water between the island and mainland federal waters? It's no different that boats leaving the south shore of the cape and fishing east of Nantucket which is some of the best bass water in the world. The CG was stopping boats coming back to Harwichport and Chatham for illegal possession of bass in Federal waters. Why there and not RI?

There are several corridors along the coast where boats can pass from legal waters through the EEZ without violating the law. That's one of them. There's another one off Chatham, since Nantucket Sound---all of it---is outside of the EEZ. Don't wander out of the corridor, and don't fish while you're transiting the corridor. Those boats were probably stopped outside of the corridor. CG sits on that corridor a lot during the Mass commercial season. Or they were seen fishing inside of the EEZ, and reported.

Depending on how far "east" of Nantucket you are, you could be in the EEZ.

[Grapenuts]

Originally Posted by Mike P

There are several corridors along the coast where boats can pass from legal waters through the EEZ without violating the law. That's one of them. There's another one off Chatham, since Nantucket Sound---all of it---is outside of the EEZ. Don't wander out of the corridor, and don't fish while you're transiting the corridor. Those boats were probably stopped outside of the corridor. CG sits on that corridor a lot during the Mass commercial season. Or they were seen fishing inside of the EEZ, and reported.

Depending on how far "east" of Nantucket you are, you could be in the EEZ.

There is no safe corridor between nantucket and chatham/harwich...I know of a few charter boats have been stopped and fined for having bass on board coming back from nantucket...one captain twice..there's a one mile fed zone[eez] between the tip of monnomoy and brant point light....most comm. boats fish 10 miles out east of nantucket....some have been caught red handed by helo and on film doing it...never heard what happened in court....it's mostly the old school boats doing this around here.....they say we've been fishing for 50 years and no one is going to tell us when and where we can fish.