Here's a clip from inside "Secrets of the Striper Pros" it was shot off Block Island four years ago and the spiny dogfish problem was already BAD...it's only gotten worse.
When I was lobstering I would use them as bait as a last resort, they not very good for bait but better than nothing , Im sure there could be some use for them in some third world hell hole ...
All good reason why we're trying to get people to protest the NMFS dogfish policy. One way is to get and wear the t-shirts, preferably where NMFS/NOAA people will see them.
When you see dogfish, do you see bass at the same time together? Do they hunt the same spot or do they drive the bass away from that spot.
On Block we caught the doggies and bass together - the doggies love sand eels and would strike our needlefish plugs. At times they were bursting with sand eels and spitting them out. They will feed together at the right opportunity.
DZ
DZ
Recreational Surfcaster
"Limit Your Kill - Don't Kill Your Limit"
Bi + Ne = SB 2
If you haven't heard of the Snowstorm Blitz of 1987 - you someday will.
I have no doubt that they coexist and sometimes feed together, just like the big stripers feed under the whales in the Gulf of Maine. However, when the numbers of dogs gets overwhelming, unless there is a mega supply of bait the sharks generally win out...at least in my experience. God forbid you're using eels.
Are they really getting worse or just more awareness? Back in the 70's my Dad took us on the Dolphin/Ranger deep sea fishing boats from PTown. Before they turned to whale watching. We would often run into a pack of dogs out on the bank that would create havoc on the boat as they swim in circles and tangle all the lines.
Up and down the coast there are reports of dogs in areas where dogfish never were seen before...this normally happens when the biomass is so large they need to expand their range...think coyotes, cormorants, mute swans, etc.
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