surferman
06-14-2008, 06:51 AM
Regulation hurts fishing over short term
By: Al Higgins, Outdoorsman
06/14/2008
A week from today marks the opening of the black bass season on most of New York's waters.
The season opens on the third Saturday of June, and, for the first time in recent memory, the season is not opening on Father's Day.
This is because the first day of the month fell on a Sunday this year, which pushed the opener as far back in the month as it can possible be. The late opener, when combined with the recent unseasonably hot weather, will certainly have an effect on the fishing.
As of the middle of this week, the water temperature in the Hudson River was 73 degrees. Normally this would be a strong indicator that the spawn would be mostly completed, but when you consider the fact that prior to the heat wave our local waters were running a little behind "normal," there will probably still be bedded fish in most bodies of water.
Advertisement
http://imagec11.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/default/empty.gif (http://oascentral.dailyfreeman.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/dailyfreeman.com/Home/903860672/Middle3/default/empty.gif/524335394f4568546f4c734143636f74?x) The Hudson River is the premier bass fishery in our area, but one has to ask the question, "Are there fewer largemouth bass in the river than there were nearly 25 years ago?"
There is no doubt that the complexion of the river has changed. Gone are the massive coontail beds that once served as nurseries for bass fry. They began to disappear in the late 1980s and there has not been any science conducted to determine why they declined so rapidly.
Another factor is the Clean Water Act. With fewer and fewer nutrients being introduced into the river system the entire food chain has been altered.
But perhaps the single most important change in the Hudson is the introduction of zebra mussels. These tiny bivalves strain billions of gallons of water every day and now the river has even fewer nutrients to enrich the system.
The straining of these nutrients has resulted in a river that is much clearer. Consequently, vegetation now grows in water much deeper than before, and eel grass has become the dominant form of aquatic vegetation.
So the question is, "Is the Hudson's bass population in trouble?"
That's hard to say. There is no hard science to substantiate that either way - but our Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) decided last year to introduce a regulation that may hurt, rather than help, the fishing industry along the Hudson.
As of last June, all black bass caught in the Hudson River and its major tributaries must be 15 inches in length to be kept. By "kept" I mean possessed. You cannot place a bass under 15 inches in your livewell, even though you have every intention of releasing it alive.
The thinking at the DEC is that by increasing the minimum length of a legal bass to 15 inches they are adding another year to the life of the fish and that alone will increase the chances that the fish will spawn again before being caught. Of course, this thinking does not allow for the fact that there is virtually no subsistence fishing for black bass on the Hudson and that the vast majority of fish that are caught are released alive.
The impact of the regulation goes well beyond the increased difficulty of an angler to catch a limit of bass. For all intents and purposes tournament bass fishing on the Hudson River is in dire straits.
Because it is so difficult to catch a limit of bass that meet the new 15-inch requirement, tournament directors are bringing the events to other waters. After all, who wants to pay several hundred dollars to enter a tournament when there is little chance you can win ... or even cash a check.
There are approximately 20 weekends during which tournaments can be held on the Hudson. The season opens the third Saturday of June, and due to cold water temperatures bass fishing comes to a screeching halt around November 1.
In years past, there were 18 tournaments a year on the Hudson, some with as many 200 boats. This year there are just eight scheduled.
The economic impact on the towns along the Hudson River is staggering. When 200 boats roll into town they bring 400 anglers - all of which require gasoline for their boats and tow vehicles, as well as food and lodging.
Catskill's River Basin Sports owner Tom Gentalen says that of the 400 anglers coming into town at least 100 would pass through his store, and he needs visiting anglers to sustain his business.
It appears those days are over. With fewer and fewer anglers hauling their boats to Catskill, sports stores, motels and even restaurants that depended on the angling business are going to be hurting. We all know that once something is lost it is difficult, if not impossible, to get it back.
The DEC maintains that its regulation will, within a few years, bring the average weight of the largemouth bass caught to levels seen in the late 1980s. That remains to be seen, but in the meantime anglers who love the Hudson, and the many businesses that depend upon their patronage, are going to suffer.
By: Al Higgins, Outdoorsman
06/14/2008
A week from today marks the opening of the black bass season on most of New York's waters.
The season opens on the third Saturday of June, and, for the first time in recent memory, the season is not opening on Father's Day.
This is because the first day of the month fell on a Sunday this year, which pushed the opener as far back in the month as it can possible be. The late opener, when combined with the recent unseasonably hot weather, will certainly have an effect on the fishing.
As of the middle of this week, the water temperature in the Hudson River was 73 degrees. Normally this would be a strong indicator that the spawn would be mostly completed, but when you consider the fact that prior to the heat wave our local waters were running a little behind "normal," there will probably still be bedded fish in most bodies of water.
Advertisement
http://imagec11.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/default/empty.gif (http://oascentral.dailyfreeman.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/dailyfreeman.com/Home/903860672/Middle3/default/empty.gif/524335394f4568546f4c734143636f74?x) The Hudson River is the premier bass fishery in our area, but one has to ask the question, "Are there fewer largemouth bass in the river than there were nearly 25 years ago?"
There is no doubt that the complexion of the river has changed. Gone are the massive coontail beds that once served as nurseries for bass fry. They began to disappear in the late 1980s and there has not been any science conducted to determine why they declined so rapidly.
Another factor is the Clean Water Act. With fewer and fewer nutrients being introduced into the river system the entire food chain has been altered.
But perhaps the single most important change in the Hudson is the introduction of zebra mussels. These tiny bivalves strain billions of gallons of water every day and now the river has even fewer nutrients to enrich the system.
The straining of these nutrients has resulted in a river that is much clearer. Consequently, vegetation now grows in water much deeper than before, and eel grass has become the dominant form of aquatic vegetation.
So the question is, "Is the Hudson's bass population in trouble?"
That's hard to say. There is no hard science to substantiate that either way - but our Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) decided last year to introduce a regulation that may hurt, rather than help, the fishing industry along the Hudson.
As of last June, all black bass caught in the Hudson River and its major tributaries must be 15 inches in length to be kept. By "kept" I mean possessed. You cannot place a bass under 15 inches in your livewell, even though you have every intention of releasing it alive.
The thinking at the DEC is that by increasing the minimum length of a legal bass to 15 inches they are adding another year to the life of the fish and that alone will increase the chances that the fish will spawn again before being caught. Of course, this thinking does not allow for the fact that there is virtually no subsistence fishing for black bass on the Hudson and that the vast majority of fish that are caught are released alive.
The impact of the regulation goes well beyond the increased difficulty of an angler to catch a limit of bass. For all intents and purposes tournament bass fishing on the Hudson River is in dire straits.
Because it is so difficult to catch a limit of bass that meet the new 15-inch requirement, tournament directors are bringing the events to other waters. After all, who wants to pay several hundred dollars to enter a tournament when there is little chance you can win ... or even cash a check.
There are approximately 20 weekends during which tournaments can be held on the Hudson. The season opens the third Saturday of June, and due to cold water temperatures bass fishing comes to a screeching halt around November 1.
In years past, there were 18 tournaments a year on the Hudson, some with as many 200 boats. This year there are just eight scheduled.
The economic impact on the towns along the Hudson River is staggering. When 200 boats roll into town they bring 400 anglers - all of which require gasoline for their boats and tow vehicles, as well as food and lodging.
Catskill's River Basin Sports owner Tom Gentalen says that of the 400 anglers coming into town at least 100 would pass through his store, and he needs visiting anglers to sustain his business.
It appears those days are over. With fewer and fewer anglers hauling their boats to Catskill, sports stores, motels and even restaurants that depended on the angling business are going to be hurting. We all know that once something is lost it is difficult, if not impossible, to get it back.
The DEC maintains that its regulation will, within a few years, bring the average weight of the largemouth bass caught to levels seen in the late 1980s. That remains to be seen, but in the meantime anglers who love the Hudson, and the many businesses that depend upon their patronage, are going to suffer.