Selling Stripers illegally in fish markets

[basshunter]

If you were to come across a fish market illegally selling striped bass what do you do? Walk by, report it or buy it?

[surfstix1963]

I don.t like to hurt the small business owners but if they are selling illegal fish too bad I don't know who controls that kind of issue but I would start with the DEC and see what their response is to the matter.

[finchaser]

Call fish and game

[rip316]

Call fish and game

Calling fish and game will give the comms another black eye.

[CharlieTuna]

I think you need to be sure they are illegal fish Take striped bass for example. There are a lot of places where they are farm raised, They are supposed to be sold with a tag identifying them as that. If you don't see a tag ask them where they come from. Should the answer not reference farm raised or them showing you the tag, you should make the call.

[DarkSkies]

This was originally posted and written by Capt John McMurray, NYC. Illegal bass being sold in the NYC area.




http://www.nycflyfishing.com/Other%20press.htm

[rockhopper]

They are supposed to be sold with a tag identifying them as that. If you don't see a tag ask them where they come from. Should the answer not reference farm raised or them showing you the tag, you should make the call.

Well you probably havnt been to the markets in chinatown where you would have to speak Chinese to do that. Most of the times they speak in their own language unless counting money or telling you where to get counterfeit goods. For that culture I think selling illegal stripers is no big deal to them. I was down there recently this is a pic of stripers they had for sale. right on the street they don't seem to care.

[J Barbosa]

Rockhopper,

Those look like the farm raised hybrids that they farm with tilapia to sell.

[bababooey]

Aren't those stripers supposed to be tagged? $3.99/lb is pretty cheap about the same price as bluefish. Don't know how they could raise striped bass at a fish farm and sell them at wholesale so the market would still make a profit at $3.99

[dogfish]

Don't know how they could raise striped bass at a fish farm and sell them at wholesale so the market would still make a profit at $3.99

I think you're right. On one hand the bass in the photo seem to have disjointed or broken stripes which is sometimes an indication of farm raised hybrid fish. This info I found lists the average wholesale price at $4/lb. There has to be a fair profit margin somewhere above that for the retailer. from www.fishchoice.com

Market Report updated December 2011
Prices for this upscale fish have been relatively steady this year, with distributors buying whole fish for about $4/lb. delivered, depending on size. Even at that price, farming of hybrid striped bass is still only moderately profitable, limiting the industry's growth.
U.S. production of hybrid stripers has actually declined since 2009 after the largest striped bass farm in the country gave up on fish and switched to growing algae for the biofuel industry. That farm, which raised fish in recirculating tanks in the desert near California's Salton Sea, produced between 3 to 4 million pounds of fish a year.
The two biggest farms producing hybrid striped bass, one of which is in South Texas and one in southern Mississippi, use ponds and produce between 2 and 3 million pounds a year. A number of smaller farms for hybrid stripers are in North Carolina. Unlike the farms in Texas and Mississippi, which harvest fish all year, North Carolina farmers have to harvest all their fish by the fall due to the low water temperatures.
Hybrid stripers remain popular with restaurants looking to serve smaller whole fish, often in Asian-style preparations.
Buying Tips

size-taste-texture

• Size ranges from 1-3 lbs.
• Mild in taste
• Delicate texture

seasonality

• Fall

sourcing
Hybrid striped bass has a milder flavor than wild bass. It has pink, firm flesh, a sweet smell, bright red gills, and the skin is edible. They can also be distinguished by their disjointed stripes. A limited supply of hybrid striped bass is available year-round, although production is heaviest in the fall. A pond facility where the water quality is not monitored may produce an off flavor. Bass raised in closed-circulating systems can be more expensive than those raised in ponds due to production costs, according to some buyers.

[DarkSkies]

I have been doing some research on hybrids and discovered this about the market for the East Coast.
Thought some members would find these articles interesting.

SRAC: Hybrid Striped Bass
http://srac.msstate.edu/hybridbass.html

Hybrid Striped Bass - Biology and Life History
https://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm/getF...hfactsheet/54/



The Hybrid Striped Bass: Aka - Cherokee Bass - Kentucky Bass
The White Bass and Striped Bass cross
http://www.stripers247.com/Hybrid-striper.php

[DarkSkies]

They also have some other names,
Sunshine Bass.....
If you have any additional names or info feel free to add, thanks!

[buckethead]

I have caught some in the reservoir. They put up a tremendous fight and hit like a freight train. folks often confuse the two species when they are sold in fish markets.