Moratorium: Striped Bass Moratorium? Life without bass?? Almost a reality?

[DarkSkies]

The exerpts from the article were sent in by Finchaser, thanks.
Reprinted courtesy of the Fisherman weekly periodical.

www.thefisherman.njstriper.com
The Fisherman Magazine, New Jersey's premier sportfishing authority since 1973.




Respected outdoor writer Tim Coleman recently authored an article titled:
The Bass Moratorium - Life without bass - almost a reality


It was well-written, and raises some valid points and comparison to the East Coast Striped bass Moratorium in the early 1980's.

We already have a thread here called "Where are the Striped Bass?"
That thread documents a decline in YOY birth numbers for striped bass. It has plenty of scientific and anecdotal evidence that we may be close to another moratorium if we don't start making greater conservation choices.

Here's the thread for anyone who wants to read:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...t=striped+bass






I thought this article was important enough to merit its own discussion.


Finchaser and some of the older members here and throughout the fishing community have been bringing up the possibility of another moratorium for years now.

The problem ....few were listening.

However, in recent years, the matter-of-fact logic, minus the ranting and rhetoric you usually see in these discussions, has been winning over converts to this theory. Additionally, guys like Finchaser and others, who have fished for 40 or 50 years, are sharing their experiences and drawing the parallels.

As time permits, I'll be sharing these exerpts with you folks out there. Whether you agree or disagree with these ideas is up to you. The important thing, as I have always asked, is to read for yourselves, and make your own decisions.

Positive or negative, all opinions are welcome here.
Thanks for reading, people.

[DarkSkies]

In case I don't get a chance to post up the Fisherman excerpts quickly, here's something Tim Coleman wrote in Sept for the Providence (RI) Journal.
Reprinted under fair use doctrine, courtesy of Providence Journal.




Tim Coleman: The coming striped bass collapse


01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, September 11, 2010


By TIM COLEMAN


The Rhode Island state fish is the mighty, beautiful striped bass. Sometimes weighing over 60 pounds when caught, the striper is a prize to many Rhode Islanders. For some, it’s one of the main reasons they choose to live and work in the state.

Back in the 1970s, lack of sufficient management led to a drastic decrease in our striper population. The decline was so great that eventually conservation measures were implemented that brought the fish back to levels of abundance starting in the late 1990s into this decade.

However, many New Englanders once again are voicing concern over our striper stocks. These are people who fish from the shore. Their willingness to step forward is similar to that of shore anglers in the mid-1970s who voiced worries about the decline of the cod stocks, a decline that continues today.

Shore anglers may be considered the canary in the coal mine, the first sign of something wrong, voiced by the “small” people without benefit of academic pedigree. What they do have is many decades of experience fishing our waters, and they often keep detailed records of their declining catches. Will anyone listen?

Andy Gagarin’s family has owned a home in Watch Hill since the 1920s, and he’s lived in it full-time since 1975. He looks out his front window at the surf and its population of striped bass. At the height of the striper resurgence, he caught an astounding 1,500 smaller stripers from the lighthouse rocks. By 2009, that number had dropped to 150.


Steve McKenna of Cranston is a lifelong Rhode Islander, now retired after 27 years as a state parole officer. He has fished all over the state from Little Compton to Napatree, always from the shore. He estimates the decline in his catch over the last five years as “at least 50 percent,” and also said he is catching fewer large bass over 30 pounds and is seeing an alarming drop in very small stripers — the seed stock for the future.
Five seasons ago, he caught 600 to 700 bass a season, with one or two of those in the 40-pound class and seven or so in the 30-pound class. Today, he struggles to catch a few 30-pounders during the year and his records show he landed 248 bass in 2008, and only 189 in 2009. His catch this year will be at, or even lower than, his worst season since 2005.


David Pickering of Lincoln is a retired schoolteacher and a well-known freelance writer whose articles on Rhode Island surf casting have appeared in many regional magazines in New England. In the bass heyday, he landed roughly 1,500 stripers fishing in upper Narragansett Bay and the south shore. This year he predicts he will be lucky to catch 500 fish. He also said he has never worked harder to catch fewer fish. The reason is obvious to him: We are killing too many stripers.


Dennis Zambrotta lives in Newport and works at the Navy base on Aquidneck Island. He is a lifelong surf fisherman, fishing both lower Narragansett Bay and the scenic rocky beaches along the Cliff Walk and Ocean Drive. His catch declined by at least a third the last five seasons: fewer big bass and on the other end, fewer smaller bass coming up the line. Dead fish cannot spawn, so there are fewer little ones to populate the future.
Surf-casting friends of his on Aquidneck Island all saw the same decline as reported in other parts of the state. It’s a situation that reminds Zambrotta of the last time stripers went into decline — late 1970s into 1984.



Meanwhile, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, charged with keeping bass at viable levels, maintains that striper stocks are healthy and do not require fishing cutbacks at this time. The panel said last fall that the striped bass “stock assessment update indicates that the resource remains in good condition. . . .”


All the above residents are aware of the difference in estimates of the health of the stock. One local summed it up by saying the government agency gets its data in a computer in an office a long way from the Ocean State. Locals get numbers from years and years of watching what goes on in the ocean off our coastal towns, some of them fishing the same waters as their fathers and grandfathers. They know when fish are increasing or decreasing, and the striped-bass catches of those who fish from the shore are going down.

If your neighbors are correct, as they were in the 1970s in predicting the cod collapse, will anyone with the power to change course listen to their concerns?




Tim Coleman is a Westerly-based writer specializing in fishing and other coastal matters.
http://www.projo.com/opinion/contrib...6.2982c3d.html

[nitestrikes]

Steve McKenna of Cranston is a lifelong Rhode Islander, now retired after 27 years as a state parole officer. He has fished all over the state from Little Compton to Napatree, always from the shore. He estimates the decline in his catch over the last five years as “at least 50 percent,” and also said he is catching fewer large bass over 30 pounds and is seeing an alarming drop in very small stripers — the seed stock for the future.

This quote came from the internet
"Steve McKenna has been one of Rhode Island's best shore fishermen for over 30 years"

Now you're talking. Get people like Steve McKenna and finchaser to tell about their declining catches, and maaaaaaybe people will listen.

[williehookem]

I caught less fish from the surf in 2010 than in any year from 2000 to 2009. AND that incudes fishing at Moses and Montauk during blitzes. The cows, as people used to call only 40lb and bigger fish, are getting few and far between every year. The schoolies were there, but it was lot of the same sized fish. Not many different classes represented. We are definitly in a down hill cycle.

[dogfish]

All the guys chronicled in the article are heavy hitters. There ain't a newbie in the bunch.

There are about half the bass there used to be in the harbors and bays I fish. I yak out there a lot so I still have access to places a lot of folks can't reach. I see more baitfish than ever, squid, rainfish, spearing, whitebait. If the numbers were there they would be feeding heavy. But they arent.

[storminsteve]

Another thing people don't consider is there are a hell of a lot more people fishing now than ever before. Think back to when you were a little kid and started fishing. I remember fishing as a small kid with my Dad somewhere in the 70's. There were no crowds like there were now. You could go to an inlet, or Sandy Hook to fish on a Sat or Sun, and there would be guys fishing yes, but nowhere's near the crowds you have now. And the cell phone blitz chasers? I never remember seeing crowds of guys like that, not ever. The only place I can remotely remember crowds like we have now in the surf action was during opening day of trout season. The greater numbers of fishermen now are def putting a hurting on the bass stocks.

[porgy75]

Since I am somewhat new to the game. When was the last mortatorum on striped bass here in NJ. I see that Maryland and Delaware had it from 1984 to 1989.

If they imposed this here how long do you think it would last?

[surfstix1963]

I would say at the rate of decline it would be a good 5 yrs. for a decent stock to rebuild this would have to include recs and commercials a complete shutdown of the bass fishery down the entire eastern seaboard it cannot keep going w/ separate state regs. they must all be the same the bad part is you would need to select which stock would take the hit.Slot limits work so in my mind 36"-40" slot 1 per day will let the big girls breed and allow the smaller ones to reach a breeding maturity this is just my .02 cents there really is no definitive answer but to shut it down.Then comes to play the commercials I don't care who says the recs catch as many as the comms maybe we do but the recs send them back alive if they are not keepers you have a 50-50 shot there.The comms dead in a net total waste of fish if they can't keep them crab food no chance at maturity no chance of breeding so who's doing the real damage.I don't care if you take fish for the table I do and I eat it I do not however keep them everyday if I am so lucky to catch a keeper everyday. When I first started out yeah that fifty on my wall was my goal but as I grew into the sport I realized it wasn't that important anymore my personal best is 35 lbs.it was my first keeper when I first started fishing the surf and to answer the ? yes I took it, I still want that fifty but just a pic a quick measure and let someone else enjoy the same pleasure I just had and that fish can still be on your wall but still swimming also.

[finchaser]

NOAA with Lubchenco and Nobama running the show will wait for the collapse then shut it down allot easier. . Plus then they will have us to blame and not there lack of management skills. They s-ck. We also need to remember it will happen allot faster this time as there are many more people fishing most of which don't care or are to dumb to understan.
Let's not forget the as-hole running the country who gives illegals Chart Blanc as they follow no laws with the I don't understand English bu--shi-t, they keep everything they catch to feed there families and no one does anything about it.. ( potential voters)

[rip316]

I have onlty been bass fishing for 3 years. The main thing that I have learned is that bass are in danger of becoming non existent. I will do my best with your guys knowledge to do whatever I can. I have been downloading letters and emailing senators. I want these fish to be around for a long time. I really enjoy the sport and will do it in a respectful manner for my children and for all of you old timers.

[DarkSkies]

Fin and I were talking about this today. I don't want to be the guy people refer to as chicken little - the sky is falling, the sky is falling. There were those 40 years ago who said the same thing about Bob Pond. They said he was delusional, paranoid, and his predictions weren't based in fact. Yet, within 10 years of his predictions, there was a moratorium.

People who are still on the fence about this, feel free to contact some of the members here, like Finchaser, Surfwalker, Yardville Jimmy and the Old Farts Fishing club, in private. Invest some time talking with these and other members here. The stories they have to tell will make you sick with disgust.

Also, we spend a lot of time blaming Comms for the raping of the sea.
I have been involved in a lot of that myself lately, both here and other sites, trying to point out the rampant abuse of the fish stocks by Comms. Nonetheless, I want to be clear about this.....

If (or when) a moratorium is imposed on striped bass, we Recreational fishermen will own a large part of the blame. We have failed to change our behavior.. We also argue with each other like children in a schoolyard. There are many organizations one can join to show support. I try to make people aware of that here. No one is forcing anyone to be partial to just one....


But for God's sake, if you really do give a damn, then join something, send letters, send e-mails, go to meetings that involve the type of fishing you are most interested in.....but do something instead of sitting there and criticizing those who are trying to make a difference!

Some of the recent conflicts I've seen lately are about one group, with one agenda, trying to slam another group, with a different agenda. This goes for the NJ licensing, bunker wars, netting controversies, et al. Too many fishermen trying to 2nd guess the actions or choices of others.

When we focus on fighting each other, we lose sight of the purest goal of all, which is conservation of a species that brings joy and satisfaction to so many of us.

One of the key flaws about organizing recreational fishermen is there are too many factions, each demanding that their way of doing things is better than that of other folks.

We really are in danger here, people. The streets of Rome are burning, and no one seems to be concerned. For anyone who wants to think of someone like Finchaser as Chicken Little, I invite you to contact him for an in-depth discussion of the parallels that existed then, and the same parallels that are rising to the surface now.

Thanks for reading, people.

[DarkSkies]

Some may know Bob Pond, as mentioned above, was one of the most well-known early Conservationists. He came from Mass, and LIVED to fish. He loved to make plugs as well, and loved the outdoors.

In recent posts some out there are questioning whether conservationsists are PETA freaks or not. I was told Bob killed and ate his share of fish, you certainly couldn't accuse him of being a PETA freak.

Yet, he was smart enough to recognize patterns. He saw his yearly catches of bass declining, confirmed this with others, and was forward-thinking enough about it to try to raise awareness.

The chart below, sent in by Finchaser, shows a possible pattern developing in just one state, Mass. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know, if you fish a lot, that similar things are happening in other states, like NY and NJ, as well. Thanks for the chart, Fin.

[finchaser]

Some may know Bob Pond, as mentioned above, was one of the most well-known early Conservationists. He came from Mass, and LIVED to fish. He loved to make plugs as well, and loved the outdoors.

In.

The chart below, sent in by Finchaser, shows a possible pattern developing in just one state, Mass. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know, if you fish a lot, that similar things are happening in other states, like NY and NJ, as well. Thanks for the chart, Fin.

A moratorium tomorrow would be welcome and would save these fish before it's too late

[captnemo]

I was told Bob killed and ate his share of fish, you certainly couldn't accuse him of being a PETA freak.

Yet, he was smart enough to recognize patterns. He saw his yearly catches of bass declining, confirmed this with others, and was forward-thinking enough about it to try to raise awareness.

I kill and eat fish. I don't like anyone telling me not to. It's my right to take my limit, or to not take it. That being said, I have never seen greater participation in the striped bass fishery in all the years I have been fishing. They have cut down on our flounder season, fluke limits, and the sea bass season has been chopped up in pieces. I understand tighter blackfish regs because of the poaching and they are slower growing, I get that. With the other 3 species left besides stripe bass, they make it like it almost isn't worth it to fish for them anymore. So what do anglers do? They fish for striped bass, because they are relatively easy to catch, and put meat in the box.

All these fisheries minimized, and with more people gravitating towards bass, you would think the kill numbers would naturally be greater. And they're not. How could more people in a specific fishery, with all the latest electronics, catch less fish?

Either every single person who fishes is lying, or there are less fish. I don't need a NOAA scientist to tell me that. I know from how my numbers have diminished. And the lack of small fish is what concerns me for the future as well.

[DarkSkies]

Good points people....just thought some might like to review what was being said 3 years ago by some of the heavy hitters out there....

[surfstix1963]

I've been there and done that(it sucks) but a moratorium works it gives a chance to breed and grow larger fish, I don't want it anymore then anyone else does but it is time.
The bad part is the management won't let this happen as mentioned in Fin's post because they would take the blame rather then us.Think about what has happened in the past. history will repeat itself. Only this time we have less fish and way more fishermen from the start. So the decline will just happen faster.

If you fished during those times you would surely have a different opinion of today's issues. It's happening right before your eyes bass,blues,weaks,fluke seabass etc. We are not just blowing smoke up your a$$es we lived it already.

[DarkSkies]

If you fished during those times you would surely have a different opinion of today's issues. It's happening right before your eyes bass,blues,weaks,fluke seabass etc. We are not just blowing smoke up your a$$es we lived it already.

Rich, I want to thank you and others who shared what moratorium fishing was like, for your honesty, and not wavering from your statements.
There are a few Capts now declaring that striped bass are stronger than ever, and that continuing status quo regulations are justified.

Almost every time a Capt says this, after doing research I have been able to prove a hidden financial or other unseen agenda.

What amazes me, is there are some folks on websites who will blindly defend Capts making these ridiculous claims....The biggest mouths out there.....are not willing to spend even 5 minutes researching the striped bass, to learn the truth for themselves...









Remember folks...some of the most dominant despots in history, have been able to rally the uninformed for a cause, that later turns out to be wrong or ill-conceived.
We are now closer to conditions that existed before the moratorium, than any time since the late 70's.

Don't just accept what I'm saying here.....or believe everything you read on the internet....
Do...educate yourselves.....talk to the old timers who have lived through the moratorium.....listen to the comparisons that are being made, and the candid feedback coming from most of the credible Captains today....

Then make your own decisions....about what is real, and what is not......
And what the hidden agendas are....