commercial striped bass netters continue to rape the sea in North Carolina!!

[seamonkey]

I just read this, they are at it again. This is disgusting, when is it going to stop??

Commercial trawlers kill thousands more striped bass off the Outer Banks

February 3rd, 2011 8:03 pm ET

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Commercial trawlers kill thousands more striped bass off the Outer Banks - Charlotte Fish and Wildlife Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/fish-and-wil...#ixzz1D0d27VJJ

Taking advantage of a NC Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) decision to allow them back into the ocean, commercial striped bass trawlers off of Oregon Inlet again killed and discarded thousands of striped bass today in a tragic and wasteful repeat of last month’s fish kill.
Despite the massive striped bass kill last month, DMF director Dr. Louis Daniel reopened the ocean trawler striper season and once again the commercial trawlers left a miles-long trail of wasted, dead stripers.
“There are thousands of discarded striped bass covering an area approximately 1-1 ½ miles wide and 3-5 miles long,” said one eyewitness observer who flew over the fish kill in a helicopter. “There is no disputing the fact that these fish came from the trawler fleet as there were no other boats in the area.”
Most recreational boats were not fishing out of Oregon Inlet today due to heavy winds and swells. But one charter captain who did make it to the area described the size of the fish left dead in the wake of the trawlers.
“These were not undersized fish we are talking about,” he said. “We picked up discarded striped bass up to 34 pounds.”
Just weeks ago a huge striped bass kill brought howls of protest from recreational and small commercial fishermen to the DMF, which attempted to blame much of the problem on a single overloaded net from one trawler.
After that the DMF changed the law which limited striped bass trawlers to 50 fish in response to public pressure and media reports detailing trawlers throwing thousands of striped bass, many of legal size in the 15 to 20 pound range, back into the ocean in order to keep larger fish.
The DMF did not close the fishery, however, and allowed the trawlers back into the ocean under the new rules. They were allowed out again today and will go back tomorrow.
The rule change has not eliminated the massive discard of dead striped bass, and once again we have a field of senseless waste and destruction littered in the ocean while the government does nothing.
You can visit the contact page for the NC DMF here.

[nitestrikes]

The rule change has not eliminated the massive discard of dead striped bass, and once again we have a field of senseless waste and destruction littered in the ocean while the government does nothing.
You can visit the contact page for the NC DMF here.[/LEFT]


[/COLOR]

Seamonkey, I wrote a letter to Patricia Smith here is what I got back -
apparently it's all ********.




I am writing in response to your e-mail regarding your concerns about North Carolina’s striped bass fishery.

On Jan. 21, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries implemented regulatory changes to address discards of striped bass in the commercial trawl fishery. The division replaced the previous 50-fish-per-day commercial trip limit with a 2,000-pound-per-day trip limit.

To avoid regulatory discards, the new regulations allow commercial trawl fishermen to transfer trip limits to other fishing vessels that hold a striped bass ocean fishing permit for the commercial trawl fishery. This way, all the fish will be landed and count against the commercial quota.

Thank you for your interest in North Carolina’s marine fisheries.

Sincerely,
Patricia Smith

[nitestrikes]

This is a list of people in power, anyone who cares about this should try to contact at least one of these repsand complain via e-mail or phone. This has GOT to stop!


Office of the Governor
Constituent Services Office
116 West Jones Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603
Phone: (800) 662-7952 or (919) 733-2391
Fax: (919) 733-2120

http://www.governor.state.nc.us/eTownhall/qa.aspx

http://hagan.senate.gov/contact/

http://burr.senate.gov/public/index....ct.ContactForm

Senator Richard Burr (R- NC) 202-224-3154202-228-2981
Senator Kay Hagan (D- NC) 202-224-6342202-228-2563
Representative G. K. Butterfield, Jr. (D - 01) 202-225-3101202-225-3354
Representative Renee L. Ellmers (R - 02) 202-225-4531202-225-5662
Representative Walter B. Jones, Jr. (R - 03) 202-225-3415202-225-3286
Representative David Price (D - 04) 202-225-1784202-225-2014
Representative Virginia Foxx (R - 05) 202-225-2071202-225-2995
Representative Howard Coble (R - 06) 202-225-3065202-225-8611
Representative Mike McIntyre (D - 07) 202-225-2731202-225-5773
Representative Larry Kissell (D - 08) 202-225-3715202-225-4036
Representative Sue Myrick (R - 09) 202-225-1976202-225-3389
Representative Patrick McHenry (R - 10) 202-225-2576202-225-0316
Representative Heath Shuler (D - 11) 202-225-6401202-226-6422
Representative Mel Watt (D - 12) 202-225-1510202-225-1512
Representative Brad Miller (D - 13) 202-225-3032202-225-0181

[BassBuddah]

Folks, I read this and it sickened me, again.
The recent regulation they put out there with the 2000lb limit seems to just be lip service to keep the reporters and recreational fishermen placated, but with no consequences. I was so mad I wrote this letter. Please help however you can, fellas, before there are no more striped bass left for our fisheries further north of these guys.

Please write a letter if you can, or copy mine and e-mail or fax it to the address --

[BassBuddah]

Office of the Governor
Constituent Services Office
116 West Jones Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603
Phone: (800) 662-7952 or (919) 733-2391
Fax: (919) 733-2120

Dear Governor Bev Purdue:

I am contacting you about the commercial netting of striped bass going on right now off the coast of North Carolina. As a fisherman, this method of netting and the wanton waste of the dead discards concerns me greatly.

This issue has recently come to the forefront of news and fishing sites as the pictures of the thousands of dead bass discards have gone viral on the internet. We fishermen are concerned about the future of striped bass as a resource. Having striped bass laying dead on the water is not a good example of conservation for the future. The striped bass resource is limited and should be closely monitored. Each time an incident like this occurs, it galvanizes the recreational fishing public to take action to prevent such incidents.

On January 16 , the following video showing dead bass from commercial high grading was released on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X51MKCrn9RE

The viewing of this video created an outrage in the fishing community. Thousands of voters and your constituents are also angry about this.

Shortly after, the NC DMF released statements that the commercial fishing limit was being changed from 50 striped bass/day, to 2000 lbs/day, in an attempt to alleviate this "high grading".

The actions recently reported by Examiner reporter Jeffrey Weeks has shown that all the proposed rule change from the NC DMF has done nothing.
http://www.examiner.com/fish-and-wil...he-outer-banks

In fact, he has suggested that the NC DMF is in collusion with commercial netters. This potential conflict of interest can no longer be ignored. It must be investigated by those outside of the DMF to avoid any further questions of impropriety.

When you campaigned for office, one of your promises was to streamline government in North Carolina. You promised to make offces more transparent and efficient. This has not happened in the DMF, and it is time for someone to investigate why.

I am asking you as a woman of your word to put forth an investigation of this matter to see why this practice continues despite being allegedly no longer necessary.

AS a fishermen who votes, I do not condone striped bass being caught and wasted. Although I do not live in North Carolina, I have vacationed there and spend my money there.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for helping to make North Carolina a better and more equitable place for all, where everyone receives equal justice under the law.


Sincerely,


_________________________




More resources -

Gov Purdue's webpage:
http://www.governor.state.nc.us/

Gov Purdue's e-mail:
governor.office@nc.gov

[hookedonbass]

hey thanks for writing that bassbudda, I copied and e-mailed it out just now. That is truly disgusting, I would bet the commercial guys are somehow paying off the dmf guys. They should sink all the boats of the commercial guys who are caught doing this!

[finchaser]

http://www.examiner.com/fish-and-wil...he-outer-banks

Here is article and pictures

New law was written to blow smoke up the publics arse

[williehookem]

Great idea, that letter, BB. I copied it and e-mailed it, thanks. This stuff makes my eyes pop out of my head.

[vpass]

I just sent an email. will do a few more later. I smell a striped bass moratorium in our future.

[storminsteve]

I smell a striped bass moratorium in our future.

Me too, I give it 5 years before they shut it down again.
E-mail sent, thanks BB!

[DarkSkies]

Seamonkey and Bassbuddah thank you for your contributions to this thread. Bassbuddah I found your letter very well-written and containing all the main points that needed to be said. Thank you for taking the time to do that and sharing it with us here.

As Finchaser and others have implied, there is a false sense of security that happens whenever we see changes made. This time, those changes were not effective, and we need to appeal to a higher authority.

Bassbuddah made it extremely easy to do your part and contribute. Getting involved and sending this letter to the Governor will be a start. But we need critical mass here, a few dozen e-mails will not really get a response. If we want results, we have to be willing to take the time (in this case only a minute or so) and get involved.

No one is forcing anyone to get invoved. However, please consider that arguably 90% of the whole striped bass biomass is now off the coast of North Carolina. Letting these abuses go on, without protest, will certainly affect your striped bass fishing in the near future. It could lead to a moratorium as Vpass and others have pointed out. And as Finchaser and others have been saying, over and over again, there is a limited striped bass biomass. The numbers are not like Doritos, where you can just manufacture more out of thin air!

Finchaser and others have been predicting a possible moratorium for several years now based on increased catches of striped bass and declining YOY trends. It seems that some are listening, but many can't be bothered.

If a moratorium is eventually imposed again, will you be the one ranting and raving the loudest about it?
Will you be able to say you did everything in your power to prevent it?

Or will you just accept it., like sheep being pushed around before being led to the slaughter?

I sent my e-mail in this morning, and tried to do my part.
Will you, also?


Thanks for any help you can give, people. This is getting serious. The time for discussions has passed us. We need to stand up and register our strong disapproval every time we get hoodwinked like this.


And as I have been pre-occupied with other things lately, I sincerely thank the ones here and elsewhere who have been tireless in bringing these matters up to promote public awareness.

[dogfish]

Letter sent, thanks fellas.

[baitstealer]

I sent a letter by e-mail too, thank you for keeping us posted.

[vpass]

Hey guys, they closed NC commercial trawl fishery temporarily.

Stripers Forever NC - The ocean striped bass commercial trawl fishery is currently closed in North Carolina and will not reopen until after the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission meets this week. The commission is slated to review the striped bass incidents that occurred, the state’s response to them and what direction to take in management of this fishery.


The commission meets Feb. 10-11 at the Clam Digger Inn, 511 Salter Path Road, Pine Knoll Shores. We apologize for this short notice but we have only recently received the notice ourselves. The meeting is open to the public, and SF encourages members to attend. Public comment periods are set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10 and 8:15 a.m. Friday, Feb. 11.


Stripers Forever's position is that commercial striped bass fishing should stop entirely because of the conservation benefits, and because game fish designation provides the best possible socio economic returns from the fishery. But that is not a possible outcome of this particular meeting. Some of the local organizations in NC are talking about game fish legislation for striped bass in the near future, and we look forward to helping with that effort. The best short term scenario is for NC to end trawling and other net fishing for striped bass. It is too hard to control bycatch, and the fish taken from a trawl are very likely to die if released. A rod and line commercial fishery would be more appropriate for striped bass since undersized fish can be released alive. Brad Burns

[surfstix1963]

Rod and reel sounds good to me let them get them like we have to and see how hard we have to work to get one keeper.Like the oldtimers ripping tuna over the rails back in the day.

[finchaser]

Commercial guys rule government in the Carolina's or should I say they own them

[rip316]

Commercial guys rule government in the Carolina's or should I say they own them

If there is any truth to what I heard last night, then the bass are in big trouble. Between all that goes on, Comms, Netting, Salty's Tours, The illegals, The bunker, Then the bass fishery does not stand a very good chance of having any kind of future unless they shut down the fishery altogether to get the stocks back. I heard sea bass is shut down for the year. I didn't even know that that fishery was in that much danger either. *** is going on???????

[DarkSkies]

I've said this in the past, but Finchaser deserves the credit.

Rip, you mentioned sea bass.
Fin has said it's the scheme of the NOAA and Lubchenko to shut all rec fishing down or eventually make recs part of a catch share system.

Some think this is impossible, but with each closure they get closer to that goal.

Remember, with good management and conservation practices we could prevent a moratorium. Given the current practices and nonchalant attitude by a majority of fishermen, shifting our behavior as a group is not very likely.

The thing that stinks the most will be...if the striped bass fishery does face a moratorium, NOAA, which all along have said the stocks are healthy, will not take any responsibility for it, and, as Fin has said many times, will blame the fishermen.

[finchaser]

If there is any truth to what I heard last night, then the bass are in big trouble. Between all that goes on, Comms, Netting, Salty's Tours, The illegals, The bunker, Then the bass fishery does not stand a very good chance of having any kind of future unless they shut down the fishery altogether to get the stocks back. I heard sea bass is shut down for the year. I didn't even know that that fishery was in that much danger either. *** is going on???????

You left out the millions of recreational guys with there cells, (there no angels) as apposed to a couple 100,000 last time with Cb's. Back in the day most people were FLUKE fisherman who knew nothing of the night shift as we were referred to. When fall came they packed it in and never saw the day time blitz's which pasted for days. Now it's like fluke fisherman gone wild with the fluke restrictions.

The sea bass season is a split season( July- Oct. and Nov -Jan) which will put more pressure on the bass and fluke. Also most who go to meetings feel with the increased quota on fluke( which will extend the season 2 weeks only) the recs will over fish, causing a possible shut down on fluke next year. The piece of Sh_t Obama and Lubchenco, the 2 PEW puppets are sitting back watching and pushing fish shares which the government controls and sells, almost destroyed Canada's fishery. Goggle it.

[DarkSkies]

Sent in by Finchaser, thanks.

RFA CALLS FOR END TO DIRECTED OCEAN NET FISHERY OF STRIPED BASS

Angler Advocacy Group Urges ASMFC To Address Wasteful Fishing Practices

February 10, 2011 - Two staggering fish kills by commercial trawlers fishing out of Oregon Inlet are just the tip of the iceberg as the state of North Carolina continues to promote fishing practices for Atlantic striped bass that are not only wasteful but filled with loopholes that encourage unreported landings.

In the past two weeks, recreational fishermen along the East Coast have watched in horror as videos and photos on websites and local news broadcasts showed thousands of dead striped bass floating in the wake of trawlers just off the beaches of the Outer Banks. A significant portion of the roe-filled spawning stock of this extremely valuable fish winters in this area, and is extremely vulnerable to commercial fishing gear.

Unfortunately, the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) at the will of the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commisison (NCMFC), continues to allow commercial trawl and gillnet fisheries for striped bass, gear types that encourage high-grading and promote shameful rates of dead discards. "These two instances of massive dead discarding of striped bass are just the most recent to become public, and the outrage throughout the sportfishing community is reaching the boiling point," said Jim Donofrio, Executive Director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA). "North Carolina's continued failure to prosecute these fisheries in a responsible and sustainable manner amounts to aiding and abetting the wanton destruction of the striped bass resource."

Trawling and gillnetting, both highly effective gear types, frequently catch far in excess of a vessel's daily landing limit and have no place in the striped bass fishery. This has lead to discarding incidents like these and many more that go unreported. According to the RFA, while NCDMF tries to make excuses for the waste, covers up the fish kills, and quietly instructs conservation officers to look the other way if they value their jobs. The damage being done to coastal striped bass stocks is undeniable and cannot be allowed to continue. "Look no further than NCMFC for blame. They have known about this issue for years but have failed to take any action to stop it," said Capt. Tim Barefoot, tackle manufacturer and RFA volunteer in North Carolina. "The time for action is now," Barefoot added.

"The impact this is having on the state's recreational fishing and tourism industries, and to commercial and recreational fishermen in other states who fish responsibly, is undeniable and totally unacceptable," Donofrio said. The RFA also points to the damage being done to the spawning success of striped bass which has been more notable in light of the continuing drop in the Young of the Year Indexes for Chesapeake Bay in recently years.

The RFA says that if North Carolina is to continue to allow a commercial striped bass fishery to exist in state waters, it must end all netting and make it exclusively a hook and line fishery so that kills like these -- and the hundreds of others that occur on a smaller scale each winter -- can be prevented. "There can be no more excuses, the entire fishing community is watching and demanding action," Donofrio said.

RFA is currently directing letters to both the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and the NCDMF to immediately begin work on regulations to prohibit the commercial harvest of Atlantic striped bass in ocean waters by no means other than hook and line. Currently, it's illegal in North Carolina to have striped bass harvested commercially on rod and reel, which is strange considering the low 8% release mortality rate for hook and line gear type as opposed to the 40%-plus mortality rates of many commercial net fisheries.

"RFA was so staunchly opposed to the recent proposals by ASMFC to increase the commercial quota for striped bass specifically because of these types of actions off the Carolina coast," said RFA's Jim Hutchinson, Jr. "This gross disregard for the striped bass resource was cited specifically in our arguments against the ASMFC proposal, and it's precisely why our recreational fishermen in my home in New York were fit to be tied when learning that our own state representatives voted in the minority to increase the quota," he added.

Hutchinson who is also president of the New York Sportfishing Federation said anglers in New York are happy that the rest of the ASMFC representatives voted down the proposal, despite the lack of response from within their own delegation.

"This is the kind of damage that's affecting the striped bass stock all the way up the coast," noted Capt. Barry Gibson, RFA's New England Director. "Some states are responding to the poor fishing by placing further restrictions, such as mandatory circle hooks, on recreational fishermen in the hopes that this will somehow turn things around. But until we address the real resource problems, such as the disgraceful slaughter off North Carolina, we're just spinning our wheels," Gibson added, saying it was time for swift and positive action.