Fish Report 1/2/11
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Going Again
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Tog Trip - Thursday, January 6th, 2011 - 6 AM to 5 PM - 11 Hours - Crabs Provided - $150.00 - 14 Sells Out
Hi All,
Sometimes fish make us work for a catch.
Got in 'bout dark-thirty on Saturday. Most of the fish aboard came after fishing hours..
Couple guys limited - At least two very skilled anglers were skunked - Pool winner was 28 inches - Joe put a tag by the rail that was 22 1/2 inches; And that long before any other dandies were aboard.
It shall not be an easy winter.
Cold Air & Cold Snow make Cold Water.
Rats.
Staring the greatest possible sea bass closure in the eye and we're gonna have a tough winter.
Its enough to turn the wheelhouse windows blue.
But I think there's still some tog to be found.
See if I'm right Thursday.
Gonna be a lot of running time in that 11 hours.
Have an important date Friday. Maybe see the Governor............
What about Cod?
Too bad about them you know. Climate change is stopping cod, scup, red hake & atlantic mackerel from returning to populate our region.
The cod being tagged off Maryland's coast are probably from ships' bilges. You will not experience pre-1970 cod fishing again because of climate change.
Sea bass?
Oh No.
Massachusetts & Rhode Island private boats caught your share of them: Sorry about the luck you know.
No habitat here; Nothing to see; Nothing to worry with; Fidelity is only a concern with salmon -- Now move along and find something else to catch.
Tautog?
When we shut sea bass down by emergency regulation you scoundrels didn't have sense enough to just quit fishing: No, You had to go catch tog.
You'll pay for that too! Just you wait!
When we shut sea bass down by emergency regulation you scoundrels didn't have sense enough to just quit fishing: No, You had to go catch tog.
You'll pay for that too! Just you wait!
Corals?
Oh yes, There are 3 pieces growing in a canyon. We will find them soon.
Inshore Corals?
Silly fisherman, those corals -if they exist- don't actually form 'reef' and therefore don't form reef habitat. Leave us alone now, We've much more important things to do...
Silly fisherman, those corals -if they exist- don't actually form 'reef' and therefore don't form reef habitat. Leave us alone now, We've much more important things to do...
Things Like Regulation By Best Available Data!
You Know! Remember how in '07 Maryland's shore flounder fishermen caught in 2 months what Maryland charter & party boats will catch in 15 years? Wow! Perfectly Sneaky Rascals! Angler effort sure is difficult to predict!
Good thing our data is tight enough so we can see these swings in effort & luck. Gosh, if we had to use common-sense instead there wouldn't be any restored fisheries!
Besides, you fishers have never been able to defeat our sci/stat-babble in court; We know our data is plenty sound enough to sentence you evil over-fishers with boat payments to debtors prison: Already got your retirements didn't we!!
In actuality I can see it getting better; Can see habitat coming into manager's focus; Can see artificial reef climbing out from under beached-tire landfill; Know that the new catch-estimate program is coming; Can see plainly that people -almost- throughout government care..
However, I cannot see how wreck & reef fishers south of Atlantic City will endure if no regionalization of the recreational sea bass quota can be developed soon..
Our region's cbass stock climbed very handsomely from 1992 until March of '04. This when regulations allowed recreational fishing year round, When 9 & 10 inch limits were used almost throughout, When there was only a single two week closure in '98 and '01 when it was closed until May 10th--That year, of course, was the only year I've ever seen numerous sea bass inshore in April--These were closures affecting weeks of our fishing: And the stock grew..
Now our fishing is off its highs and restrictions are becoming an ominous weight upon our backs, months of closure
..with no positive result to the fisheries.
And now bad-data may cost us 90 more days of fishing. Great Mercy! Sea Bass may not open until July! Half the year will be closed!
If bad-data carries the day it will well and truly have been too much for several coastal businesses
.. again with no positive result to the fisheries.
I tried to pack it all into a recent video--use caution if susceptible to motion sickness: From Google search YouTube 'Maryland Corals.'
I hope our letters will help move us toward eco-regional management division; A plan that will work.
We all understand the need to throw some back, to have catch restriction. Now we need to convince managers that those regulations alone will not do the job.
And do it before regulation's present course destroys remaining businesses.
Send 'em a letter.
A simple one paragraph note is the closest thing constituents have to a stun-grenade.
Add more if you want.
Add more if you want.
Wake 'em up.
Addresses below.
CC your state's Fisheries Director, Secretary of Natural Resources, Governor. Their contact info is on the web, I promise.
DC reps too.
Help stop the theft of our fisheries by bad data.
Tell 'em about reef too.
Thank You.
Regards,
Monty
Capt. Monty Hawkins
mhawkins@siteone.net
Party Boat "Morning Star"
Reservation Line 410 520 2076
http://www.morningstarfishing.com/
mhawkins@siteone.net
Party Boat "Morning Star"
Reservation Line 410 520 2076
http://www.morningstarfishing.com/
Secretary Locke
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20230
1401 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20230
Secretary Lubchenco
NOAA
1401 Constitution Avenue, NW - Room 5128
Washington, DC 20230
Washington, DC 20230
CINC NMFS Eric Schwaab
NOAA Fisheries Service
1315 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
1315 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
