Fish Report 2/25/12

Fish Report 2/25/12

Splendid Dilemma

Henry's Trip & Two More

The Catching

Hi All,

Managed to sneak a few days in amidst wind advisories. Pool winners were over 13 -- But Not 20.

Didn't realize Bob's full story: On the 18th he had a 19 pound release and a 20 pound tog in the boat -- But Came In Second For The Pool.

Splendid dilemma; Pretty sure he didn't mind..

On my rig we go by length for tog pools. Chris had the pool winner that day. Tagged it and let it go.

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Had an old timer hook a 5 pound lobster this week..

Wish I could advertise them.

One of the good guys, Capt. Paul on the Porgy IV says a swell makes hooking lobster more likely. I'll defer to his wisdom, but Don't Plan On Lobster For Dinner

..unless you're stopping at Martin's on the way home.

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Because we have work to do before Coast Guard inspections begin, I'll add just two days to my schedule here, plus my old friend Henry has 2 spots left unsold on his trip Tuesday, Feb 28th - 7AM to 4:30 PM - Tog - $125.00 - 14 Sells Out.

Wide Open Boat Sunday & Monday, March 4th & 5th - 6AM to 4PM - Tog - $125.00 - 14 Sells Out.

Green Crabs Provided -- BYO White Leggers, Gulp, Sand Fleas, Shrimp, Moon Snails & Lobster Bait.

No Live Fish Leave The Boat - Period.

Reservations Required at 410 520 2076

Leave The Best Contact Info Possible -- There Are Bound To Be Trip Cancelations In Winter Weather.

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Habitat Production minus Fishing Pressure equals Abundance.

Doing this 30-some years now, the catching. I'm certain that's the bulk of it. That's what makes our reef fisheries tick.

Big reefs can take a lot of pressure. Small pieces not so much.

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If reef fishery production were not hinged to habitat, then fishers' best course of action would be to remove habitat & thereby concentrate fish populations on a smaller & smaller habitat footprint. (pretty much exactly what was happening from the 1960s into the late 1980s as stern towed gears leveled reef after reef -but left the wrecks- which recreational fishers discovered and fished down hard contributing to collapse)

Equally important; If fishing pressure on specific habitats were of no consequence, then the most widely known wrecks, reefs & those places closest to inlets would have fish populations nearly identical to those reefs further from inlets and much less well-known. It would serve no purpose to have 'secret spots' or to discover a new (but biologically old) wreck were fishing pressure not absolutely vital to understanding and estimating a reef's numerical fish population.

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Once a fish is carried down the dock, whether by recreational or commercial fisher, that catch can not be repeated until a new fish has grown into it's place.

Once an entire reef's fish population has been carried down the dock, that habitat must be rested and many of its fish allowed to grow before more fish can be taken.

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To convert these truths into regulation we'll need to clear a few hurdles.

A) Not At All Studied: Present science has our Mid-Atlantic seafloor comprised only of sand & mud. Our corals have not made it into the work. How can we have need of reef-fishery management with no reef..

B) Very Well Studied ..yet management appears to have made no connection between loss of estuarine hardbottom--oyster reef--and demersal fishery production.

C) Recreational Catch Data (MuRFSS & now MRIP) portray such huge imaginary swings in both catch & effort to management that real effects of real habitat gain & loss are indecipherable in the data.

D) Most recreational management is based on catch-data from 1980 forward. Rather like touring New Orleans in October 2005 after Katrina; Our most susceptible to gear-damage reef ecologies were already lost in previous decades, their fishery production gone too.

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It is true that commercial fishers caught & sold more sea bass in the 1950s than in all succeeding decades combined.

If readers can picture a sea bass fishery where 11 years' modern catch could be had in one year, that's what it would take to equal early catches -- That's The Reef Production We Want To Restore.

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The worsening of our fisheries was never solely due to just the catching; concurrent habitat loss accelerated its decline.

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Real Contributions to Real Fish Populations from Artificial & Remnant Natural Reef Ecologies remain unrecognized.

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When we understand habitat's role in fishery production & are able to reach reasonable conclusions about recreational catch, then we can manage for habitat fidelity in regional quota & use natural biological response to make spawning stocks as productive as possible.

Management's goal should be to make fish more numerous and the catching better: They're way off course.

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Believe it or not, the Very First Step to making our reef fisheries better is to lower the recreational sea bass size limit so younger fish rejoin the spawning stock.

Day after that we should go to work on building, restoring & protecting habitat; then develop habitat-based quotas -- Develop Regional Management That Includes Winter Catches.

Regards,

Monty

Capt. Monty Hawkins
mhawkins@siteone.net
Party Boat "Morning Star"
Reservation Line 410 520 2076
http://www.morningstarfishing.com/