from www.epicbiltz.com
Insanity: North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Decides to reopen Trawl Fishery
This is an email I received from a friend. These comments are from Rusty Dunnavant.
“I just returned from this meeting today and I am sick at the results and actions this committee has decided to take. This periodic committee meeting was obviously scheduled for other management issues than just the stripers, but I will only address the outcome of the striper issues.
Prior to this meeting we heard the Director, Louis Daniel, would try to down play the actual number of stripers killed. He did, saying the photos he saw looked like only several hundred fish. He also mentioned the photo take from the air, the one you have on your site here, looked to him like seagulls. He did say this was only his opinion and no actual analysis of the photo had been made.
Nancy Fish brought a box containing all the emails, letters and phone call notes that their office had received and offered it to the committee members for their review. Over 450 as I recall. Several committee members, mostly representing the recreational fishery, did discuss the hook and line option as many other Atlantic states have now and Ana Beckwith tried to introduce the concept of the hook and line option for the trawling fleet to use to fulfill the remainder of their quota for this year. She said this would provide a good test going forward into next year for any revision of these regulations. There is no down side to this option and it virtually eliminates any bycatch or the over capture of fish that must be discarded as these pictures show. This was also the recommendation of the CCA.
Bottom line, after all the public comments from last nights and this morning were heard, the vast majority against this form of commercial fishing, and after all the emails and other communications were presented, the committee voted to ignore this input and once again open this fishery to trawling for a day or two using the same gear, 2000 lb limit per day with the transfer option until the remaining quota has been reached. The actual day or days this fishery will be open again will be decided by the committee and it was mentioned “when the fish are within the 3 mile limit once again”!
It was a mockery of the process and a true indication of just how much influence the commercial industry has in North Carolina. The only good that came from this is creating plenty of ammunition to go forward now and try to make the striper a “sport fish” only in NC.”
That graphic regarding “discard” it TOTALLY misleading and it has been brought up time and time again.
Our discard IS NOT WASTE! Commercial discard IS WASTE!
Do you see commercial guys reviving bass that they discard? 100’s of 1,000’s?
What a load of crap NC…
↓That report just raised my blood pressure to the level of lava! Thrawling needs to be stopped…along with that clown Louis Daniels!
↓I’d love to dump him in 100ft of the Chesapeake Bay with concrete shoes and trawl for him. Actually I wouldn’t want to ruin the net 🙂
↓North Carolina will ‘NEVER’ do anything to disturb the status quo in their commercial fisheries. It is up to us..outside North Carolina/Virginia..to heap letter after letter to the ASMFC(meeting attendance)asking for these types of Striped Bass travesty’s,and lots of other game fish,from occuring in the future. I have been watching quite a few Northeast websites and it appears to me that there is alot of complacency(BS)throughout the Striped Bass Fishermen with respect to getting their collective hands dirty. Stripers Forever would be another place to place ones efforts and cash. Sit on our collective hands and absolutely nothing will change.
↓More media exposure, keep the pressue on these guys.
↓is it time for individual anglers, clubs, and organizations to finally get our hands dirty and start a movment. I dont know.. can such fishermen as the passionate ones we all are here from longisland get the ball rolling by making a organized drive to NC. will other states fisherman follow suit? Fot the first time in my fishing life, I am so motivated to just begin something. enough talking. can it be done? I feel like the time is know. where to start?
↓Why is it when I hear the term Fisheries management in North Carolina it sounds like an oxymoron? How can anyone who uses a trawler to gather fish call themselves fishermen? Shouldn’t the term Butchers, Viruses, OUTLAWS! be more fitting? I haven’t seen such a criminal abuse of natural resources since BP had the oil rig spill in the gulf. I think it is time for game fish status for the Stripped Bass.
↓I am also reminded of the saying “Stupid is as Stupid does”.
↓Very little things our left in live but our right to fish was given to you … just another thing taking away just for the doller bill.
↓they need to be filmed live by news so maybe… they (polititions) can be embarrased enough to do something!
↓Seeing this kind of wast type of commercial fishing going on makes me wonder how our coming season is going to be.We saw similar stuff like this down that way last year as well.If we dont do some thing to stop all this destruction I’m afraid that we very well will see another moratorium.We never seem to learn our lessons.I am glad though to see my surf fishing brothers and the boat guys from NY and other states along the striper coast becoming more and more active in the effort to stop this slaughter from both the commercial and the recreational guys and standing up and being heard.Maybe there is hope for the future of our beloved fish the striped bass.Only time will tell.
↓They have been doing this for years. I don’t see anything changing unless the opposition comes from within NC.
↓It has to be publicized on tv or the news or w someone like john stossil. Its $ & politics. They must be exposed like when zeno stays home & makes dessert w his apron on
↓Uh i’m no genius but if egyptians can set up a facebook page to rage against the machine.. why coudn’t we..
↓it’s 2011, not so hard to assemble. Just have to fight one fight at a time.. No trawl nets!! im sure most would & could agree to that..then maybe sportfish..limits. but the decimation has to stop NOW. This is just more solid proof that people are greedy & stupid.
The only thing good in this, is more and more in the media eyes! will a politician, gain , I mean step forward and help!
↓They said recreational fishermen kill more? Where do they get that “evidence”? That’s bull!
↓Fingers crossed that after reviewing these videos that they go to hook and line only. Keep in mind this is not just happening in NC. Good to see the media get involved with this.
↓Not that we shouldnt be upset with the out right abuse of the resource that North Carolina is allowing, why are we not up in arms over the fact that our own state is one of 3 allowing the trawling for striped bass to happen. We need to practice what we preach and have NY ban the use of trawling for stripers first, then cast our stones!
RA, they said recs have 1,000,000 discards to comm 350,000 discards not killing. what the reporter left out the charter captain did correct in that the recs discards are fish that live and swim vs. the comm discards are dead!
↓News Report says NYS allows trawling for stripers too. Is this true?
↓All this awareness that is being put bfore us is great…with all the collective resources WE have at our disposal…this activity, and others like it will continue..until the fish are gone and the dollar bill will force these guys to target another species to decimation.
↓WE collectively have twice the amount of resources and networking than any Damn trawling boat! We should be unified, pool our resources(boats, fuel, conacts, cameras, media contacts,etc) and follow these guys out to their catch, film it,produce it, and see how the general public will react to their actions on the water. SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE EAT StripERS AFTER THAT!
Someone needs to step up and take a non traditional leadership role to put together a well planned and coordinated attack that will give us results.. The legal venues are not overflowing with common sense..other venues need to be explored.
Like I always say…to find the root of a problem, follow where the money goes….
READ NATIONAL AWARENESS…. not local news….the entire nation needs to see ithis…NEW YORK included!
Yeah these guys are making a living….but it shouldn’t be done at the. Expense of a recreational species…
↓I do not understand how any state could allow trawling for striped bass.
Every state needs to re-evaluate their commercial and recreational fishing regulations and most of them could use some updating.
Its very sad to see this because we all know what happens
↓Didn’t know Stipers Forever existed until I read Ron Mattson’s reply .Thank you. Seems like a good way to have our voices heard.
↓Since when is carefully landing, reviving, and releasing a fish “discard”???
↓Seagulls? Wowwwwwww
↓Has to be outlawed…and where did they get the number 1,000,000.00 fish killed as compared to 2,000,000,00 taken by rod and reel…Are they kidding…80% of us return all of them safely back to the water…I have no pity for them or their families…Work at Burger King…
↓But my recreational disgard swims away while the 24 incher at the bottom of the net is dead as dillinger
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