As numerous “50s” are being caught off of the coast of New Jersey, it’s pretty darn clear… By Capt. John McMurray If you are a striper fisherman, unless you’ve taken some sorta sabbatical from social media, I’m guessing you’ve heard about the downright epic fishing off the Jersey Shore right now. I mean, complete insanity.
Localized depletion and bycatch are real and need to be addressed If you fish at all really, you know that just about everything eats squid. Fluke, striped bass, black seabass, scup, weakfish, bluefin and yellowfin tuna, billfish, mahi… I could probably go on here. And hey… I eat it too! Because it’s pretty damn tasty.
Squid are an important component of the marine ecosystems of the East Coast, serving as forage for a wide variety of inshore and offshore fish, birds and marine mammals. They also support a substantial commercial fishery, and are widely used as bait by recreational anglers. Although squid are agile, free-swimming animals, they are mollusks, belonging
Tough decisions that benefit the “public trust” come with the territory By Capt. John McMurray For the last 9 years I’ve served on the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council – one of 8 regional federal fishery management Councils – holding New York’s, “Obligatory” seat. It is no easy gig. There is nothing more I’d rather
So what do you do when you don’t meet your harvest reduction goals? Ask to harvest more. By Ross Squire The Draft Addendum V to Amendment 6 to the Atlantic Striped Bass Interstate Management Plan was recently published by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The Draft was crafted in response to a motion made
A recent study funded by the large-scale extraction industry claims that forage fish abundance doesn’t affect marine predator numbers… As anglers we know better. Just when I thought I’d seen everything, I opened my email a few weeks ago to find a half-dozen messages about some new “ground-breaking” study funded by the same large scale/low-value
In the scoping document, the Council poses several relevant questions. Here’s how we are suggesting readers answer them when providing public comment. How should the Council evaluate potential conflicts between the commercial chub mackerel fishery and recreational fisheries for large tunas and billfish? The Council should bring in scientists and economists with knowledge and experience
Chub Mackerel Hearing Schedule Thursday, May 4, 2017, 7:00-9:00 pm. Kingsborough Community College, room V-219. 2001 Oriental Boulevard, Brooklyn, NY, 11235. Telephone: 718-368-5000. Monday, May 15, 2017, 6:00-7:30 pm. Virginia Marine Resources Commission 4th Floor Meeting Room. 2600 Washington Avenue, Newport News, VA, 23607. Telephone: 757-247-2200. Tuesday May 16, 2017, 6:30-8:00 pm. Princess Royale Oceanfront
Photo courtesy of Angelo Peluso A developing large-scale fishery on an important offshore baitfish needs management, but the right kind Chub mackerel is a small pelagic species, similar in appearance to your standard Atlantic mackerel, but noticeably different. Chub are considerably smaller – in that 8 to 14” range – and have markedly larger eyes.
Weakfish may be the most beautiful fish of the mid-Atlantic coast. They have a long, slender body topped by a dark, greenish back that quickly fades to bright silver sides overwashed with lavender tones. The fins, particularly in larger individuals, are yellow, giving the overall impression of a fish the color of sunrise. The weakfish’s
