Baltimore Sun Article on Menhaden

[Digger]

I saw this on another board.

Baltimore Sun (http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/outdoors/bal-sp.thomson08may08,1,6375742.story?page=2&coll=bal-sports-outdoors)

Sand Flea wants just links. No cutting and pasting

Thank You Baltimore Sun
Way to go Candus.

I myself feel the problem is deeper than most people could believe. Striped Bass have approx. 70% of their young spawned in the Chesapeake
so it would be reasonable to me that approx 70% of the Menhaden Larva(they are spawned offshore) would be raised in the Chesapeake. The Chesapeake is the Largest Estuary on the East Coast so they are fishing in the nursery. Now if they only worked the 3 year old fish and up, this would not be a problem, but they don't. So they are killing their future and ours.
Well The last part is mine and only mine. Sand Flea thinks I'm way overboard on this issue. Well maybe. But I don't think so. The fish is food for many predators and scavengers and it cleans the bay(the upper layers) which helps the Oyster get food deeper in the water colloum.

[shaggy]

Hey Digger thanks for the info, interesting reading, corporate strong arming. In this area we have asked farmers to ease up on fertilizers and such in an attempt to ease the farming runoff into the bay watershed. Also, believe in addition to the striped bass moratorium, cut back on the Chesapeake oyster season, so feel Maryland is doing their part. Virginia is the state that needs to strengthen rules, cutting back on what and how things are done. Spotter planes and and seine purse netting. If one can work the only door to the Chesapeake, well they can get them entering and leaving. Eventually, it will be ruined, not only for Omega, but for the striped bass and the Bay itself. Me, pro corporate America, but need a risk reward ratio. They threw out the two years of the smallest catches, so, why not offset with the throwing out of the two years of largest? Greed, profits, well apparently the profits are decreasing, and that tells me, they are catching less, at a greater cost of finding the fish, and thus, are at least giving some foundation to the fact that the population is decreasing, thus something has to be done, profits or not, because it is also directly effecting Omega Protien, no fish, no profits. Now, maybe their board doesn't give a sh*$, because they are getting their money, and probably pretty well off currently.

Okay I am rambling, so stopping.

Have Jeep will travel :D

[FL FISHERMAN]

You can go on and on about this stuff. I just hope the political big wigs open their damn eyes and start listening to the signs before it is too late. :( I wonder if a certain someone had a little input into this article? ;) hmmmmm maybe :D

[Cdog]

Weird, so little views and comments on one of the most important matters facing the Bay. I would hope it would get more attention if it had been posted on the Va or MD boards.

And your right Shaggy. Until the "good ol boy" politics gets changed in Va prolly nothing is gonna change.... :--|

[Drumdum]

First, Omega wants a "voluntary" three-year cap of 135 metric tons annually. It arrived at the number by taking catch from 1997 to 2003, throwing out the lowest two years and using the average.

Hmmmmm,wonder if that also includes the take from NC waters in late Oct, Nov,& Dec when all you can see on the horizon,when looking off Avon,and Rodanthe towards se is Omega Protein's fleet??? :rolleyes: :--|

[combatcatcher]

Talked to a friend the other day who works at the MD Blue Crab Hatchery. She said that the next species to go through this will be the blue crab. VA allows dredging almost whenever and its really effecting the spawning beds that are down there. Not sure on specifics but seems to me a large percentage of blue crabs spawn in the lower(VA) bay. She said dont be suprisesd if theres a moritorium on blure crabs and oysters in the next 5 years. Her reasoning for this. Va wont get off the a@@ and do anything about saving the bay so MD just like they did with Rockfish will have to get the ball rolling. Although Reedville is a larger hub for commerical fishing there is a larger number of workers in MD that depend on the bay for there income. So Maryland will hopefully once again save the bay for our VA friends. Nothing againest anyone in VA but its just the facts.

[Cdog]

Talked to a friend the other day who works at the MD Blue Crab Hatchery. She said that the next species to go through this will be the blue crab. VA allows dredging almost whenever and its really effecting the spawning beds that are down there. Not sure on specifics but seems to me a large percentage of blue crabs spawn in the lower(VA) bay. She said dont be suprisesd if theres a moritorium on blure crabs and oysters in the next 5 years. Her reasoning for this. Va wont get off the a@@ and do anything about saving the bay so MD just like they did with Rockfish will have to get the ball rolling. Although Reedville is a larger hub for commerical fishing there is a larger number of workers in MD that depend on the bay for there income. So Maryland will hopefully once again save the bay for our VA friends. Nothing againest anyone in VA but its just the facts.


Va politics as usual. I heard a rumor that Va is talking of pulling out of the ASMFC if they do put a limit on menhaden. :--|

[Double Haul]

Anyone know the results of the meeting last
Wed????

[rattler]

BAN ALL COMMERCIAL FIFHING and crabbing IN THE BAY...sorry comm. guys...let it fix itself... :) ...just for a year...see what happens...