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Random Quote: Everything has to eat somebody. (Bruce the shark. "Jaws," the movies.)
The Coasties were enforcing the EEZ at Block Island SW Ledge with the Newport based Tigershark and a RHIB. At 0730 we took a 38" striper off the Newport Bridge on a live pogie. Threw it in the cooler. Tide stopped running and the blues had eaten my other livies so I decided to run by guests out to Block for some trolling and then stop in New Harbor for some lunch. As cognizant as I am about the EEZ line I honestly believed I never crossed it while trolling on the ledge. We caught two more stripers while trolling the ledge and released both. The RHIB came alongside and asked if we we had any fish on board. I told him I had a striper and a blue in the cooler. He boarded us with three guys and of course did the standard safety inspection (4.0 there) and then proceeded to write me a violation for the striper. Despite my explanation of where the fish was caught (even showed him the picture in the camera) he said it didn't matter. I signed a release document giving them the fish and when I pulled it out off the box he directed me to drop it overboard. My violation paperwork states that the position of my boat was 41 06 77, 071 39 70. Until I plotted it out on a chart today I was sure I was never over the line but that position is indeed over the line by about 300 yards it appears. I did ask where the position came from on the paperwork and the BM1 informed me it was from Tigershark using radar range on me while standing off a half mile or so to the NE. I am still skeptical about the position and would really like to know 100% if I ever did cross the line. I do know that the fish were stacked up on the North side of the ledge and I marked that spot on my first pass over it. From there I made passes over that 10-12 times. That mark is inside the line for sure. Bottom line is a fish that was caught under the Newport Bridge hours earlier and the only striper we kept was sent to the bottom in 48' of water to feed the crabs.
What a shame this whole law is. I have caught and released upwards of 50 keeper stripers this year and practice correct conservation in all phases of boating. In a day of 12 stripers I keep one. This day with guests on board was embarrasing to say the least. The $100 fine will be mailed tomorrow.
Be careful out there, most of SW ledge is on the wrong side of curving line drawn on the water. The sad thing about all this is the number of gill nets out there killing everything and dumping the illegals back in the water dead. As I headed home I also passed two fish traps as I entered the Sakonnet River that have been killing stripers they can't sell for years.
Atlantic Striped Bass Fishery
50 CFR 697.7(b)
(b) Atlantic striped bass fishery. In addition to the prohibitions set forth in §600.725 of this chapter, it is unlawful for any person to do any of the following:
(1) Fish for Atlantic striped bass in the EEZ.
(2) Harvest any Atlantic striped bass from the EEZ.
(3) Possess any Atlantic striped bass in or from the EEZ,
except in the following area: The EEZ within Block Island Sound, north of a line connecting Montauk Light, Montauk Point, NY, and Block Island Southeast Light, Block Island, RI; and west of a line connecting Point Judith Light, Point Judith, RI, and Block Island Southeast Light, Block Island, RI. Within this area, possession of Atlantic striped bass is permitted, provided no fishing takes place from the vessel while in the EEZ and the vessel is in continuous transit.
(4) Retain any Atlantic striped bass taken in or from the EEZ
A perfect example of how our fisheries management is completely lacking in common sense. The result? One wasted striper that was caught legally, and one sanctioned fisherman who always tries to do the right thing. That's the way to do business.
Sleeper, that sucks, sorry you had such a bad experience. I think this EEZ crap is a bunch of BS. When I was a kid I used to work as a mate on a boat locally that fished the rips east of Nantucket. It was an amazing way to catch striped bass, now it's an illegal way. Such BS.
__________________ Seems there are more people riding in the wagon these days and far fewer pulling
I was at the SW corner Friday. Plenty of Bass around, but I did stay close to the island. I saw them out there hassling fishermen. It's a shame to see what is happening..........unmitigated bullshit is a better way to put it!!! They should put there efforts towards the east and west walls, and black point where a certain ethnic group cleans out everything and anything they can!!
To make it more distasteful I have a friend who's kid works on a gill net boat. Back in June they had two seals caught in the net (dead of course). Then a week later a sea turtle. Countless bass caught and dumped as the commercial season was not yet open. The nets were all South of Block Island within a few miles of were I was boarded. Although I recognize that our commercial fisherman have a tough road these days it sure would seem that there are much more important issues to go after than this. Maybe NOAA should spend some time on the gill net boats and the fish trap boats and see first hand what is going on.
On the bright side the boarding officer told me that I was lucky to have released the two other fish, another boat had eight on board. The fine is $100 per fish. Funny thing is they don't care about undersize fish or having more than two per person (RI law) because they are enforcing the EEZ which is federal waters. If you had undersize fish the penalty is the same, a hundred a fish.
Come on guys. The law is "fishing for striper" in the EEZ. The commercial guys are baned also. I would hate to see the draggers get a shot at striper in the EEZ. Pay your fine and stay out of the EEZ. In NJ they are a "sport fish". No sale even in restaurants. If this could get passed in NJ maybe other should try. Get stripers off the menu; and keep the EEZ closed.
i suppose there is no bycatch in jersey seeing as its a "sportfish". thats the real issue here. bycatch. if the eez is opened to recs then its only a matter of time before the commercial fishing lobby, i.e. draggers, gillnets, seine boats, would get access to the fishery and destroy every school of striped bass from here to north carolina. i dont know what the answer is that would make everyone happy but i do know that the answer that is best for the fish is if everyone, commercials included, went back to hook and line. no longlines, just one or tow hooks per line.
__________________ 1988 Wellcraft V 20
Evinrude 225 looper
Come on guys. The law is "fishing for striper" in the EEZ.
Not totally correct. The law is fishing in the EEZ and being in possession in the EEZ. You have to realize that you cannot get back to the mainland from Block Island without entering federal waters. If you caught a fish at the island on the correct side of the EEZ and then headed back to Newport, you must continue transit. If you stop for a school of blues surface feeding and threw a pooper out, you just broke the "transit" part of the law. I was not cited for fishing or keeping a striper in the EEZ, just "possessing" one that was caught 2 hours earlier 30 miles North at the Newport Bridge.
Sleeper, do you have the option to contest the fine?
am sure there is a process but I do not feel strong enough in my position to do so. I had tracking turned off on my plotter to reduce the clutter on the screen so I can not say with 100% certainty if I did not go over the line at some point.
What I do know is:
2 Stripers caught inside the line were released (position is a mark on my GPS now)
1 in possession was caught 30 miles North
The USCG says I went over the line at some point during the trip.
There's nothing to contest about the fine. Except to plead ignorance. Which I might have been guilty of too. He admitted he had a fish on the boat while fishing inside the line. Doesn't matter if you catch fish there or not. Just that you dipped inside the line for a second with the fish on the boat and lines in the water. Or for that matter stopped for any reason. This was a good post because it didn't occur to me that sight seeing on the way back from a fishing trip could get me a fine.
Of course they really need to go after the illegal netters. They take more fish than 50 recreational guys.
If any of you guys think that these laws are actually doing the stripers any favors then you really don't know the whole story. I have seen (as well as a few others on here) more dead discarded stripers from the dragger fleet in one week than the rod and reel commercial guys quota for the whole season. To say that it isn't ethical to target stripers in the EEZ for catch and release is complete BS. Draggers kill and release all day long but they don't get any fines and they certainly don't leave the area. If enforcement wanted to really help out the stripers they would do something about this slaughter that takes place every year instead of hasseling some poor guy who drifted 100 yards over an invisible line. Bothering a few rec boats who are just having a little fun catching some big stripers is a waste of time, enforcement and money. Don't give in to this BS contact the right people and let it be known how you feel about our current system. Don't forget our representatives work for us! (I know CMP is going to LHFAO on that statement).
They should really just leave the SW ledge guys alone or put a bouy out there as a warning.
One of the tough things there is that there was a Red can out there that was on the 3 mile mark... But a few years back (2 or 3 not sure) They moved the can to its current location, outside the 3 mile boundary.... Some people were caught early on, and it was indeed ignorance, but the word is out now. As far as the Homeland security thing, that plays a part as well, the next buoy past the red can there is a DOD buoy that the submarines use as a nav marker on their way into Groton... Since they placed it there, the Coasties have been charged wit hall that jazz.....tough stuff...
Ryan
__________________
Lets have a Sexy Party! 38 Henriques FB 2000 ~ 17 Montauk 1978
They should really just leave the SW ledge guys alone or put a bouy out there as a warning.
One of the tough things there is that there was a Red can out there that was on the 3 mile mark... But a few years back (2 or 3 not sure) They moved the can to its current location, outside the 3 mile boundary.... Some people were caught early on, and it was indeed ignorance, but the word is out now. As far as the Homeland security thing, that plays a part as well, the next buoy past the red can there is a DOD buoy that the submarines use as a nav marker on their way into Groton... Since they placed it there, the Coasties have been charged wit hall that jazz.....tough stuff...
Ryan
If you fish outside of the 3 mile zone, hookup then drag the fish (on the hook) into the 3 mile zone, are you in violation? You did not "catch" the fish in the EEZ.
Also, about this whole thread. The fact that the striper was caught in the bay and then you ran out to BI you broke the regs right there. I do not belive you can run through the EEZ to BI with stripers on board only from BI to the mainland.
If any of you guys think that these laws are actually doing the stripers any favors then you really don't know the whole story. I have seen (as well as a few others on here) more dead discarded stripers from the dragger fleet in one week than the rod and reel commercial guys quota for the whole season. To say that it isn't ethical to target stripers in the EEZ for catch and release is complete BS. Draggers kill and release all day long but they don't get any fines and they certainly don't leave the area. If enforcement wanted to really help out the stripers they would do something about this slaughter that takes place every year instead of hasseling some poor guy who drifted 100 yards over an invisible line. Bothering a few rec boats who are just having a little fun catching some big stripers is a waste of time, enforcement and money. Don't give in to this BS contact the right people and let it be known how you feel about our current system. Don't forget our representatives work for us! (I know CMP is going to LHFAO on that statement).
floaters are nothing compared to what we "put aside". most sports have very little clue what goes on in the commercial fishing world, if you did it would scare you. just like daysatsea says, there is a slaughter occuring daily, a net does not discriminate
__________________ 1988 Wellcraft V 20
Evinrude 225 looper
EEZ FINE SATURDAY BLOCK ISLAND 
