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Here's a little tidbit some (or all) of you might be interested in.I recently heard from a very reliable source that Diodati(director of marine fisheries in Mass.)is planning to close state waters from P.town to new hampshire this coming winter TO EVERYONE including recreational and charter fisherman. anyone think it might be a good time to start firing off letters of opposition.BEFORE this becomes a reality. I sure do. there are closed door meetings going on now about this subject. I get a bad feeling once he(they) get away with one recreational closure there will surely be more to follow !
The big thing here is to protect the spawning Cod. If we as recs say that the comms shouldn't fish in close during the spawn, then why should we try to grab it as ours? If Paul is finally coming to his senses and doing something about our declining stocks why not support this? You know when the stocks come back to a normal number that all his comm buddies will pressure him to reopen during the spawn.
I think it just the nature of man to take each and every last fish, recs + comms alike. Pretty soon will be fishing for skates and sea robins.
look I think we are all concerned about conservation ,but its always the little guy that suffers and pays the price. I have been out there in dec and the gill netters wipe out the place in two weeks. You can have a dozen rec boats fishin rod and reel and it still does not compare to the dammage one gill netter can do. All commercial boats should be banned from that area ,no doubt but there is no reason rec boats should be also.
I'm not saying this is the answer (I don't know what is)but I do know, if only rod and (hook) fishing were allowed, there would be plenty of fish for anyone who chose to fish them this way.a great example of this is :a few years ago ,3 or4 ,dmf closed state waters to all but hook fisherman for the month of jan..there were amazing amounts of fish everywhere for the whole month.last year (open to everyone)in a matter of days you couldn't jig a box of fish if your life depended on it.
North, I don't know what the answer is either. I will say that these gill nets (that are supposed to reduce bycatch and target certain lengths and species) are everywhere. In fact if you listen to the comm captains on the radio, you here them talking about losing nets day after day. Now these nets are rolling around on the ocean floor, killling fish and reaking havock. I have also heard stories of thousands of dead discards of juvunille cod released by gillnetters (cause they have too). Whats the answer? I don't know. I agree that hook and line takes less fish, but comms are good at it, and they will take as many as they can given the chance, and the recs will too. If the recs know that the comms aren't fishing during the spawn they will target the cod even harder, I know I would. A full closure during the spawn can't hurt. Its not popular, its not fun, but these cod stocks are hurting. Look at Alaska's pollack fisherie, they only take 10% every year, and that fisherie will last forever at that rate, Red
When do the Cod spawn? If it's in the winter. or anytime between
November and March, the impact on the Rec's will be minimal, as there
are very few who'd go out during that time anyway. Some of the reg's are
ludicrous as they are. Take Haddock for example. 19" minimum. I don't
know many, if any, weekend recreational fishermen who are adept enough
with a filet knife to get a respectable filet out of a 19" Haddock. I won't
keep any Haddock under 22" when I fish. And neither will anyone else when
we're on my boat. Not trying to sound holier than thou, just practical.
__________________ Never Underestimate The Power Of A Large Group Of Stupid People
Before you can say close commercial but not recreational, think about it. Get 6 guys to go out ( their happy to be out ) catch 60 fish (10 per angler) 5 are happy to go home with a fish, the rest are sold. It happens during other closures. The problems are gill nets. When your allowed to put as many nets as you want in the water, and get your 800lbs in your frist net then the rest is bycatch or on another boats license. Make it a hook fishery with no over night fishing (long lines will release bycatch alive,hopefully).
ok, so maybe it wouldn't be bad to give these fish a break(god knows they need it). but I believe the only reasaon it's being proposed to close it to everyone is because it's the easiest way for DMF to stop the comm's.without a monumental battle.(you could put as many hungry rod and reelers out there as you want and if they were the only ones there you'd always have fish ) rec. closures are scary because, what happens when the conflicts start over stripers or tuna etc.. when the easiest way for dmf proves to be to just close it to everybody who's to say they aren't going to do it again and again.
I was at a meeting with paul diodotti on thursday the 19 of may at his office he told me that the proposal to shut down that area just outside boston is a historic ,important spawning ground for many different populations of cod some as far away as the grand banks Evidence goes back to the 1890s stating that these huge cod have spawned in this little area for perhaps hundreds of years. He and the division will be having private meetings with all user groups for the next few days His decision on what action to take regarding closure will be broght up a hearings way before november. All these issues will be resolved one way or another shortly. Its sad that the area will probaly be off limits to us rec guys, However protection of these huge mama cod some pushing 80 lbs is the right thing to do.It will only increase the amounts of cod haddock even halibut in our nearshore waters for generations to come
I agree Pete..it is just too easy to target them at this time in that area..let these big cod live so we will have plenty of nice marketsto catch and eat in the future.
__________________ Capt. George Full Strike Anglers
F/V Lady Diane
2005 2325 Pacific Plate Alloy Boat
USCG 50Ton Master
Maine Tidewater Guide
Thanks Pete, your endorsement is a big one, we all know deep down that we need to protect our future. I enjoy watching all the shows you've been on, and meeting you in person from at the captains flea market, Red
Thanks for the feedback, glad to hear they are talking to guys like you. It's a shame us rod and reelers have to take this pill to shut down the netters but if this is what it takes so be it. I just hope there is no double cross in the end game. See you at the striper shootout!
You talk about huge 80 # cod yet they have pulled cod more than twice that size outta nets for a long time I went out the second week in december and the gillnetters were all over each other you couldn't shut your engine off yet dem decided to inspect my boat They should ban all nets that are bigger than a 12' cast net inside the 200 mile limit That is the only way our fisheries will recover The people in charge are all looking at the economic factors and the fish keep getting wiped out Last year a puirse seiner off p-town scoped a school of medium bft had a spotter plane tell em it was med. and still did it they died and floated Did nmfs pull their permit NO Yet we get to sux hind t%t again and some but kissin politican sayes will cut out this and limit that but the comm. guys see no decrease in their quotas just less days to do it so they can gear up for the next pillage and stress another stock We get bass back up now they have nothing to eat tuna same thing etc If they want to fish for money let them do it with 2hooks on one line
You talk about huge 80 # cod yet they have pulled cod more than twice that size outta nets for a long time I went out the second week in december and the gillnetters were all over each other you couldn't shut your engine off yet dem decided to inspect my boat They should ban all nets that are bigger than a 12' cast net inside the 200 mile limit That is the only way our fisheries will recover The people in charge are all looking at the economic factors and the fish keep getting wiped out Last year a puirse seiner off p-town scoped a school of medium bft had a spotter plane tell em it was med. and still did it they died and floated Did nmfs pull their permit NO Yet we get to sux hind t%t again and some but kissin politican sayes will cut out this and limit that but the comm. guys see no decrease in their quotas just less days to do it so they can gear up for the next pillage and stress another stock We get bass back up now they have nothing to eat tuna same thing etc If they want to fish for money let them do it with 2hooks on one line
Gillnetting occurs worldwide and as we all know it is too effective at catching everything, DMF knows this Yesterday Diodatti met with some commercial longliners and charter and party boats.The're Many groups involved in this including RFA IGFA Northeastcharterboat association Mass striped bass and others that know whats right and what has to be done, The average fisherman should write his senator and express his or her opinions on this matter. pete santini boston igfa rep
as a comm. longliner this closure is a killer for me, but that being said i am in favor of it.you guys are right in saying that the spawning fish need to be protected.i,ve been fishing this area for over 25 yrs. and the biggest problem i see is the increase in fishing pressure both comm. & rec. the gillnetters did wipe out the fish last year in a matter of weeks and the same thing will happen again in jan. after it opens up!!!gillnetters should be required to bring their nets home everyday not leave them out over night. no other gear type get left out over night.if they cry they can,t catch the fish like that they can switch to hooks. public meetings will be held on this matter in aug. BE THERE TO STATE YOUR OPINION, you bet your ass the gillneters will be!!!
I have been fishing these cod spwaning grounds for a very long time and never seen more than a half dozen boats out there, and the past few years word has gotten out about this secret spot ,mostly by big mouths like santini, now its so damn crowded out there your bumpin into three dozen boats. now you say you support the closure, there wouldn't be any closure if people like you kept your mouth shut,instead you have to go braggin to all your customers and all these saltwater sportsman people, and they plaster articles all over the place of cours there gonna shut it down because every tom dick and harry knows about the spot now.
Do you own the freakin grounds!! I didn't think so!!! Everyone has a right to fish any spot be it yours or mine!! Quite honestly some of the best Cod fisherman I know in Mass have shared there spots with myself. Consider yourself lucky having other boats fishing around you. You may need one of them some day!!
and another thing no where in my thread does it say i own these spots my thread was directed towards one individual,who is trying to make a name for himself at the expense of others . learn how to read.Also ,its people like you that would never know where to fish if not for people like myself who spend days on end ,and thousands of dollars worth of fuel looking and researching and keeping detailed records of where the fish are over the course of a life time.
groundfish closure 
