Time to fight for Eels

[ronfish]

MakoMike- From reading the postings I think most respondents believe that the American eel is being overfished when the main problem is the adults being killed by the power plant turbines while they migrate back to the sea. Add to this the dams which are keeping the young from reaching the freshwater growing grounds and it doesn't take much to completely deplete the species. If the root cause of the problem isn't addressed then the powers that be can ban fishing for them, etc. but the eel will become extinct. I know many of the areas where 30-40 yrs. ago you could fill a boat with eels now you see none, and alot of it has to do with coastal development and a power plant.
Banning using eels without rectifying the main problem isn't going to increase the population. To me the wrong agency is looking inot the problem. Just my $.02. Ron

[MoroneSaxatilis]

Originally Posted by chief10

...but option 2 refers to keeping track of unreported cash sales of tackle shops??

Ummm.... if these sales are unreported, then by their very nature...... uhhh... nevermind.
Is that language actually In the addendum?

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by ronfish

MakoMike- From reading the postings I think most respondents believe that the American eel is being overfished when the main problem is the adults being killed by the power plant turbines while they migrate back to the sea. Add to this the dams which are keeping the young from reaching the freshwater growing grounds and it doesn't take much to completely deplete the species. If the root cause of the problem isn't addressed then the powers that be can ban fishing for them, etc. but the eel will become extinct. I know many of the areas where 30-40 yrs. ago you could fill a boat with eels now you see none, and alot of it has to do with coastal development and a power plant.
Banning using eels without rectifying the main problem isn't going to increase the population. To me the wrong agency is looking inot the problem. Just my $.02. Ron

You are absolutely right if what you are saying is that fishing for eels is only part of the problem. But that is the only aspect that the ASMFC can control. IMHO eel fishing has got be addressed, preferably in conjunction with other restrictions on dams, but we have to dramatically decrease all eel mortality, no matter what the cause.

Chef,
The asians mostly use native eels as well as some farm rasied American eels, the Europeans also import some American eels but mostly use european eels, which are a different species than the American eel.

[ronfish]

MakoMike- Last year about this time I remember reading quite a bit about a couple of brothers trying to get the American eel placeed on the endangered species list because of the affect the hydroelectric dams (in Maine I think) were having on the population. The dams were stopping the elvers from ascending the rivers to get to fresh water to grow and the dams were killing the adults which were trying to get back out to sea because of the turbines. You might try a Goggle search and find out some more on the topic.
I agree that the AFSME is the one agency looking at the fishing aspect of the eel but the Feds are also loking at it from a different perspective(endangered species). I hope the eels are declared endangered because that will cause the power companies to make the changes needed in their operation to protect the eels, and many other species which ustilize the salt/fresh water interface for breeding and growth. Ron

[MakoMike]

Ron,
I am aware of the ESA petition and I have in fact talked to Tim Watts who is one of the brothers. In fact the USF&WS and NOAA fisheries process is not going to be a lot different than the ASMFC process. The feds are going to do their own stock assessment based on the ASMFC stock assessment and simply adding to the ASMFC data by holding regional workshops for fishery managers from the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Great Lakes Marine Fisheries Commission. You can find an outline of the Federal process in the minutes of the American eel management board of the AMFC, where thry outlines their plans to the board.
Frankly I am not optomistic that the feds will list the eel as endangered. I think it will be be a stretch for them to list the eel as threatened. But if they do either then FERC would have to take action to reduce eel mortality through the dams.

[MoroneSaxatilis]

I was gonna post this in the herring thread, but what the heck.

...sort of
http://www.s-t.com/daily/12-05/12-04-05/a01lo116.htm

[Nebe]

eel link-

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/ameel/