Todays CapeCod Times, Herring Decline

[slapshot]

Originally Posted by macojoe

By DOUG FRASER
NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center spokesperson Teri Frady said her agency hasn't received any specific request yet to monitor river herring catches in the sea herring fishery but that all unintended catch is reported on their sampling trips with herring fishermen.

Those samples revealed that less than 1 percent of the sea herring catch included river herring, said Michael Armstrong, a scientist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. But with 181 million pounds of herring caught in 2004, that means about 1.8 million pounds of that catch could have been river herring.


(Published: January 12, 2006)

The problem with that statement is that they really aren't monitoring that fishery. They have only 2-3% of those vessels staffed with NMFS observers. That is not a representative sample of what is being taken in the fishery.

It is my belief that the river herring are being scooped up with the sea herring. The sea herring fishery has grown dramatically in the last decade and a half.

[squiddler]

Originally Posted by slapshot

The problem with that statement is that they really aren't monitoring that fishery. They have only 2-3% of those vessels staffed with NMFS observers. That is not a representative sample of what is being taken in the fishery.

It is my belief that the river herring are being scooped up with the sea herring. The sea herring fishery has grown dramatically in the last decade and a half.

Well put. Lets go one step further and say what if they are off by 1-5% on total percentage of river herring taken with sea herring, on an average, fishery wide. Think what 1.8-9 million more caught could do.

[NIB]

Lets say a herring weighs at a high estimate of .5 lb per fish thats 3.6 million fish.that would equal 6,000 fisherman taking 600 per yr.I take close to that many wit another partner.their's maybe 100 of us doing the same in NJ.

Now everyone knows they like to practice voodoo math.What if bycatch was at a IMO low 10 percent.that would be 36 million fish.

Yea its the 50K fish that come from the Bournedale run thats the problem..This closer will do nothing.It's like putting a fire out wit gas.

[squiddler]

Hey NIB, just a question? What if they were the last50k out there for some strange reason, would you still feel the same? The last 50k, and you guys scooped em up to feed to some other fish that probably would have eaten a dozen other offerings. This baitfish is a tiny part of the stripers diet, as they are around in numbers for a very short time of the spring run, after which stripers turn on to hundreds of other natural baits besides them. I mean give me a break, saying just because there are so many other perpetrators out there that you shouldnt give up your 25 per day or so for a couple of years??? That is so shortsighted.

[missing link]

I'm a river herring Come & get me

[NIB]

I have, an will do with out em.Its not the end of the world to me.i enjoy it but there are many ways to skin a cat.
U know what they say about what if's.
I just did some simple(it has to be for me) math to show some startling numbers.
Ask the commercials if they would do the same thing.

[clambelly]

Originally Posted by slapshot

The problem with that statement is that they really aren't monitoring that fishery. They have only 2-3% of those vessels staffed with NMFS observers. That is not a representative sample of what is being taken in the fishery.

It is my belief that the river herring are being scooped up with the sea herring. The sea herring fishery has grown dramatically in the last decade and a half.

it is my belief that your statement is just a guess, and has no basis in fact.