Taking advantage of a NC Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) decision to allow them back into the ocean, commercial striped bass trawlers off of Oregon Inlet again killed and discarded thousands of striped bass today in a tragic and wasteful repeat of last month’s fish kill.
Despite the massive striped bass kill last month, DMF director Dr. Louis Daniel reopened the ocean trawler striper season and once again the commercial trawlers left a miles-long trail of wasted, dead stripers.
“There are thousands of discarded striped bass covering an area approximately 1-1 ½ miles wide and 3-5 miles long,” said one eyewitness observer who flew over the fish kill in a helicopter. “There is no disputing the fact that these fish came from the trawler fleet as there were no other boats in the area.”
Most recreational boats were not fishing out of Oregon Inlet today due to heavy winds and swells. But one charter captain who did make it to the area described the size of the fish left dead in the wake of the trawlers.
“These were not undersized fish we are talking about,” he said. “We picked up discarded striped bass up to 34 pounds.”
Just weeks ago a huge striped bass kill brought howls of protest from recreational and small commercial fishermen to the DMF, which attempted to blame much of the problem on a single overloaded net from one trawler.
After that the DMF changed the law which limited striped bass trawlers to 50 fish in response to public pressure and media reports detailing trawlers throwing thousands of striped bass, many of legal size in the 15 to 20 pound range, back into the ocean in order to keep larger fish.
The DMF did not close the fishery, however, and allowed the trawlers back into the ocean under the new rules. They were allowed out again today and will go back tomorrow.
The rule change has not eliminated the massive discard of dead striped bass, and once again we have a field of senseless waste and destruction littered in the ocean while the government does nothing.
You can visit the contact page for the NC DMF here.
For more Carolina fishing articles see my blog A Dash of Salty and my website Surf and Salt.
Comments
What's it gonna take to fix this problem? This is outragous!!!
JR
Delaware Mobile Surf Fisherman # 2312
No wonder why the reproduction numbers are down.
the solution is easy let them keep every striper they catch and end the season early when they get their quota. this ain't brain surgery
Two comments
This is a serious problem that needs to be squahed
and
The last anonymous is either playing dumb or seriously has no clue what he/she is talking about.
I remain anonymous because I have no hard facts to support an argument, but also know that this practice is basically the same as raping the sea. I'm a fly fisherman, and stripers are one of my favorites. The more people that speak out about this kind of thing, the easier a change will come!
The NC DMF are just as responsible as the trawlers in my opinion.
Are they corrupt? Do they think this practice is not jeopardizing future stocks up & down the entire East coast?
Here's a link to the NC DMF proclamation detailing the trawl season for striped bass: http://www.ncfisheries.net/procs/procs2011/FF-011-2011.html.
Grapevine says the commercial fishermen are doing it as a protest. Don't know what they are protesting.
The NCDMF and MFC are very crooked in favor of the killing netters thinking we are all stupid.
The Director of DMF should pull jail time for this slaughter of Stripers. The members of the MFC are fishbuyers, and sellers. Check it out. They think we don't know what morally wrong things they are doing! There is a conflict of interest here. They should be fired and replaced with hook and line supporters. One net in one day will kill and sell or Bycatch kill more than thousands of hook and liners. Yet they punish the hook and liners to make them look good. They do not have the right to sell any fish caught by any net or trwl within 3 miles of any NC Shoreline we feel.
I heard the Commercials are doing as a protest. I think folks should stop buying Outer Banks Catch.
Any member of the MFC that buys fish should be automatically found as conflict of interest since " through supply and demand" issue lots of fish the lower the price. The fact is the people of NC owns these fish and we do not want them killed or any waste not even one! The rod and reelers keep paying a price!!! Time for netters and trawlers is Past!!! Look after the Recreational fishermen and women! No nets within 3 miles of shore and that's it. These crooks exposed themselves! Rod and reelers obey the rules! The MFC shoul all be replaced with 94% Recreational members! Most all the other states wonder why we allow these Killers to be paid at all.
We will have Trouble ahead I hear! Stan White is Marc Basnight's replacement and will be an even greater enemy than Bassnight!! He's a die hard Commercial net man. He will do great harm to all the Recreational fish people in NC!!! This guy will be dangerous to the survival of all of our inshore fishing. He will cover for all of the netters actions!!!!
What is so funny about all of this is 90% of the Commercial fishermen on the water voted secretly for the Republicans and the Democrats are dying defending these dogs in the closet! Thats what happens when they like the money now and no fish for the future! They will net the last ones if we all don't stop them!!!!
Looks like the dawn of another bad striper season in the Delaware river at Philadelphia
most of the white dots in the pictures were gulls(that were alive)
can't believe everything you see on the internet!!
They need to lower the limits. Another problem is people throwing back fish and the hook and release they kill a lot of fish.
We ( all fisherman) must put and end to this wastefull slaughter of a resource that since the 70's we have all worker to restore.How long do you think it will take to destroy those years of management and conservation.Sorry guys ,any fisherman destroying such a valuable asset to all ;should face a healthy fine and imprisonment!
I followed up with the NC DNR. The guy was a jerk and was trying to pretend this fantastic disaster never occurred. I guess atrocities like this one are pretty routine for the jerks that work in NC's DNR
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