The NC Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) has issued a statement regarding the thousands of striped bass killed and thrown overboard during commercial trawling activity off the Outer Banks in the last few days.
Patricia Smith, the public information officer of the DMF, released the following statement in response to questions for the DMF and its director Dr. Louis Daniel:
“The NC Division of Marine Fisheries is investigating reports of numerous dead striped bass floating in the ocean waters in northern Dare County areas.
The estimates of the numbers of dead fish have ranged from in the hundreds to in the thousands. The division is trying to determine the actual extent and cause of this event. However, the fish appear to be discards from fishing activity.
There was extensive commercial and recreational striped bass fishing in these waters over the holiday weekend. Both commercial and recreational fisheries have had issues with discards of striped bass in the past. However, this is the first time in several years that striped bass have migrated this close to the shore.
The commercial striped bass trawl fishery is scheduled to close at 6 p.m. Thursday. The division will evaluate the effort and landings in this fishery to determine if quota remains and if the fishery should reopen. The division will also consider if alternative management measures could be used to prevent future discard mortality.”
The statement was released in response to the article I ran yesterday about the thousands of striped bass slaughtered off of the Outer Banks due to “culling” during the activity of these trawlers. Some recreational charter captains also contacted the DMF about the long wakes of dead stripers.
Charter captains continue to contact me about the miles and miles of dead stripers left in the wake of the striper trawlers.
I will say that the one fortunate thing about striped bass migrating closer to shore this year is that so many witnesses were on hand to document this wasteful practice. Everyone, now including the DMF, admits this goes on every year and yet no one has ever done anything about it.
Now that there is photographic and video evidence of the many legal size stripers that are being killed and culled off the Outer Banks there is at least a chance something will be done eventually.
It does not look like the big striper kill will end until 6 p.m. Thursday at the earliest, but I hope after that the DMF, the Marine Fisheries Commission, and the Coast Guard address this problem in a more direct fashion.
For more fishing articles see my blog A Dash of Salty and my website Surf and Salt
Comments
In Pat Smith responce, she made an error-
However, the fish appear to be discards from fishing activity.
It should read- the fish appear to be discards from commercial fishing activity.
Keep up the investigative reporting Weeks, there are folk in the North East who'll be eeping an eye on whats happening in NC. I support Stripers Forever general position this, but understand its a local issue that should be resolved locally. But...we all know Stripers are migratory. A NC striper "could" show up in my fishery in the Hudson easily.
i dont see where or how this could have been from fishing activities meaning hook and line fisherman.
yes there may be some dead from them but not hundreds to thousand ,definelty trawlers at work.
get rid of the trawlers and see what happens
I've been following this story, thank you for keeping us posted. Hopefully DMF does something about this now and for the future!
they work for the gov so the people doing to research are crooks aswell, commerical fishing should be illegle
Commercial fishing should be banned, killing fish like this should outrage everyone not only fisherman. Everytime a net is dropped, by catch is wasted and if the officers dont do there job for what the fishermen pay them for should be fired, everyone will be watching this for sure. YOU PEOPLE BETTER GET THIS RIGHT, BIG FINES SHOULD BE IN ORDER, AND THE BOAT SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN FOR GOOD
Keep on killing on! for the last 5 years striped bass populations in MA have been going down! R.I got there first taste of a slow fall run and Long Island fishing was over before it started! two more years and it will be all over then they will put limits on BOTH Commercial AND recreational fishermen yes the guys that kill 80% of the fish. Catch and release! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB4wkTW0qsU
Plus who is buying the PCB racked fish?
NC Division of Marine Fisheries, how stupid can you be?
The trawlers are not only wasting an enormous amount of striped bass but are also desrtoying their main food source the menhaden. It is a shame to destroy a fish that is worth so much to the economy in so many ways. It might make sence to eliminate the size limit. Just keep the bag limit. Bill Murphy
Don't get me started on Menhaden. That is the true issue with all of the east coast fisheries! Shut Omega Down!
How idiotic of the DMF to sit there and state they are just investigating the "cause and extent of the event". And then say that it "may" be related to fishing activity! What video and pictoral evidence is not enough. And what about the witnesses? Because a few are charter captains, they can't be trusted as reliable sources? Give me a break. Close the season and rewrite your regulations for the trawling industry for crying out loud. This politcal BS has got to stop. Do something about these incidents before it is too late. Playing the ostrich with your head in the sand is no longer an excuse DMF....
everyone who reads this and sees the video be sure to copy and paste and send it to all your fishing friends. lets send it around the world several times.. maybe we can stir up enough stink to get something done about this.. don't just let it get swept under rug year after year..
Basnight's ugly legacy
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