[637798]

Hi,

I wanted to draw your attention to this important petition that I recently signed:

"Bring back the fishing in Long Island Sound"
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/long_island_sound?e

I really think this is an important cause, and I'd like to encourage you to add your signature, too. It's free and takes less than a minute of your time.

Thanks!

Once again, thanks for signing the petition!

 

[bonsiguy]

and than party boats next no thanks

 

[637798]

What does party boats have to do with draggers? Get real buddy no one is trying to stop party boats just the draggers tearing up the bottom.

This post edited by ehcr11 07:51 PM 07/08/2008

 

[LobsterD]

I think what bonsiguy is trying to get across to you, echr 11, is that once one sector gets closed out (of any industry), more sectors will follow by the nature of your thinking.

Don't like the way they fish? Petition for CHANGE, not a ban.
BTW, there is bottom, mid and top trawling. Got a problem with the other 2 ??

This post edited by LobsterD 08:18 PM 07/08/2008

 

[bonsiguy]

thanks dick. exactly

 

[Captneilf]

Hi,

Okay guys, load your guns!!! Here goes!

This is not a simple problem. Probably the commercial fishermen plying their trade in Long Island Sound have been doing it a long time. Let's see now. They probably have a family, a mortgage, a dog and many bills just like the rest of us. So what is he to do if you put him out of business? Are you willing to help buy his vessel and gear? What about the expense of his retraining? See it is not so simple!!!

As one of many who have lost a career I do not want others to be forced into a simular situation. Just think what would you do if you lost your career?

I think many strides have been put in place to make commercial fishing much cleaner. I am the first to admit that I know nothing about working a commercial vessel other than it is very dangerous and very hard work.

Working together for the common good of all is the answer.

Okay fire away!!!

Capt Neil

 

[rastamon]

Not good, they are our partners in the fight, not the enemy. You want to revitalize the Sound, get on the sewage dumping from the cities.

 

[MakoMike]

rastamon wrote:
Not good, they are our partners in the fight, not the enemy. You want to revitalize the Sound, get on the sewage dumping from the cities.

Amen to that! Drfaggers tearing up the rock bottom which is most of LI sound? I don't think so.

 

[commfish]

Having trouble catching fish are you?Maybe change up your game,instead of pointing fingers!How many draggers to you think we have in the sound??I would have to say that in the sound i probably fish out of the port that has the most draggers and that would be 8,several are part time.Furthermore at the current level draggers are allowed to keep 30 pounds of fluke and 70 pounds scup(porgy).How much damage can they really be doing when they catch everything they need in one 30 minute tow????????Throw in a 70 pound carton of trash..skate wings,dogfish,sundials they're probably stocking about 350 a day,take out fuel,ice and freight and they may walk out with 250 for the day.In my book that's going backwards when you figure in dockage,insurance and general repairs,forget get crew almost all of these boys are flying solo.The only reason they continue to fish,for most of them,is that is all they have ever done and they are just finishing up before they retire.Sadly most of them are 55 plus in age.If you are so interested in saving the sound i suggest you look at the real problems,waterfront-development,sewage treatment facilities,pesticides,etc.

 

[tautog1]

Wow!

some tree hugging organization wrote:
This is a petition to stop commercial dragging in Long Island Sound where fish stocks have been depleted by years of uncontrolled commercial draggers destroying fish habitat and breeding grounds.

First off, I grew up fishing the Sound. I worked on a LIS partyboat for 15 years, both as a mate and Captain, so I have some idea about what is and has been going on in the sound. I am also a recreational fisherman.

Second, with the exception of winter flounder, which is not a product of over fishing, fish stocks not depleted. Fluke are every where, bass have taken over, blues are easy to find, porgies are plentiful, and we have more seabass in the western sound than ever before.

Third, contrary to popular belief, much of the sound is made up of mud or clay bottom. The shorelines are filled with rocks, and there are quite a few natural reefs, but how much damage can a dragger do to mud bottom?

Fourth, like commfish said, how many commercial draggers do you think there are? Those that are still operating are far from uncontrolled. These guys are monitored much more closely than the recreational fisherman.

I would be very curious to hear what the true agenda is of the people who posted this petition. I didn't see anyone's name attached to it. It has been years since we had the bunker boats in the western sound. I can't tell you the last time I saw a dragger west of the Middle Grounds (I am usually west of there, so that's what I can speak to), but it has been a long time.

Before you attach your name to a petition which aims to take away someone's livelyhood, stop and think about things like hidden agendas, sensationalist wording, and accuracy of claims. I find it laughable that any ill in our fisheries (real or percieved) is blamed automaticaly on the commercial guys. Perhaps you should be looking at the people with beautiful green lawns right on the harbors. Maybe we should look at the sewage treatment plants that have the occational spill.

"Bring back fishing to Long Island Sound"? I wasn't aware that it was in danger of going away.

Sorry for the long winded post.

Mark

 

[LooneyTunes]

Rastamon wrote:
Not good, they are our partners in the fight, not the enemy. You want to revitalize the Sound, get on the sewage dumping from the cities.

Though comm and rec fishermen make strange bed fellow, it would be worse for comm and or rec to get into bed with the environmental wackos.

Also, I have to question the wisdom of outright saying that the sound is depleted of fish. First of all, it's not true. Second, It is my understanding that the stocks of scup, seabass etc are actually healthy and these fish are more abundant than previous years.

Stuff like this gives the environmental wackos a good head of steam. This petition just screams, "BE CAREFULL"

The petition is not worded well and it's wayyyyy toooooo broad.

Hey, MakoMike

I not going to sign this one.

LooneyTunes
Dave

 

[claw1]

Everytime I think about never comming back to this website because of all the stupidity posted around here , I come across a few decent posts that restore my faith that there still a few of us with some common sense ! Carry on , The Claw !

 

[MakoMike]

LooneyTunes wrote:
Hey, MakoMike

I not going to sign this one.

LooneyTunes
Dave

Now that's progress!

 

[SORTIE]

who is this ehcr11, with all of 15 posts to his name?

 

[loligo]

SORTIE wrote:
who is this ehcr11, with all of 15 posts to his name?


Probl'y someone who'd rather not be known to us.....

It is truly a shame what they have done to the local fishermen in NY, my heart goes out to you guys. 30 #'s of fluke a day? Thats crazy!

 

[631839]

RE: Commercial Fishing

Hi,

We all know that everyone has to make a living and we all have bills to pay. We don't have to sign a petition to stop commercial fishin. They will eventually put themselves out of business because of their GREED. New Finland was the home of Enormous Codfish familys, and was wiped out by the greedy commercial fisherman. All thier boats are in the harbor for the next 5 years or more. The great southbay back in the 1970's when claming was at it's peak was wiped out by GREEDY Commercial fishermen. There was wall to wall boats that you could have walked across that were claming, and now there are a few left that have to catch by products such as bunker, crabs, ells, etc.to survive. Sandyhook was once the home to the fluke for how many, many years, and now, you're lucky to catch a keeper. The whole South shore for many years has not been catching many keeper FLUKE. I know people that have been coming to the North Shore to fish for Fluke, up to the last number of years. This year the North Shore has not shown any promise because of the over commercialfishin. I have stated this about 3-4 years ago. I said this was going to happen, and so it has. A number of you said I didn't know what I was talking about, but here it is. Next year you guys will be lucky if you have a FLUKE SEASON. Ask yourselves, why are we only allowed 10 porgy's, when it was once 50 per person? 10 snappers, when is all you can catch. 4 fluke, when it was 14" all you can catch?? Why are the numbers always going down?? and the size limits going up???? Because of GREEDY LOBBIST. This is a multiBillion dollar business, but that's okay, because , those GREEDY SOB'S will put themselvesa out of business, and we, the Sportfishermen won't have anything left to fish for. Even the Bluefish has deminished in there size and numbers. Long Island Sound a number of years ago was loaded with huge BLUEFISH, where are they??? Where are the Ling And the whiting that used be plentiful around AMBROSE LIGHT in the winter?? Who wiped them out?? Some of you NEW Generation fishermen don't realise what you missed out on with LING and Whiting, this will not end until there is nothing left to fish for. Why are there no more wild SHRIMP left???? Why are they FARM RASISED??? These are POSION!!!! Why are there all kinds of fish being raised on farms?? I don't want fish that are being fed CRAP to grow in size!!! and then have to eat them!! I won't eat fish at all!!!
I have really had enough with all this BS.

 

[NilsS]

Reelup -

Your post has so much misinformation that it's hard to know where to start, but I'll take a stab at the domestic shrimp industry. There isn't one, not because there are no more wild shrimp but because no U.S. fishermen can afford to catch them. Imports and increased operating expenses have for all intents and purposes just about destroyed the fishery. Then there's fluke. The fluke biomass has been increasing for most of the last decade, is higher today than it has ever been (or than it has ever been measured). As a matter of fact, the commercial guys have stayed well within their quota for at least most of a decade. Bluefish aren't overfished and overfishing isn't occuring - but there populations are cyclical. Clamming declines are due to water quality declines. And on and on and on.

 

[CaptPaul]

ReelUp,

I didn't even read page one of this thread, I'm just checking in after a day of fishing. After reading your post, I have to say that you have either "reeled" your sinker "up" too far and snapped the tip off your mental rod, or you have to "reel up" and get some air, because you have absolutley no idea of what you are talking about. You need to do some research before you post, so you don't waste the time of those people here that take the time to base thier posts on facts, not fabricated drivel. You would probably learn more about the true state of the fisheries if you opened up any two windows in that vacuum you live in and allowed the fresh air to educate you, because you certainly aren't getting any factual information from your current method of fisheries education.

Paul

 

[LobsterD]

I'm just reeling from Reelups' post. Wish there was a smilie hurl face

 

[MakoMike]

Reelup wrote:
Hi,

We all know that everyone has to make a living and we all have bills to pay. We don't have to sign a petition to stop commercial fishin. They will eventually put themselves out of business because of their GREED. New Finland was the home of Enormous Codfish familys, and was wiped out by the greedy commercial fisherman. All thier boats are in the harbor for the next 5 years or more. The great southbay back in the 1970's when claming was at it's peak was wiped out by GREEDY Commercial fishermen. There was wall to wall boats that you could have walked across that were claming, and now there are a few left that have to catch by products such as bunker, crabs, ells, etc.to survive. Sandyhook was once the home to the fluke for how many, many years, and now, you're lucky to catch a keeper. The whole South shore for many years has not been catching many keeper FLUKE. I know people that have been coming to the North Shore to fish for Fluke, up to the last number of years. This year the North Shore has not shown any promise because of the over commercialfishin. I have stated this about 3-4 years ago. I said this was going to happen, and so it has. A number of you said I didn't know what I was talking about, but here it is. Next year you guys will be lucky if you have a FLUKE SEASON. Ask yourselves, why are we only allowed 10 porgy's, when it was once 50 per person? 10 snappers, when is all you can catch. 4 fluke, when it was 14" all you can catch?? Why are the numbers always going down?? and the size limits going up???? Because of GREEDY LOBBIST. This is a multiBillion dollar business, but that's okay, because , those GREEDY SOB'S will put themselvesa out of business, and we, the Sportfishermen won't have anything left to fish for. Even the Bluefish has deminished in there size and numbers. Long Island Sound a number of years ago was loaded with huge BLUEFISH, where are they??? Where are the Ling And the whiting that used be plentiful around AMBROSE LIGHT in the winter?? Who wiped them out?? Some of you NEW Generation fishermen don't realise what you missed out on with LING and Whiting, this will not end until there is nothing left to fish for. Why are there no more wild SHRIMP left???? Why are they FARM RASISED??? These are POSION!!!! Why are there all kinds of fish being raised on farms?? I don't want fish that are being fed CRAP to grow in size!!! and then have to eat them!! I won't eat fish at all!!!
I have really had enough with all this BS.

Maybe you should do some reading, you can start right here, to better educate yourself BEFORE you make a complete ass out of yourself again. I don't think there is one true statement in that entire screed.