Surfers, divers, fishers… This is our legacy. So speak the hell up! My name is John McMurray, and I’m an ocean-junkie. I make a living from the sea. And saltwater courses though my veins. Almost every day, I get my fix – when the alarm-clock starts screaming at 3am; when I start the engine up; […]
One of the most important forage fish in the ocean is in trouble, but YOU can do something about it Top photo: Atlantic herring, via John McMurray Atlantic herring are in bad shape. No ifs, ands or buts about it. A recent stock assessment confirmed what most of us already knew – the sea herring […]
Why We Should Be Focusing On Fish In The Water, Rather Than Extraction While it’s probably not great for business for me to admit it, I’ve gotta be honest, on the striped bass front, it’s been tough going this spring. Lots of small fish around, but those 30-plus inch fish, (I’m talking specifically about the […]
Top photo: Bluefish are managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Supporters of the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act try and unify anglers around the bill… But it sure as hell ain’t good for most of “us” Let me start this off by saying things seem pretty dark lately. They always do for me during this time […]
Top photo: Menhaden off Montauk. Credit Captain John McMurray Editor’s note: Captain John McMurray’s piece first appeared on FISSUES.org. We are sharing it today because we believe it reflects what many of us are also thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving. 2017 was a good year, but in the end, it can all go away pretty easily […]
Next week, will ASMFC heed common sense and on-the-water experience? Top photo: A striper eating bunker Last week, I received a brief release from the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition, titled National Wildlife Federation Revives Menhaden Myths with Latest Petition. The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition describes itself as “a coalition of menhaden fishermen, related businesses, and supporting industries,” […]
Editor mocks fly fishermen, light-tackle anglers, and everyone else who benefits from “abundance.” Last week I stumbled across what seemed like a somewhat useful piece from The Fisherman Magazine titled “ALPHABET SOUP: TOP 25 FISHY ACRONYMS.” The intent at first seemed to be to bring some clarity to the mess of words/acronyms regularly used in […]
Starting next week, ASMFC is holding Menhaden Amendment 3 hearings… and we need to be there. I’m not going to wax this time about how recent aggregations of menhaden have created extraordinary conditions for fishermen targeting striped bass, sharks etc., or all the other life the massive pods have drawn, most notably the whales. It’s […]
