Did NOAA take us a few steps back with recent National Standard guidance? How we manage fisheries in federal waters is of course dictated by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). The Act (or law) contains 10 National Standards, which are intended to guide the eight regional management councils when they create fishery […]
Next week the Mid-Atlantic Council has a big decision — you can help them do the right thing There’s no reason to wax here about the extraordinary decline of river herring and shad. If you’ve got some fishing history (particularly striper fishing) under your belt, I’m pretty sure you get it. Bluebacks and alewives (aka […]
It’s hard to see how this isn’t a good thing for us, so why the push back? Last Thursday the Obama Administration announced it was establishing the first ever National Marine Monument in the Atlantic — a protected area encompassing almost five thousand square miles off the coast of New England. Before anyone gets all […]
ERAs will help to protect important offshore fishing grounds. Photo by John McMurray. The angling community should be firmly behind identifying and designating Ecologically Rich Areas I suppose I should start here by explaining what exactly an “Ecologically Rich Area” (ERA) is. As you may have guessed, it’s simply what scientists have determined is an […]
Anglers should be stoked about this week’s Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting, and focused on making this sort of thing a requirement After emerging from four days of mind-numbing meetings, I’m leaving Virginia with my chest puffed out and my head held high. Why? Because in the often dim world of fishery management, we […]
Final action on the Unmanaged Forage Amendment on Monday! This is your last chance to weigh in Just about everyone who’s been out to the 30-fathom line this year has seen it. A ton of really small mackerel/tuna-like fish schooling in dense concentrations and great numbers. A couple of weeks ago, we started to see […]
Bass with bunker. Photo by Capt. John McMurray. Are managers seriously thinking about increasing the menhaden quota again? I’m not gonna waste any space here this time talking about all the benefits of recent menhaden concentrations. Not just because I’ve already done that here, but really, anyone who fishes at all gets it. Massive schools […]
And the recreational fishing community needs to weigh in As fishermen, particularly those of us who spend a good amount of the season offshore, we should all be acutely aware by now that things are likely going to change. If you aren’t, this is your heads-up. Rarely does a week or two go by where […]
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