Striped Bass & Bluefish: Same Problem, Different Managers, Very Different Approaches

Striped Bass & Bluefish:  Same Problem, Different Managers, Very Different Approaches

Striped bass and bluefish just go together. They’re both premier inshore gamefish of the New England and mid-Atlantic coasts. They frequently prey on the same schools of bait, with the bluefish slashing through the harried forage, while the bass follow beneath, feeding on the dead and the wounded. And they’re both overfished. But that’s where […]

Year Ends on Positive Note for the Fish

Year Ends on Positive Note for the Fish

Warming water has brought an abundance of black sea bass to the northeast, like this one caught by Lucia Wong of Cambridge, MA, which she caught when fishing with Capt. Dave Monti. Two initiatives underway in the U.S. House are making the fish very happy at years’ end: Rep. Jared Huffman’s (D-CA) national listening tour […]

Rep. Huffman’s Listening Sessions Foster Meaningful Discussions Around Federal Fisheries Management

Rep. Huffman’s Listening Sessions Foster Meaningful Discussions Around Federal Fisheries Management

Listening Session in Seattle. Photo by Kevin Scribner. As 2019 comes to a close, the future of our federal fisheries policy looks like it’s heading in the right direction for 2020. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA), who is chair of the House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife, began his nationwide tour in October to listen […]

At Last Week’s ASMFC/MAFMC Meeting, Here’s What Went Down

At Last Week’s ASMFC/MAFMC Meeting, Here’s What Went Down

Big Cuts for Bluefish, While Scup and Black Seabass Dodge a Bullet This article first appeared on Fissues.org On Dec 10th and 11th, the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission met jointly to complete 2020 recreational fishing specifications for bluefish, summer flounder, scup and black seabass. Here’s what happened. […]

Summit Brings Together and Raises Voices of Small-Boat Fishing Community

Summit Brings Together and Raises Voices of Small-Boat Fishing Community

Photo courtesy Sitka Salmon Shares As the sun was setting over the evergreen trees and reflecting off the buildings in downtown Portland, the crowd gathered around the grill in front of the Redd on Salmon St. The smell of sizzling fat from the black cod collars was irresistible, as was the banter from the cooks. […]

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission: Time To Learn From The Past

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:  Time To Learn From The Past

Striped bass photo by John McMurray “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana’s words have been repeated so often that they’ve become a cliché. Yet, repeated or not, they’re undoubtedly true. But when it comes to fisheries matters, merely remembering the past isn’t enough; in order to prevent making […]

Ocean Moment with Congressman Joe Cunningham

Ocean Moment with Congressman Joe Cunningham

Congressman Joe Cunningham represents the First District of South Carolina. What do you tell people who don’t see the urgency or need to protect and improve the health of our oceans and fisheries? Fisheries and oceans provide us with jobs, food, and our unique way of life. Here in the Lowcountry, where we are so […]

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act: People Are Talking (And Rep. Huffman Is Listening)

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act:  People Are Talking (And Rep. Huffman Is Listening)

This post originally appeared on Charles Witek’s blog, One Angler’s Voyage, and is reprinted with permission. Last Friday, I had the privilege of participating in a “listening session” arranged by Rep. Jarred Huffman (D-CA), the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Water, Oceans and Wildlife Subcommittee. Eleven persons, not including the Congressman, sat at the […]