Microfiber & other plastic debris threaten ocean wildlife. Photo by Tiago Fioreze, via Wikipedia. As a part-time fishing guide, water is an essential element of my life. What happens to and in the water has a direct impact on the quality of the experience for my clients. As a board member of the American Fly […]
Photo: Pro guide Chris Vertopoulos netted this 37-inch steelhead for client Dave Billheimer on the lower Wilson River on 2/23/2017 It hasn’t been all that long since anglers starting learning how abundant stocks of forage fish play a role in the success of our most pursued species of salmon, steelhead, albacore and other sport important […]
Capt. Dave Monti with a summer flounder (fluke) caught off Rose Island, Newport in August, 2016. I run a charter fishing business in Rhode Island. I have always felt it a privilege to fish and take people fishing to experience the joy of catching fish for consumption and sport. Therefore I was alarmed to learn […]
Top Photo: Striped Bass, by John McMurray Fisheries management is a complicated endeavor. Before issuing regulations that will prevent overfishing and maintain healthy fish populations, managers need to consider multiple factors. They must estimate the size of fish populations, and decide whether such populations must be rebuilt. They must determine how many fish are lost […]
To truly understand the question, “Is it time to open the harvest of river herring?,” one must understand the subculture of New England river herring. The Back River was “my” herring run located in the Jackson Square portion of Weymouth, MA. Our harvest days were Wednesdays & Saturdays. On these days, Jackson Square would come […]
Leaving Enough Baitfish in the Water Top Photo: Humpback Whale Often overlooked baitfish, specifically anchovies in this case, were the topic of discussion at a recent meeting in Astoria that I participated in. A couple of commercial seine boats made a big splash in the lower Columbia River last summer. There’s no hiding it; with […]
Top Photo: Kodiak Harbor Waterfront, Alaska In early February, Duke University and the Oak Foundation hosted an international workshop focused on supporting small-scale fisheries. I participated in a panel addressing the successes and challenges of small-scale fisheries. Workshop attendees included academics, representatives from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO), conservation and rural development […]
Top Photo: Pair Trawlers off Rhode Island, by Mike Laptew. I have been working on river herring-related issues for the past 25 years and was one of the first anglers/conservationists to jump up and call attention to the fact that river herring were disappearing rapidly before our eyes. We are quite literally at the bottom […]
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