CIRCLEHOOKS AND ANGLER’S RIDICULOUS RELUCTANCE TO USE THEM
Just getting in from what amounted to yet another good day of fishing in my neck of the woods.  Without a doubt, this has been a good spring so far and today was no exception.  But to get back to the marina, I had to run the solemn course though the excessive crowd of boats.

One would think that the excessive price of fuel would keep a good number of folks off the water these days, but right now there are a ton of boats using live menhaden (aka bunker) to catch large fecund striped bass in my neck of the woods.  More than likely these Jamaica Bay fish are on their way up the Hudson to Spawn, or are returning after a successful venture.  I won’t even acknowledge all those idiots that are poaching fish (and unfortunately there are quite a few), but the great majority of folks are releasing those fish they’ve caught above their “limit.”  (note: God I hate that phrase “limiting out,” as if folks are fishing solely to kill as many fish as the law allows them to, with little or no emphasis on the angling experience.   I mean, there’s nothing wrong with keeping your limit, but if you’re fishing solely to “limit out” then it would be a lot cheaper to go to the darn fish market).  But let me get back to the point.

Anyone who has ever done any live bait fishing knows that stripers, especially the big ones, inhale the bait.  Thus, if you are using a J-hook, just about every fish gets it in the belly.  That’s fine if you are planning on keeping your two fish and going home.  Menhaden are big baits and rarely does a short eat one.  But if you keep fishing after that, as most anglers do, THEN USE A DARN CIRCLE HOOK FOR GOD’S SAKE!

I’m not going to explain how circlehooks work as I believe most know already, and if you don’t you can find many a detailed explanation by Googleing it.  In my experience, as well as just about everyone I know who uses them, they result in a perfect lip hooked fish 90% of the time.  And it’s not just anecdotal.  There is a ton of science out there that shows that circlehooks in bait fisheries dramatically reduce release mortality.
Yet despite all this, the overwhelming majority of anglers continue to use J-hooks!  I went on a charter for a bachelor party two years ago and this dumbass Captain was using treble hooks to live-line bunker!  I couldn’t believe it!  Talk about lack of foresight.

Thus, this is the time of the year that I usually see a good number of dead bass floating on the surface on my way back to the marina each morning.  And these are the ones that don’t sink.  I’m sure there are a lot more.  And when you multiply my small area by all those areas that have vibrant live and dead bait fisheries for striped bass, it really adds up.   And it’s not just my dumb-ass saying it.  It’s a fact.  According to the most recent striped bass stock assessment, recreational discards account 34% of the total catch!  To put that into perspective, that’s double what the total commercial landing are!  Kinda hard to justify gamefish with those numbers don’t ya think?  Yet still, folks foolishly resist new hook technology that could dramatically reduce this number.

I’ve got to say, the fact that circlehooks aren’t required in those fisheries that are prone to excessive release mortality (fish that die as a result of angling related trauma) isn’t required by now angers me.  Why the H wouldn’t we require them!?   That’s a question I asked during the last ASMFC Striped Bass Advisory Panel meeting.  All they panel had the nerve to muster up was to recommend increased “education” on circle hooks.  Like that’s gonna do anything?  There was the usual talk about agencies being unable to enforce such a regulation, yet if it was a law, for sure most folks would follow it.  Then there was the knucklehead who said that his charter clients wouldn’t be able to figure out how to use the.   Uhm, what?  All you do is come tight on the fish.  What could be easier than that?

We really need circle hook regulations.  It’s absurd not to have them.  Until we reduce that release mortality percentage, we just don’t have any credibility.

FISHING REPORTS
Wow, what a week.  Inshore bigger fish showed in Southern New Jersey, while on the Oceanside, the entire coast has been invaded by massive schools of bunker.  And as you can imagine, big bass and bluefish have been on them in good numbers.  Aside from a few big fish, the weakfish run in Jersey hasn’t been a particularly good one.  In Lower New York Harbor it still seems to be 20 to 1 bluefish, but if you have the patience to get under them, there are keeper bass below.  Jamaica Bay fished really good early in the week.  There were still grass shrimp hatches all over, but towards the end of the week, we got a big influx of bunker in the creeks and the bass seemed to have totally focused on those baits.  Which is great for the live-liner crowd, but not so good for those of us fishing a fly and/or light-tackle.  Moving west along Long Island, it’s been a major year for bluefish.  Large schools of big fish on spearing under birds have been a frequent occurrence. Out east, those bigger bass that were on bunker seemed to have left the building. A new body of schoolie-sized fish have moved in and seem to be heavy on sandeels and spearing. We should start to see those pigs on the southside pretty soon though. In Connecticut, most folks are staying the water is still too cold in the Sound for the big ones, thus it’s been mostly schoolie action, but without a doubt, folks are putting together catches of keeper-sized fish here and there.  In Rhode Island, things are really going good.  Still lots of herring around and some big bass beating them up.  The Cape is really beginning to show its colors as more and more fish begin to show each day.  Farther north more reports of schoolies with the occasional larger fish.

Lot of wind this weekend, but it still looks to be fishable in the right sports.  Get out there!  And don’t forget to email me your reports at johnmcmurray@optonline.net.

NEW JERSEY
Capt. Bryan DeLio from Iowa Fortune Guide Service reports an increase in action this week. Check it out:
Ocean City/Atlantic City Fishing Report: For the exception of the heavy SW, NE, E winds @ 20-30 and the constant rain, this week was much like those from the springs of the past, with schools of teen Bass holding in tight groups working along the edges of the Springtime flats. The spring Bass action is usually a roller coaster ride of activity here in SNJ and this year is no different. The Bass are in the “all or none – pattern of no pattern” phase of the season with each location either holding a good amount of fish or it is completely void of life and you’ll usually never find them in the same area consecutive days, but when you find them the action heats up fast. There are still some real bruiser size Blues, Bass and Weakfish cruising around and laid up the back country willing to take most well placed subsurface artificials and with the summer like temperatures and the waters warming, the top water action should begin making things even more interesting when targeting these lurkers. Top water action is always greeted with open arms which rings the bell for the the second phase of great Striper action that will remain with us for the remainder of the season.That’s all for now. Capt. Bryan DiLeo

From Central and Northern New Jersey, Capt. Gene Quigley from Shore Catch called in a report of big stripers working bunker right off the beach.  Miles and miles of bunker and bass on just about every school.  And the bass seemed to have outnumbered the bluefish this week.  Big metal-lipped swimmers have accounted for most of the action with poppers coming in a close second.  But drop down one of those live bunker and whamo!

NEW YORK
Here’s a report from One More Cast Charters in Jamaica Bay:
Man, Jamaica Bay was really good in the earlier part of the week.  Lots of large bass hitting poppers and Slug-Gos in the mornings.  The grass shrimp hatches were going strong, but have since subsided.  A huge influx of bunker happened literally over-night and now those fish are totally focused on them, which makes flyfishing a light tackle a little difficult.  But if you are livelining bunker, indeed this is good.  The herring are gone…  No sign of them this week.  Also it’s worthy of noting that with the bunker influx there was also a big algae bloom.  The water went from clear and cool to warm and turgid over night.  Might be time to start working some areas on the outside. 

From the North Shore, Bob Girodano reports lots of schoolie action:
Hey John,Finally finished off the boat and made my first two ventures over what was a spectacular Memorial Day weekend. God bless our  soldiers. Found plenty of schoolie bass from Micro’s no bigger than 8″ to some better schoolies to 24″ on Chartruese Clousers around structure in Huntington Harbor and areas around the inlet into Lloyd. Saw some fish spraying small spearing and this was evident by the slight takes these fish were taking on the fly. The next few weeks are “big fish” time around this area and hopefully I’ll find some bunker to dredge larger patterns through in hopes of better quality fish.

Also checking in from the North Shore of Long Island is Capt. Robin Calitri from Long Island Fly Fishing:
On Thursday the fish were tough and only a bitty pick of very small bass were biting.  On Saturday, Robin fished with son Scot on the Merrimack River in Mass.  Olive over white clousers were the ticket to non-stop action on the flats and in the channel by the  bridge.  Mike Brieger showed off his fly fishing skill with many schoolies landed.  On Wednesday, Joel, Karen and Charlie Weiss along with Holly Jackson did a bang up job on the blues off the powerplant.  The fish were picky and most came on a small popper.  We also had a great run of schoolie bass inside Huntington Harbor.  The fish took clousers but loved the Sluggo!!  If you want to fish the North Shore it is loaded with bait, bass and blues.  BASSt,  Captain Robin Calitri, Csicagain charters

From Eastern Long Island, Captain Jim Hull from Light Tackle Challenge checks in with this report:
The big fish that were here in late April and early May seem to be thinning out with the bunker that are also thinning each day. The good news is the success story of the sandeels which have had a good early spawn and are now present by the billions in the backwaters of the Peconic bait factory. Lots of medium size bass from 24″ to 36″are all over them as we saw on our outing today with 20 bass averaging about 12lbs for Rich and Scott. Montauk and the ocean beaches of the east end are seeing the migration northward of 3″ whitebait with blues and school bass on it. With longer days and fish getting smaller and tougher on bright days, we will make the shift to Montauk this week in search of the larger specimens that are and will be taking up residence. Pump up and reel down. Captain Jim

CONNECTICUT
Captain Mike Warecke from Southeastern Connecticut Fishing Charters checks in this week with this report:With the fronts, wind and 3rd quart moon phase, fishing had stayed pretty consistent. Saturday I fished with Steve Mahoney and we landed fish 10 to 15lbs. We stayed with them for about 2 hours before they moved on and we could not relocate them. On Tuesday I had 2 seasoned fly fishermen aboard. Pete McDonald (editor for Boating Magazine) and his friend Jason Puris. These 2 fishermen had no problem keeping up with fish in the 10 to 15 lb range for 5 hours. With tuesday’s rain and wind we found one other boat on the Ct. river and loads of fish. This up coming week should be the start for some great fly fishing for striped bass in Connecticut. The reefs and beaches will show all the signs of the herring dropping out of all their spawning hang outs and bring the bigger fish with them. This is truely the best time to throw big flies with a chance to hang a COW!!

From the same general area, Captain Sandy Noyes reports an increase in the amount of bait and quality of fish.  Hi John, I got out for a bit this morning in between the gales. I have heard reports of more squid locally and today I saw some bass chasing them inshore. The Reefs have been hit or miss. The fish inshore are getting a little better. Today’s best was 18 lbs. on an eel fly in 20 feet of water. Its still in the low 50′s in the sound.Sandy

RHODE ISLAND
No reports from Rhode Island this week.  Those guys must be busy fishing.

MASSACHUSETTS
From the Boston area, Capt. John Medelson checks in with this report:
Our charter season began in earnest last week, coinciding perfectly with the arrival of school after school of striped bass into the waters of Boston Harbor. In short, the fishing has been excellent. With charters as well as some family and friends trips we took multiple parties of fly and spin fisherman out over the course of the week and found fish of all sizes. We have seen less of the traditional early season schools of small bass . Generally, the schools have been of mixed sizes. One cast you might catch an 18″ fish, the next a 36″. Many fish over 20lbs. have come to the boat on fly and spin tackle.  The fish have been feeding on large baits including good schools of mackeral around the outer islands. Inside, the fish are keyed on herring. In fact, there seem to be more herring around than in the past two years combined. This bodes well for a sustained spring run. The fish are schooled up and often feeding on top. It is not necessary to run and gun to the birds as many fisherman seem to do. We have had great success setting up long drifts and steadily picking away at fish after fish, often far away from the birds.  Flies and large soft plastics have been the ticket-we are imitating the herring as best we can. The water temperatures are still a bit cold. Just 52 degrees inside the bays, and barely 50 degrees outside. We have been finding fish on both the incoming and outgoing tides. If you are not finding them, move around, they are here in good numbers. Let us know if you would like to get out. We have select dates open in June and early July. Now is the time! Tight lines,Capt. John

Up north in the Cape Cod area Capt. Terry Nugent reports really good action:
After we opened a big ole’ can of whoopa$$ on the fish yesterday, it was a solid bet we were going to empty another big ole’ can today. The crew was similar but different. Today was Mike C, Kirby, Mike Jr, Ruge and Me. All five guys are capable to putting it to the fish on any given day. Add in the extreme verbal abuse we inflict on each other when we screw up, the only option is to be razor sharp all day.  I worked last night and after a big can of Mt. Dew AMP and a large Ice Coffee I was ready to rock. The guys showed up at the house at 0630 and had things ready to go when I arrived. We splashed the boat in Sandwich and ran out into sloppy, but better than yesterday conditions. We put an eyeball on the mack fleet, but things looked slow and the sounder was thin, so we bailed and decided to do it again sans bait.
Ruge was on the HD camera for a huge part of the day. We got some KILLER footage. We headed to yesterdays hotspot and found some solid action, but also a good number of boats. After landing a couple dozen fish we had a few boats get a little too close to us, so we packed it up and left the fleet. The bite was good, but nothing is worth being buried in the middle of the fleet. We ran off and began searching for our own fish. After about 20 minutes we found a few birds circling high over bait. We eased up on them and the fish finder lit up like a pinball machine on “TILT”!!! We were all by ourselves and before our jigs could get to the bottom we were all tight. 4 and five rods doubled over and the bass came in fast and furious.  As the drift continued and the fish showed no signs of letting up we decided to share the wealth. I called my buddies on “Irish Jig” and had them slide over to where we were. They flew over to our location and saw the fish we were catching. They didn’t have the right jigs so we tossed them a few and soon they were putting it to the fish in a big way too. They repaid the favor by letting Ruge get on their boat and shoot boat to boat footage of us with the HD camera.  We reset the drifts several times and both boats slayed the fish for around an hour. Then we decided to explore and check out some places we hadn’t been to this year. We ran long and we came up short. So after about an hour of running around checking out spots we returned to the area we had left the crew of the Irish Jig. They were gone but the fish were still there and we picked up where we left off.  The tide slacked and so did the fishing. We had PILES of bait and we knew when the tide began again the fishing would go off in a big way. Sure enough it did and we got on a solid bite of 30″ to 30# fish. The bite was so good we called in another buddy “Double Happiness” Bob and his little nephew Mike made the LONG run over to us. It was well worth it for everyone. We all got to watch as little Michael put the screws to some bass almost as big as he was. After several hours of bailing the fish we tried to leave. Every time we began to stow the gear for the run home the sounder would light up and Bob and Mike would double up right next to us. You just can’t leave that kind of fishing no matter how tired you get.  Around 1700 we finally called “Uncle” and turned the sounder off so we could pack up and leave. The run home was fast and flat. Final tally for the day was several hundred fish for the boat. This is no exaggeration. We had five guys fishing and most of the time 3 or more of us were tight. These fish were packed in tight and we would get them as fast as we could drop a jig into the 50′ thick school. The lure of choice today was 4-6oz metal. These fish were on 5-6″ sandeels and they were deep or right on the bottom. Deadly Dicks, Diamond Jigs and other metal of that sort was the key to slaying these fish. Send the metal south and IF it made the bottom it only took a few jigs to double over the rod. The water ranged from 40-80′ deep. We were the only boat around except for the guys we brought in on the bite.  Overall a tiring day of fishing. Our arms are sore from cranking in fish all day. It’s a tough job but somebody has to do it. A big Congrats to Bob and Mike, they make a great team and it’s always good to see a youngster learning to appreciate the outdoors. Thanks to Irish Jig, you make a great camera boat.Good Luck, Capt. Terry Nugent

And farther north, Capt. Dave Rimmer checks in with this report:
Gloucester to Salisbury, MA Fishing: If you have not already, it is high time to dust off the rod and reel to begin striped bass fishing in earnest across north shore waters. Reports were favorable from all sectors, open ocean to estuaries. Off Crane Beach and the mouth of the Ipswich River, there was an excellent surface feed of mostly schoolies 20-26 inches on a small bait, maybe sand eels. In fact I believe most of those size fish are from the abundant 2003 year class and their abundance bodes well for the future. The Parker River has been fishing very well too, with reported fish up to 40 inches feeding at times on adult alewives. The Merrimack Rivers is in true form as well, with Joppa Flats and upriver producing big fish. A fat 37 inch, 20 pound striper was landed on my boat on fly. Spin fishermen are having success with soft plastics like the Storm Shad and Sluggos, while fly fishermen are generally fishing full sinking lines and bright colored flies, although the big bass I witnessed caught succumbed to a 6-7 inch herring fly. Yes the tides are a little off this coming week (May 29-June 4) but that should not detract from the fishing too much. If the weather cooperates, there is no excuse not to get out in the brine next week and fish the rocks, beach fronts, rivers and estuaries on the north shore. No time like right now to put your time in – you will be rewarded.

Capt Tom Rapone from Highly Migratory Guiding service reported in with this Martha’s Vineyard fishing report: Aside from a couple of brutal wind days, this past week has seen some great fly and light tackle fishing on the Vineyard. The pond fishing has held up well with some fantastic topwater fishing for 6 to 12-pound bluefish. In addition, stripers up to 36” seem to be scooting around every single dark-bottomed flat on the island. We also had a nice 3-day string of worm hatches over the holiday weekend. There’s nothing like some calm, sunny weather in May to really get things hopping in the estuaries.  On the outside, more really nice bass seem to be pushing into the rips on the west side of the island daily. Heavy bucktails and butterfly-style jigs have been the ticket to good stuff in 50+ feet of water. Some great topwater and fly fishing for these big fish should begin in the next week or so when we get a push of squid in the oceanside rips. I’ve seen a couple of spurts so far, but the real show has yet to come. On the shore fishing front, the beaches of Chappy have seen some great daytime bluefish action on the dropping tide. After dark, Lobsterville and other nearby beaches on the west side are really turning on. Every time it’s blown from the SW in the last week it’s been fast fishing for bass on sandeels on both tides.  –Capt. Tom Rapone 

MAINE
Captain Eric Wallace from Coastal Fly Angler Guide Service reported in on the Maine Striper fishing: For the most part low water temps have kept the fish that are around pretty Grumpy, other then some holdovers and a few fresh schollies feeding near darker flats that have warmed  during the sunny but windy days we have had lately. As far a bait goes there’s plenty of big stuff around there are still alewives and river herring coming through and for the first time in years we have lots of adult menhaden or pogies as we call them in Maine.

This is exciting news as we have not seen a a lot large pogies at any time of the year for a while, also some good shad fishing in the Saco river and tributaries of the Kennebec have been reported.

We have all the big bait! the fish should find it soon, I’ve heard report from yesterday there where a few fish near 40 caught down by Wells beach. Things have picked up in the  Kennebunkport area  as well, with reports of fish in the 20″-30″ range but not gangbuster yet. In both cases the reports have the bass on pogies, I feel we are just a week away from thing really opening up, some stable weather and fish pushing north is what where hoping for up north. Until next week, hope you have a line go tight and a smile on your face.

That’s all for this week. We’ll see you on the water.

Capt. John McMurray
Northeast Fishing Correspondent

Virginia Fishing Report: Covering the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Inshore and Virginia Offshore Fishing by Correspondent Julie Ball
The prelude to the summer fishing pattern is right on target with the arrival of one of the most anticipated warm water residents, the cobia. Scattered hookups and confirmed sightings around the lower bay are just the beginning as these covert hunters quietly glide into local waters. Sheepshead are also making a low-key debut, as occasional reports trickle in of incidental hook-ups by drum anglers, which is common for this time of year.

Striped bass are making up for the flounder shortage, with catches of rockfish to 36-inches coming from the HRBT and the small boat channel and islands of the CBBT. Live baiting over the tubes is providing the best striper hauls, with both croaker and eels working well. Snapper bluefish are everywhere in local waters, which often makes catching anything else a challenge.
(Pictured: Drew with a nice dolphin while out fishing over last Memorial Day weekend in the bluewater off the Virginia Coast. yes folks, Drew is 10 and a fishing catching machine. See “the Drew Report below)

Croaker are active within the tributary rivers, with the York River the best location. Squid and shrimp get the nod this week. Bait-sized hard heads are also still available off Little Creek Inlet and along the CBBT and the HRBT. A few speckled trout and bluefish are biting within Rudee Inlet, where folks fishing from the jetties are scoring with smoke and green colored grubs. A few grey trout up to 3-pounds are lurking around the HRBT and the CBBT where catches are sporadic, but the grey action is still good around the Concrete ships and the docks at the Kiptopeke State Park ramp.

Capt Stan went out last night with CAPT Brad and they got a bunch of citation Red Drum.  I still haven’t gotten a red yet this year.
Your friend Drew

Until next week, good luck fishing!

Julie
Dr. Julie Ball
IGFA Representative, Virginia Beach

Virginia’s Eastern Shore Fishing Report
Covering Inshore and Offshore Fishing out of Wachapreague, Chincoteague and Assateague
by Kevin of Lyn B Sportfishing - TidalFish.com Correspondent
No report his week, fishing must be very good or very windy
Kevin of Lyn B Sportfishing, a 34ft custom sport fisherman Captained by Bill Bowen. They offer inshore, wreck and offshore fishing adventures. Fishing from the Wachapreague, Wachapreague . Call 757-787-1074 to book a trip.

However we did get these reports from the Virginia Saltwater Review:
Chincoteague
Fish were biting at Captain Bob’s this week. Those brave enough to face the wind at the Four Mouths area, near buoy 50, and the Wallops Island Bridge were bringing in nice flounder up to 24 inches. On May 24th, Robert Biggs landed a 7-pound, 10-ounce flounder (27.5 inches), and on the 25th, Juanita Bradshaw brought in a 7-pound, 2-ounce flounder (26.5 inches). In the surf, a few flounder and striped bass have been landed—the rough, cool water attracting striped bass. When the wind dies down, there are nice black sea bass to be had along the wrecks, and some tautog have been sighted in the area as well. Kingfish are beginning to show at marker 15 near the inlet, and skate and shark have been seen at the north side of Queen’s Sound. The majority of the fish have been caught using a minnow and squid sandwich, but according to Donna, everyone needs a plan B—she suggests silversides. Staff at Captain Bob’s believes that once the winds calm, the fishing will really pick up.

Virginia’s Northern Neck Fishing Report
by Jerry Thrash From Patriot Charters and Queens Creek Outfitters

Jerry writes, Spadefish have been seen on the Cell and at Wolftrap all week but have been refusing baits. This is normal, and usually they start biting about a week after first being sited. We should see big Spades this week!

One 9-pound citation flounder was weighed this week near Buoy 42 but there were very few boats on the water Saturday and Sunday.

I have been doing some research over the last week or two on the Maryland herring run that striped bass chase in the Chesapeake tributaries each spring in the striped bass’s annual spawning run. Apparently there is some huge netting by commerical fishermen going on when the herring (yea I know, another forage fish in trouble. If you are not familiar with what forage fish do or why (photo information: The photo above was taken by Captain Eric Wallace of Coastal Fly Angler Guide Service on the edge of the Striped Bass flats last year in southern Maine. Trawling forage fish like this at the edge of an area striped bass and other fish live can not be good!) they are important here is a quick version. Forage fish are an important link in the marine food web because they transfer energy between primary and secondary producers, such as plankton, to top predators such as seabirds and larger fish like, you guessed it, striped bass, bluefish, drum, tuna etc…) are coming into the upper rivers to spawn. It has not been talked about a lot because these commerical interests want to keep it on the down low. There have been whispers about banning it in the halls of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as well. I have been thinking that it is probably time to bring things to the public’s attention so we can actaully get the commerical netting closed in light of the fact that herring are becoming scarce. I’ll save more details for next week when I get more information.

What prompted this post today is that in yesterdays Shad piece I did, fisheries managers and others have been wondering why the shad population is and has been dropping so dramatically over the last few years. In the post I and others suggested that their might be a fishery for shad going on we do not know about or that they might be a victim of bycatch from another commerical fishery. Well, no sooner did I hit publish yesterday then did I receive the below press release and study by the Herring Alliance. It’s worth reading not only the press release below, but the study, it’s not a long read and worth your time. Long and short of it is that shad migrate up and down the coast, the herring fishery in the north is being hit hard, is it possible shad are winding up in the herring nets? Read below and see what you think.

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REPORT: INDUSTRIAL HERRING TRAWLERS THREATEN NEW ENGLAND’S OCEAN
New report exposes risk posed by mismanagement of large-scale fleet, proposes solutions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 21, 2008
Portland, Maine — A report released today by the Herring Alliance* exposes a threat to New England’s coastal waters that has gone largely unnoticed in recent decades: the mismanagement of the commercial Atlantic herring industry.

The report, “Out of Balance: Industrial Fishing and the Threat to Our Ocean,” details the pivotal role Atlantic herring play in the region’s ecosystem and economy, and charts the growth of the industrial-scale herring fleet that jeopardizes the health of this key resource.

Atlantic herring form the cornerstone of New England’s marine ecosystem with whales, seabirds, striped bass and tuna depending on these fish for survival. Herring also made possible the development of the region’s commercial fishing industry, providing forage for cod, haddock and other groundfish, bait for lobstermen and sardines for human consumption.

Today, the herring resource supports commercial and recreational fisheries with a value of more than a billion dollars as well as an ecotourism sector that includes whale watching, birding and boating.

But intense commercial fishing threatens these fish and all that depend upon them. Since the mid-1990s, industrial-scale midwater trawlers – ships towing fine-mesh nets as wide as a football field and five stories tall – have relentlessly fished the region’s waters. Today these industrial ships, which came to New England in the mid 1990s, catch well over 150 million pounds of herring each year, accounting for more than 80 percent of the region’s total herring catch.

“This report documents just how far the regulation of the herring fleet is lagging behind the rapid changes this fishery has undergone,” said Peter Baker, director of the Herring Alliance. “In 1990, there were no mid-water trawlers fishing these waters and now they catch well over 150 million pounds of herring each year. Yet the fishery continues to be treated as the small-scale fleet it once was.”

The report finds that in spite of the potential for midwater trawlers to capture and kill nearly all forms of sea life in their path – ranging from haddock, seals, seabirds, tuna and severely depleted river herring – these industrial-scale ships are surprisingly under-monitored.

Among the report’s findings:

• Oversight of New England’s herring trawl fleet is insufficient. Government observers have historically monitored just three percent of the region’s trips, compared with Alaska, where observers are required onboard for 30 to 100 percent of fishing trips.
• Current rules include loopholes allowing herring trawlers to dump nets loaded with non-target species- a wasteful practice which obscures the true picture of what these trawls are netting.
• The Gulf of Maine is being overburdened by herring trawlers. Its inshore waters are home to just 18 percent of the region’s total herring population but are the source of 60 percent of the herring catch.
• National Marine Fisheries Service does not adequately take into account the changing needs of predators as depleted fish stocks rebuild, which could lead to shortage of forage for important marine species such as whales, seabirds, striped bass, tuna and cod.

“With little federal oversight and almost no accountability, mid-water trawlers have operated in the shadows for too long,” said Earthjustice attorney Roger Fleming, a contributor to today’s report. “The current rules undermine efforts to protect the New England fish stocks and preserve a livelihood for future generations of fishermen.”

The report recommends such common sense reforms as:

• Ending midwater trawling within 50 miles of shore and in areas closed to groundfishermen.
• Instituting a shore-based monitoring system with real-time catch and bycatch monitoring
• Requiring 100 percent observer coverage
• Banning at-sea dumping and requiring on-board sampling of all catch including discards
• Determining the needs of herring predators and establishing a set-aside of the resource for predators

“As we work to rebuild depleted populations of ocean predators such as tuna, haddock and cod, it is imperative that we ask fishery managers to put forage first by making conservation of prey for predators the primary objective of managing forage fisheries such as the Atlantic herring fishery,” said Pam Lyons Gromen, Executive Director of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation. “The New England Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission must account for the fact that herring is a keystone species in the New England ecosystem and of great importance, not simply as food fish but as fish food, too.”

The issue has galvanized New England’s fleet of small-scale fishermen, eco-tourists, and conservationists. Last fall, the New England Fisheries Management Council received more than 10,000 public comments calling for reform of the herring fishery. And represented by the nonprofit public interest law firm Earthjustice, Maine ground fishermen are currently in federal court challenging an illegal double standard which allows mid-water trawlers to fish in areas closed to nearly all other fishermen.

Today’s report comes as the New England Fishery Management Council and the National Marine Fisheries Services is considering public input on its Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. The report is meant to educate and empower the public to participate in this input period, which runs through June 30, 2008. More information about the scoping process can be found at  http://www.nefmc.org/herring/index.html and at www.herringalliance.org.

A copy of today’s report is available at http://www.herringalliance.org/images/stories/herring_alliance_report_out_of_balance.pdf and a version complete with citations may also be downloaded from the Herring Alliance website at www.herringalliance.org.
CONTACTS:
Peter Baker, Herring Alliance, 508.641.4064
Roger Fleming, Earthjustice, 978.846.0612
Pam Lyons Gromen, National Coalition for Marine Conservation, 703.777.1961, or email Pam.