Petition to Stop Bunker boats off NJ and NY

[Gerry Zagorski]

As you know these bunker boats are restricted inside the NY and NJ state lines but they continue to sit 3 miles off and suck up millions of Bunker right off our coast. Please read and sign the petition... https://sites.google.com/view/menhaden-defenders-petition?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0mxafQi9TQq35y scB8R7G2X4eOanJNHtR8vgoZVfYLwDTWRcH3fna4o-k_aem_xG1p1onmlj71mrNVdj2-rw

[Capt. Debbie]

Should do like Maine does and let the Feds set a NJ territorial waters at 12 miles instead of 3.


As you know these bunker boats are restricted inside the NY and NJ state lines but they continue to sit 3 miles off and suck up millions of Bunker right off our coast. Please read and sign the petition... https://sites.google.com/view/menhaden-defenders-petition?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0mxafQi9TQq35y scB8R7G2X4eOanJNHtR8vgoZVfYLwDTWRcH3fna4o-k_aem_xG1p1onmlj71mrNVdj2-rw

[RU fan]

Done...thanks Gerry for posting

[BugEye Chris]

Done

[Gerry Zagorski]

Please share and encourage people to share and sign!

[Broad Bill]

Gerry thanks for posting. Omega Protein, aka Cooke Inc., has been an enormous problem on so many fronts for decades. Time for one Canadian company to no longer have a monopoly on one of our ocean's most important resources to the Mid-Atlantic States.

[132parker]

Menhaden, "Filters Of The Sea". We need them in Raritan Bay NOW. Its far more important than fertilizer. Come fishing with me Joe and see for yourself. Life jacket required !!

[BigRock44]

Done. Will forward to others. This petition is critically important. Please everyone, take a minute to sign and send. If you're fast it'll take half a minute! :)

[togzilla]

Done

[Dclark2]

[DITTO

[Papasown]

Thank you, Gerry for putting out the petition. I have not seen adult bunker in my waters near shore at the Manasquan inlet this year. I do see small pods farther off, but they are only 50'-80' across the pod.
Normally, there are peanut bunker in my creek by June 20, but I still haven't seen any yet this year......

[Broad Bill]

Thinned out bunker pods is a sure fire indication the reduction boats and spotter plans are at work. They'll kill the fishery and impact every stock dependant on them as a food source. We let the Russians destroy ground stocks in the 70's leading to the 200 mile limit and MSA, why are we allowing one Canadian owned company to destroy arguably the single most important fishery and forage source in the Mid-Atlantic and Gulf of Maine States. They need to be pushed out and better regulate the harvest, let Domestic small netters harvest that reduced quota as opposed to one foreign conglomerate, sell it to Omega Protein so they can feed their salmon farms and protect the stock. Virginia is already being paid off in a big way for harvest rights in the Chesapeake , can only imagine the palms being greased with our esteemed Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

[GDubya07]

Thanks always - Done and Done

[Gerry Zagorski]

One other way to try and solve this issue would be to move the management of Bunker/Menhaden under the Mid Atlantic Marine Fisheries Council. Their Jurisdiction extends 200 miles out from the 3 mile state lines of VA,MD,DE,PA, NY and NJ and they already manage other baitfish like squid and butterfish. This would allow decisions to be made closer to our states rather then the Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission that involves all the Atlantic States.

[hammer4reel]

Added this on a few other message boards .
Hopefully more guys are actually signing the petition than are posting that they did .

Sad recreational fisherman don’t want to even take 2 minutes to do something that’s free .

.

[reelfitter]

I watched it happen for years. Omega protein has wiped out the Chesapeake bay. No more bunker,spot,croakers,bluefish….and so on. VMRC put restrictions on them that is a joke. If I remember they cant fish on Sunday or Holidays. Its a joke.
There is only one reason they’re up here in off our coast. There is nothing left for them to the south.
They will wipe every last bunker they can get there hands on. Oh, and the nets on catch bunker. 😂😂
I signed the petition, I hope it’s not to late.

[Broad Bill]

Omega One and Virginia are doing the the same thing to the bunker stock and consequential damage to Chesapeake Bay that North Carolina and Virginia commercial netters did to the Chesapeake fluke stock. And after they wipe it out, they move to northern waters. These stocks aren't expanding, they're contracting and the powers to be blame it on spatial expansion due to global warming. What a crock of shit. It's all about the massive amounts of money associated with these fisheries going into Virginia and North Carolina's coffers as well as politicians pockets and commercial concerns. When the only people who ate fish years ago were the ones who caught their own, all these stocks flourished. As soon as the world became more healthy crazed and eating fish / sushi became fashionable, these stocks have such a price tag on their heads not one of them will survive. We don't manage salt water stocks anymore, they're used as political bargaining chips for domestic politics and resources for international horse trading like bunker with Canada.

[Tuna Tales]

Signed.

I also forwarded to my fellow Hi-Mar Striper Club members.

I will also ask to send to the JCAA.

I believe Paul Eidman started this petition - some might have an opinion of Paul (Example: Wind Farms) however my take is at least someone is trying to do something before it's too late.


Please see recent article from Big Game Journal from Karen Wall: https://biggamefishingjournal.com/editorial/

Joe T.

[dales529]

DONE of course . what recreational fisherman / women wouldn't!
To valuable a species not to protect

[TomKaye]

Done & shared with some who do not regularly visit this site.
Thanks Gerry.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Thanks for all the support here. Probably going to take more than a petition to get things done so to be continued.

[hammer4reel]

Thanks for all the support here. Probably going to take more than a petition to get things done so to be continued.

I don’t have Facebook , but saw your post on Tracey’s where JD claims nothing can be done .

What all states need to do is have the laws changed for TERRITORY waters to remain under that states control as Maine did .
3-12 miles .

Not just for bunker , but for all species .
It’s bullshit that states that have ruined their fisheries still keep high quota and allow those boats to destroy other states fisheries .

NC fluke boats shouldn’t be catching their quota from every state north of them .when local boats fishing the exact same water can catch 1/10 as much .


As far as the Omega fleet , they are constantly inside of 3 miles in long branch north to the hook .
They were 1.4 miles last week along huge schools of bunker waiting in the schools for them to move east .

They don’t care about fines .
.

.

[Gerry Zagorski]

I don’t have Facebook , but saw your post on Tracey’s where JD claims nothing can be done .

What all states need to do is have the laws changed for TERRITORY waters to remain under that states control as Maine did .
3-12 miles .

Not just for bunker , but for all species .
It’s bullshit that states that have ruined their fisheries still keep high quota and allow those boats to destroy other states fisheries .

NC fluke boats shouldn’t be catching their quota from every state north of them .when local boats fishing the exact same water can catch 1/10 as much .


As far as the Omega fleet , they are constantly inside of 3 miles in long branch north to the hook .
They were 1.4 miles last week along huge schools of bunker waiting in the schools for them to move east .

They don’t care about fines .
.

.

I spoke to JD about this and his point is in all the years he's been involved in fisheries management, nothing has ever been accomplished with petitions it's all done with working senators and congressmen and Hutch agrees..

A few other facts people need to be aware of and don't shoot the messenger
- These boats can transit inside the 3 mile line but they can't fish within it. If
you see boats close as long as they are not activity fishing it's legal
- Virginia has been given 75% of the total Menhaden/Bunker quota and
that's where Omega is and they can fish in any federal waters.

From an editorial standpoint
- Maine fishermen are very well organized and funded. It's big business for
their state and it's politicians so no surprise they got their territory pushed
out 12 miles instead of 3. Kinda sounds like the same is true in VA except
it's their interest in Bunker.
- We here in NJ no longer have a politically active group and lobbyist to
influence decisions like we used to... We can't even agree on Fluke regs
and groups that we do have are splintered and fighting against each other.
This needs to change!
- This issue is at a fever pitch every year when these boats are present off
our state waters and then once they leave things go dark. We need to keep
this and other issues white hot all the time.. It's a marathon, not a sprint!

End of rant.....

[june181901]

Signed here. I believe Maine and New Hampshire have state legislators who, because of very low pay cannot make a 'career' in elected state governments positions.

[dales529]

I spoke to JD about this and his point is in all the years he's been involved in fisheries management, nothing has ever been accomplished with petitions it's all done with working senators and congressmen and Hutch agrees..

A few other facts people need to be aware of and don't shoot the messenger
- These boats can transit inside the 3 mile line but they can't fish within it. If
you see boats close as long as they are not activity fishing it's legal
- Virginia has been given 75% of the total Menhaden/Bunker quota and
that's where Omega is and they can fish in any federal waters.

From an editorial standpoint
- Maine fishermen are very well organized and funded. It's big business for
their state and it's politicians so no surprise they got their territory pushed
out 12 miles instead of 3. Kinda sounds like the same is true in VA except
it's their interest in Bunker.
- We here in NJ no longer have a politically active group and lobbyist to
influence decisions like we used to... We can't even agree on Fluke regs
and groups that we do have are splintered and fighting against each other.
This needs to change!
- This issue is at a fever pitch every year when these boats are present off
our state waters and then once they leave things go dark. We need to keep
this and other issues white hot all the time.. It's a marathon, not a sprint!

End of rant.....

Rant both appreciated and understood. Me and you spent a lot of ,time on this and couldn't agree more with your post.

[Duffman]

Go ahead and roast me for this view…….

You think a petition is gonna stop what Omega Protein does? Really? They’ll just keep paying fines and do what they do until the bunker are completely gone. Then move onto the next resource.

[Broad Bill]

[QUOTE=Gerry Zagorski;583970]
- Maine fishermen are very well organized and funded. It's big business for
their state and it's politicians so no surprise they got their territory pushed
out 12 miles instead of 3./QUOTE]

Maine is obviously the capital of the world when it comes to lobster harvest but how is fishing in Maine as it relates to both the recreational and commercial sectors or the importance to the state as a whole any different than the importance local resources are to states like NJ, NY, Massachusetts etc.?

[Broad Bill]

Go ahead and roast me for this view…….

You think a petition is gonna stop what Omega Protein does? Really? They’ll just keep paying fines and do what they do until the bunker are completely gone. Then move onto the next resource.

Duffman, I agree. Changes are made through political channels or not at all and to do that money talks and bullshit walks. If Maine was able to introduce legislation to protect its local fisheries, what does that say about our local representatives or agencies charged with managing these resources? It's as simple as that.

[Fishfulthinkin]

Done, thanks Gerry.

[tjd24]

Done and sent to everyone in my Marina.

[Foul Hook]

DONE!

[Capt. Debbie]

Maine. Gin clear water and NO FISH. The fishing was so poor they dont even have bait shops. I stayed two weeks on Little Deer Island just south of Acadia. In a word... AWFUL!


[QUOTE=Gerry Zagorski;583970]
- Maine fishermen are very well organized and funded. It's big business for
their state and it's politicians so no surprise they got their territory pushed
out 12 miles instead of 3./QUOTE]

Maine is obviously the capital of the world when it comes to lobster harvest but how is fishing in Maine as it relates to both the recreational and commercial sectors or the importance to the state as a whole any different than the importance local resources are to states like NJ, NY, Massachusetts etc.?

[Broad Bill]

Maine. Gin clear water and NO FISH. The fishing was so poor they dont even have bait shops. I stayed two weeks on Little Deer Island just south of Acadia. In a word... AWFUL!


[QUOTE=Broad Bill;583975]

I fished Maine many times when I was younger. Old Orchard, Saco Inlet area. This was back in the 70's. Striped bass fishing from shore was off the charts good. Mostly schoolies but occasionally you'd catch a fish between the 15 and 20 lb range. It wasn't unusual to catch 20 or 30 fish using sand worms on a tide change from shore right at the base of the inlet in the Saco River. I'm sure there were bigger bass around if you targeted them.

One year, bunker poured into the area followed by the largest bluefish you'd ever seen. No one even knew what a bluefish was. If you fished the surf, you could catch all the smelt you wanted. Bait fish, especially spearing, were all over. You could catch as many mackerel from the shore as you wanted. If you chartered, cod, pollock and haddock were abundant offshore and it wasn't unusual seeing migrating blue fins pushing water on the surface on a trip as they headed to Nova Scotia. The fishing was as good as it gets which makes it very disturbing reading you're report.