Sea Bass Closing ??

[Detour66]

Some clarification is needed on my part on the newly impossed Sea Bass rules.

Is the season closed altogether or are you still allowed to fish for them inshore 3 miles or less?

Thanks

Ken

[TurboDan]

Fishing inshore (less than 3 mi) is still allowed.

[MVP]

Ken

You can still fish inside the 3 mile zone after 10/5. Was out sunday and filled the box. Plenty of options for you out of Atlantic Highlands. Once the water gets colder they will move out of range so get on them while you still can.

We also jigged a few false Albacore right around the point of the hook. Fish were loaded with sand eels. They responded best to deadly dick jig. Made for great bait for seabass.

Catch them up

MVP

[Gerry Zagorski]

One thing you need to be careful of..... You don't want to fish inside 3 miles, keep some Seabass and then go outside of 3 miles.... If you have Seabass in your possession outside of 3 miles and you get boarded you are in violation.

[1captainron]

Also, if you possess a FEDERAL permit, you can not keep Sea Bass ANY WHERE, state or federal waters! Another crock of crap!!

[In Pursuit]

Also, if you possess a FEDERAL permit, you can not keep Sea Bass ANY WHERE, state or federal waters! Another crock of crap!!
Capt Ron, as I understand it, you can abondon your permit correct? If so how do you do that? And what did the permit cost as I am guessing that the fee wouldn't be returned.

[1captainron]

Fee's do not get returned, especially from the Gov. It's not like, I'll give this up today, then get it back after the first of the year. I gave up the fed permits years ago when all the report data was basically not used and put in boxes in a storage shed!!
Now, if I try and get an RSA permit, I'm screwed!!
They got you coming and going. Talk about a rogue agency with no other adjenda but...because we can!!!
So, do the few Party boats who still have the Fed permits give them up to survive the fall or do they keep them and hope to get the RSA permits for Fluke and whatever else comes into play in the future? How would you like to be put in this situation? Right now you have a 50/50 shot at survival if you make the right move...but we don't know what that is....All's I ever wanted to be was a Fisherman, simple, proud way of life, now what??? Capt. Ron

[Detour66]

Thanks for the info guys....

Ken

[Capt Joe]

I could be wrong(not likely) but if you have a Fed permit you cancel Seabass not the entire permit(thats what the dear ladies at NMFS told me)makes sense why would I cancel Bluefish from permit to fish for Seabass

[earl]

Try to add seabass back onto a permit the following year. it would be like putting in a claim on your homeowners insurance and think that you wont get dropped upon renewal.

[CaptTB]

Try to add seabass back onto a permit the following year. it would be like putting in a claim on your homeowners insurance and think that you wont get dropped upon renewal.

At least to date, that is not true. Many many boats dropped Fluke years ago when we had different regs in the EEZ vs. State waters.

Many boats did it again with scup just a few years back when a similar situation happened.

Each time you added it back on the same way you renew your permit every year. When it is renewed each year you add or subtract endorsements as needed, there is no charge or fee.

That is not to say NMFS will continue to do it that way, let's face it they can do whatever they please, but as of now that is exactly how it works (I should know, we've done it 3 times in the past ten years or so)

[TurboDan]

Tony,

Just out of curiosity, what does a federal permit allow a party boat to do that they wouldn't be able to do otherwise with a species such as sea bass, for example?

[Capt Joe]

correct, you can add open access(certain fish) back on your permit even between renewals, never had a problem before....should I say YET!

[CaptTB]

Tony,
Just out of curiosity, what does a federal permit allow a party boat to do that they wouldn't be able to do otherwise with a species such as sea bass, for example?
Fish for that species outside of three miles.

Without a federal fisheries permit no party or charter vessel is allowed to fish in federal waters for federally managed species.
correct, you can add open access(certain fish) back on your permit even between renewals, never had a problem before....should I say YET!
Joe is correct. Sea Bass is currently an open access fishery (meaning there is no limit to the number of party/charter permits that can be issued) and as has been the case in the past with Fluke and Scup, they can be added or dropped from your permit as needed.

By the way, I faxed my letter requesting the Sea Bass endorsement be dropped for one of our boats Friday afternoon. The girl asked me when she called me back if it was a problem if she processed it first thing Monday morning and I said no (they are very helpful at the permit office)

My request was processed Monday morning and I received in the mail today, Wednesday, the new permit for the vessel without the Sea Bass endorsement. By the way, even though the permit was received in the mail today the endorsement was removed immediately, meaning anyone questioning the permit can do a simple look up on-line and see that there is no sea bass endorsement (I did)

[seaweed]

We should call the marine police over to our boat and make out a report that the fish in possition are legal and would like to utilize federal waters now. Mark them for me or document them