Cormorants

[Joey Dah Fish]

Originally Posted by Boston Pete

But Joey, if that is correct (6lbs. of fish) that is alot of baby fluke/blackfish. 20 years ago I don't remember seeing them around.

According to reports fluke fishing is way down, with reports like this from the partyboat capts. ----"some had 3 fish and almost everyone went home with a fish for dinner"...... this is a good day on the water.

When I 1st moved here I used to fish a 1/2 day boat and would always come home with at least 3-4 keepers and would limit a few times -8 fish.

The back of Raritan used to be loaded with fluke, now you can do a 20 min. drift without a bite or a short.

I'm not saying these birds are the cause of the decline but they definitely are hurting the stocks.

I've been wrong before just my opinion. I think it's the regs that are the problem though

[Jersey Charlie]

They are protected, on the no shoot list. Until F&G changes that, they will grow in greater numbers.

[Jarhead]

Cormorants fish by sight. I'm pretty sure they're taking fish near the surface that are easy, plentiful and they can see (like bunker), not the bottom dwelling fish that they can't see.

[captmark]

Maine and Mass has opened up Commarandt hunting since they know what they are doing to their fish population, maybe one day NJ will wake up and at least open a partial season to knock down the population

Originally Posted by AWD3

Cormorants fish by sight. I'm pretty sure they're taking fish near the surface that are easy, plentiful and they can see (like bunker), not the bottom dwelling fish that they can't see.

With all due respect you couldn't be more wrong. Cormorants do I guess fish by sight but they take many fish from the bottom, maybe even more than from the top of the water column. I've seen quite a few flounder, small to fairly large, become their dinner in shark river this spring and have seen many small black fish be swallowed on the surface in 30 to 40 ft of water. I've never seen them with a bunker, it actually seems like they prey more on bottom dwellers than fish higher up in the water column. Either way, they HAVE to be having a negative impact on fluke, flounder, blackfish etc.

[Capt Joe]

Originally Posted by AWD3

Cormorants fish by sight. I'm pretty sure they're taking fish near the surface that are easy, plentiful and they can see (like bunker), not the bottom dwelling fish that they can't see.

Incorrect!

[Jarhead]

I may be wrong... it's happened before

[NJ219bands]

www.thestate.com/news/local/article13846073.html

[Duffman]

Wonder what they taste like?....and don't say chicken!!!

[Boston Pete]

Thank you NJ210bands, that's a great read and pretty head shaking. Definitely worth the read.

A few things I found surprising ::
496 hunters killed 11,653 cormorants in a month on 2 lakes.
A study revealed average cormorant had 8 fish in it's belly.
2008 there were an estimate of 6000 cormorants in recent years it's ballooned to 25,000.