FISHERMEN/Monday & Update Report

[1captainron]

Amazing all the changes I have seen in my career over the years....

Here we are in September, the Fluke should be in Ambrose Channel biting like Porgies as they make their way offshore, yet to this day I have not caught a keeper in the channel, the small fish that were prevalent and provided action are non-excitant. If you are not fishing some Rocks, a wreck, mussels or small snags, you don't stand a chance at catching anything.

Yesterday, I fished every area I have covered this season in ONE DAY!!! When I didn't see the short bite, I left to hit the next spot only to move on and on. Lack of current and drift didn't help but that's just another excuse.
Today we fished the current in the AM and it didn't make a dam difference. Ended up fishing offshore slugging away at the shorts, the Sea Bass and finally by days end a handful of keeper fluke.

Gonna give it Hell the next couple of days then we are Booked on Friday (not available)....Saturday we will begin Porgy fishing and continue bottom fishing until (Pray to God), some Striped Bass show up!

I hope the folks at NMFS are proud of themselves for totally destroying what was once an awesome business, an awesome life and a future for anyone who ever thought of doing this......God Bless America.
Capt. Ron

[Rocky]

Unlike the NMFS your heart beats on the water everyday and not behind a desk. NMFS management has put us where we are today and to get them to admit their mistakes will take a miracle.

I am praying for a miracle, but I am not counting on it happening unfortunately!

[shrimpman steve]

It is depressing. I feel for you and others like you Capt. Ron.

[FISHGERE]

so sad fishing should be a sport with a little dinner as a private boat owner the regulations are for the commercial guys, they have to be DEMOCRATS

[Togfather2530]

Captain Ron posts a very honest report. The Ambrose channel has sucked all year and it sucked last year too. All the big fish are up in Montauk and Nantucket as we all know from reading these reports. Anyone who thinks fluke fishing is good around nj and lower ny here is nuts. Sure you have a good day once in a while but let’s be real here. The bay also sucked this year for the most part. I was out today(Monday). Drifted at a decent speed all day but could not buy a bite.

[FISHGERE]

Got that all right togfather its a joke trying to fish for fluke really thinking about selling my 20 ft grady white not worth it anymore

[Belmarguy]

So is it NMFS fault that waters are just warmer and everything is moving east? Lobsters scallops all moving east blackfish sucks our way bluefish gone spring stripers almost non existent so all that is NMFS? Maybe take a new look at it instead of the same ol same old government is the problem. If you had less restrictions I promise you would still be catching sh** in the spots your not catching them in. And to catch an actual keeper fluke you need to fish rough bottom been that way for ten years now at least accept it

[Belmarguy]

So is it NMFS fault that waters are just warmer and everything is moving east? Lobsters scallops all moving east blackfish sucks our way bluefish gone spring stripers almost non existent so all that is NMFS? Maybe take a new look at it instead of the same ol same old government is the problem. If you had less restrictions I promise you would still be catching sh** in the spots your not catching them in. And to catch an actual keeper fluke you need to fish rough bottom been that way for ten years now at least accept it

Originally Posted by Belmarguy

So is it NMFS fault that waters are just warmer and everything is moving east? Lobsters scallops all moving east blackfish sucks our way bluefish gone spring stripers almost non existent so all that is NMFS? Maybe take a new look at it instead of the same ol same old government is the problem. If you had less restrictions I promise you would still be catching sh** in the spots your not catching them in. And to catch an actual keeper fluke you need to fish rough bottom been that way for ten years now at least accept it

Do yourself a favor and do your homework before making speculative posts. Explain the following. Recruitment in 2015 was approximately 30 million new fish. Spawning stock was estimated at 45,000 metric tons. In 1989, recruitment was 37 million based on a spawning stock estimated at a paltry 7,000 metric tons. Less recruits on a spawning stock six times greater.
Why? Regulations have caused a major imbalance in both age and gender composition of the biomass. The data is there for anyone to read. Catch composition in the 80's and 90's consisted of almost 90% age classes 1-2. Today it consists almost 90% of age classes 3 and up. Larger fish, more females and all sexually mature. Majority of age classes 3 years and older have not only declined in the biomass population but declined substantially. Majority of the commercial harvest occurs in the fall / winter seasons, primary spawning period of summer flounder and on observed trawls published in the 57th stock assessment dead discard rates as a percentage of total catch have been as high as 143% and there's five years in the first decade of 2000 where they averaged over 100%. A 15% assumption is used in NMFS models.

Waters are warming, can't dispute that but it doesn't explain the crash this fishery has experienced over the years. Landings are down over 75% since the 80's and still the biomass and recruitment are declining substantially. 2015 was the second lowest recruitment level on record over the last 36 years. We're harvesting the wrong size fish and it's killing the fishery. Have fished on 7 trips this year, 2 party boats, 3 for hire and 2 private boats. In total 82 fish were retained, 79 were females. Won't even get into how many shorts were released which we'll be penalized for at a rate of 35% so they can subsequently be harvested by commercials who have a 14" minimum.

Until regulations change that address catch composition and protect the spawn, this fishery will not rebound. The catastrophic impact it's having on recruitment won't allow it too.

[togzilla]

All by design!!! Regulate the hell out of the party and charter boats and if they don't close up their business then collapse the bread & butter of their fishery by forcing over harvesting of breeding classes to create a moratorium which will be the final nail in the coffin.
Sad state we are in today. Call me a conspiracy theorist but why else would NMFS knowingly cause a collapse of a fishery when all of the scientific data is staring you in the face???