Purse Seine Boats in Raritan Bay

[tjd24]

Today I saw 7 purse seine boats working just inshore of the Reach Channel West of Earle. I read bait like crazy on my machine and these guys appeared to be taking them all. They were packed together in a small area with their nets filling up with bunker. I watched one guy for several minutes and his net was pretty full.

The lack of bait in the Bay has resulted in a difficult Spring for many of us. Now, when the bait has arrived, it's quickly netted up for fertilizer & pet food.

[Jay]

When you have Party Boats cancelling their night trips due to lack of bait. Now we know why.......

[Gerry Zagorski]

They are likely to be bunker bait boats so what they catch gets used for bait for lobster traps and the like. The big reduction boats that used to do most of the damage that catch bunker for dog food or fertilizer are no longer allowed in NJ state waters.

Here is an old article I found where they were trying to restrict the number of licenses for the bunker bait boats as well... Not sure where that sits but will try and find out.

http://www.nj.com/shore/blogs/fishin...r_bait_bo.html

[hammer4reel]

Gerry I believe I saw an article last week that omega was granted a permit to fish our waters in nj again .

[Capt Sal]

Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski

They are likely to be bunker bait boats so what they catch gets used for bait for lobster traps and the like. The big reduction boats that used to do most of the damage that catch bunker for dog food or fertilizer are no longer allowed in NJ state waters.

Here is an old article I found where they were trying to restrict the number of licenses for the bunker bait boats as well... Not sure where that sits but will try and find out.

http://www.nj.com/shore/blogs/fishin...r_bait_bo.html

This is true Jerry but? They are strictly bait boats but why Raritan Bay? The answer is New York does not allow it but New Jersey does. They can't escape in the bay and the "Bait'' boats are working in tandem.We have been trying to get them out of the bay for years to no avail.When i was in the Hi mar club we got some restrictions passed as to how close to shore they can net. We need them to stay in the ocean.The Belford fleet has done enough damage to our fishery over the years.The whiting and ling have been raped by them and now the bunker.Bunker are the most important fish in the ocean.The whales are here and guess what they are eating? You bet ya good old bunker!When will the NJdiv. of Fish And Game do someting about this? When will the new jersey politicians that say"we have your back'' do someting about this?It would really our fishery from stripers to blues weakfish and fluke not to mention peanuts bunker in the fall.No bait no fish is not that hard to understand.

[Abrasion]

All bunker boats should be banned from bays and harbors.

[Detour66]

Not good! They should not be allowed to harvest any fish in the bay and I am sure they are getting more than bunker in them nets. Saw them years back working off of Keansburg with a spotter plane. It just got me angry! I wish there was a way to stop this!

[fin_s_guy]

Originally Posted by hammer4reel

Gerry I believe I saw an article last week that omega was granted a permit to fish our waters in nj again .

Correct.

[reason162]

Originally Posted by hammer4reel

Gerry I believe I saw an article last week that omega was granted a permit to fish our waters in nj again .

Not surprising under the current deregulation era. Absolute shame that big $$$ gets to harvest a main forage species that every game fish depend on.

[Gerry Zagorski]

So apparently back in 2011, fisheries management got involved in the bunker bait harvesting situation. In 2012 they got a 25% quota reduction.

Seems that there was also some sort of handshake agreement between recs and commercials in the Manasquan area to lay off the bunker during the spring Striper run. I remember being in the Point Pleasant beach area one summer and watching them off load bunker onto 2 semi trucks that were stacked 2 Boner boxes high and 2 boxes wide. Apparently that load was headed to Maine for lobster bait.

That would really suck if Omega got approval to fish in our state waters again. One of these reduction boats can do way more harm then several bait boats.