Tag Archives: fisheries regulators

Maine: The Situation with bait Herring

atlantic herringOn a local radio station recently a commentator stated that herring stocks are overfished. Overfishing has led to the current shortage of herring for lobstermen’s use as bait, he continued. His statement was incorrect. Among the many fish species that call the Gulf of Maine home, Atlantic herring are one species that is doing quite well, thank you very much. In the opaque language of fisheries regulators, “Atlantic herring stocks are not overfished and overfishing is not occurring.”  So why has herring availability become such an issue for lobstermen this summer? The migratory fish is the preferred bait for many Maine lobstermen and when there’s no herring available, lobstermen get a little testy. The problem lies not with the fish, who right now are congregating in spawning schools along the coast. The problem lies with the regulatory need to control what happens at sea, a desire that often conflicts with what is actually happening at sea. Read the story here 14:18

North Bound Fluke migration puts regulators in gear

As Summer Flounder, or fluke, migrate northward away from the past population center off North Carolina, fisheries regulators have taken the first steps toward reworking the rules to cope with industry and political pressure. <Read more here> 06:47

Out-of-season fishing research set-aside program ripe for abuse, critics say

“The perception held by many of our stakeholders has been that certain fishermen have been abusing the system by not reporting their [research set-aside] landings,” Richard B. Robins Jr., chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, wrote in a Nov. 8 letter.  Read more@newsday   2014 RSA Auction Lots, and Revised Auction Contract here @fishingunited.com  10:22