I know that some of you will post in witness to this as you were out fishing today, but I'm off of work now and the sight is still etched in my mind.

I was working in a house back in Croatan today. I got a couple of calls from guys telling me the fish were biting at Cape Henry, so I called a couple others I knew were out. All morning I could hear the buzz of a plane circling over head. Then I could see birds beehiving through the houses. I called Owen to let him know. Later in the afternoon I finally saw the plane...to my surprise it was 3 planes, all painted the same doing circles right in front of Croatan. I finished work and went to the beach to hopefully see the fleet cacthing stripers left and right. Instead, my jaw dropped and my stomach turned at the sight of 3 big trawlers(like small Navy ships) and several smaller net boats not even a mile off the beach. Nets in circles being drawn together with tons of menhaden, and I'm sure some striper bycatch, swirling around. It was unbelieveable and a truly sad thing to see.

I understand that these guys, the ones actcually running the boats, not the white collar guys in Texas, have families to raise and such, but come on! 3 freaking planes flying around and 3 gigantic trawlers AND the half dozen smaller netters!!This is way beyond comprehension. The fact that Omega 3, now the Cod Liver Omega 3 Foundation(makes it sound like they're out to help the world!!) continues to do this, and our state allows it, is outrageous. When will they see what the effects of their raping of the baitfish will have on the rest of the bay's ecology?!?!All for a pill filled with the "Fountain of Youth"!!

You want to catch these baitfish for this pill, then do it on a level playing field. Cut corporate costs by not having the spotter planes, net out side the 3 mile line so the recreational boats have a shot at catching fish(not in stones throw from the inlet!) These guys don't see the big picture...they're too focused on whats right in front of them, but if you catch all the fish today, you'll be sitting on the docks tomorrow and the white collar bunch will be on to there next venture counting their millions!

Best solution...if people want Omega 3 protein in their diet, tell them to eat fish!! Oh! but you can't eat fish because the bay is polluted, well we can't clean the bay becasue all the natural filter fish...MENHADEN..are gone!!

I'm done!!

I had no idea that was even going on! You've really educated me on that!
THATS NOT RIGHT!

I was out there today and I saw it first hand. There were at least six of the trawlers out off Cape Henry today. Sad sight seeing all that fish being thrown into the hold.

Good rant Don!!! You're right on all counts. I got home about 4:00 this afternoon and watched them from the deck back up north of Dam Neck. Those Haney boats are monsters, but they've been there for years, so have the spotter planes. The ASMFC did cap their catch earlier this year. They can catch no more than they did last year, 109,000 metric tons. Problem is last year's catch was the biggest ever, and may not be sustainable by the fishery. I would have less of a problem with it if they were catching for human consumption, not for fertilizer and lipstick. My answer: Viagra for Bunker. We'll just get those little puppies humming along making little striper baits by the billions! Omega 3 fills their quota every year, bunker end up filtering the entire contents of the bay every 6 minutes and all stripers are 50" and plumb. Everyone wins! I'll be collecting monitary donations at the meet and greet tonight!

NUFF SAID!!!!

Marlin Maniac your a genius

Earlier this year, we were all given an opportunity to write to our state representatives and the governor about our concern over this situation. There just didn't seem to be enough interest at the time for many to take the time to write. Now we have to put up with this situation for another five years while a study takes place--a study pretty much controlled by Omega Protein, by the way. Enough said!

You can Buy the viagra from some of these dumb ads that get on this site and Dons picture site.

Ban Ad's and commerial Menhaden boats.

The probelm is that the majority are either 1) totally uniformed (maybe they want to be) or 2) nobody cares because theydon't think it affects them.

Now here's a very active group and Virginia needs more like these guys. They got the netting of menhaden out of their bays and I think out of their portion of the ocean, too.

So if a group like this can do it in NJ why can't it be done here? Because to be honest I don't think the majority cares................

[quote=Sandtiger,Dec 15 2006, 07:58 PM][quote=Getaway,Dec 15 2006, 06:44 PM]Earlier this year, we were all given an opportunity to write to our state representatives and the governor about our concern over this situation.  There just didn't seem to be enough interest at the time for many to take the time to write.  Now we have to put up with this situation for another five years while a study takes place--a study pretty much controlled by Omega Protein, by the way.  Enough said!
[/quote]
The probelm is that the majority are either 1) totally uniformed (maybe they want to be) or 2) nobody cares because theydon't think it affects them.

Now here's a very active group and Virginia needs more like these guys. They got the netting of menhaden out of their bays and I think out of their portion of the ocean, too.

So if a group like this can do it in NJ why can't it be done here? Because to be honest I don't think the majority cares................

[/quote]


What they do is total bull-chit

Well for starters, now that allen has been given the boot perhaps the commission which oversees this the fisheries will have a less corporate makeup.

It looks like a floating assembly line ,they are obviously trying to get as much as they can before this year ends.This week they had 4 spotter planes and about 8 trawlers.They know the Sport fishing industry lobbies against them thats another reason they are right in the middle of Striper season.They are going to really piss enough people off this year you watch they are doing their selves in this time.I cant stand to see tha carnage going on out there it really makes me want to get more involved.I am going to make a few calls to some people I know who have the ability to hinder their efforts.

We are peed off? How do we think the stripers like it?

I agree with everyone, we were out their today and it was a terrable feeling seeing
all the trawlers and net boats just raping our fishery for stuff of no real importance
and so close to shore. One trawler was right off Rudee.
You just know their nets had to contain masive amounts of Rockfish.

Forgot to put the link in my post above. So, here's a link to a group of recreational fishermen that actually get very involved. VA fishermen should do the same.........

Menhaden Project:

http://www.jcaa.org/PPT/Menhaden/sld001.htm

It's time something be done about this. There needs to be a complete moratorium of this outragious menhaden slaughter. The bay will continue to suffer unless something is done.

The difference between New Jersey and Virginia is when Big Business buys a Virginia Congressman, he stays bought. Regardless of what the people want. Menahden is the only fishery in the state that is regulated directly by the state legislature, not the Marine Fisheries Department. So politics rule the roost, not science. I cut the following from the Menhaden Matter website:

ACTION NEEDED BY VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE
In Virginia, menhaden is the only marine fishery
managed by the legislature, rather than by
fishery experts at the state’s own Marine
Resources Commission. Thus, in order for
Virginia to comply with the harvest cap, the
legislature must adopt a policy that implements
the catch limits as mandated by the ASMFC.
POTENTIAL CLOSURE OF VIRGINIA’S ENTIRE
MENHADEN FISHERY
The U.S. Secretary of Commerce, through the
National Marine Fisheries Service, has the
authority to shut down the entire fishery in
state waters if a state fails to implement the
required provisions of an ASMFC fisheries
management plan. The closure could affect
Virginia’s entire menhaden fishery — the larger
industrial scale fishery, as well as the smaller
bait fishery. The financial ramifications of such
an action would be devastating with significant
loss of jobs and revenue.
FOR MORE INFORMATION WHY MENHADEN MATTER
TO VIRGINIA
• National Coalition for Marine Conservation,
Ken Hinman (703) 777-0037
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Jeff Corbin
(804) 780-1392
• Coastal Conservation Association, Dick
Brame (910) 793-3098
• Environmental Defense, Kathleen Goldstein
(202) 572-3243
www.menhadenmatter.org
THE
SCIENCE
The total stock of Atlantic menhaden has declined, in terms
of numbers of fish in the population, to levels approaching the
overfished condition of the 1960s and 1970s. Atlantic Menhaden
Stock Assessment for Peer Review, ASMFC Stock Assessment Report
No. 04-01 (Supplemental). ASMFC 2004.
Menhaden abundance is lowest in Chesapeake Bay, particularly
for juvenile fish. Since the mid-1990s, the number of juvenile fish
(age 0-2) has reached historic lows.” Analyses on the Status of the
Atlantic Menhaden Stock. Vaughn et al. NOAA Fisheries, July 2002.
Terms of Reference & Advisory Report for the Atlantic Menhaden
Stock Assessment Peer Review. ASMFC 2004.
The amount of menhaden consumed by striped bass, as a
proportion of their total diet, is significantly reduced. Striped Bass
Predator-Prey Interactions in the Chesapeake Bay and Along the
Atlantic Coast. Anthony Overton, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of
Maryland Eastern Shore, 2003.
Chesapeake Bay striped bass have 10 to 25 percent of the
body fat found in healthy fish. Striped Bass Health. John Jacobs.
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Studies.
<http://www.dnr-state.md.us/fisheries/oxford/stripedbass/>
A majority of striped bass in Chesapeake Bay – 50 to 70
percent – are infected with a stress-released disease known as
mycobacteriosis. Mycobacteriosis in Striped Bass. U.S. Geological
Survey Fish Health Branch, Leetown Science Center. Fact Sheet FHB
2002-01. August 2002.
In recent years, there has been an increase in natural mortality
among Chesapeake Bay striped bass due to unknown causes.
Tag-Recapture Data from Chesapeake Bay Resident Striped Bass
Indicates that Survival has Declined. Presented at the 60th Annual
Northeast Fish and Wildlife Conference, Ocean City, Maryland,
April 27, 2004. to Virginia MENHADEN MATTER

It is significant to note that the Virginia Legislature refused to implement a cap on Menhaden, and the Fed (ASMFC) stepped in and capped the catch. And EVERY MEMBER OF THE COMITTEE THAT REFUSED TO CAP THE CATCH HAD RECIEVED CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OMEGA 3. EVERY SINGLE ONE. If you want to end the menhaden slaughter, write your state representatives and use your right to vote. Boot the bastards out. But that's my opinion, I could be wrong.

Someone might want to take some video of these guys in action off our coast and send a copy to the news media and see if they are interested in making a story of this topic. Pictures really work much better and especially if its off our own coast. Another place to send it to is Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Well if anyone knows who to write to post it and we can start getting some appropriate harrassment going.

Does anyone know if we, recreational fishermen, have to get out of the way of these netters if we are not in a shipping channel? While fishing yesterday right off the light houses at CH, I heard the big Omega boats laying on their horns to get recreational boats to move. As far I know that was not a channel and if it was I don't think they would be allowed to fish it.

ANother website to check out:

http://www.menhadenmatter.org/

We've got enough boats as recreational guys...lets form a blockade. We can't block the channels but we can make it hard enough for them to get around us giving time for the bait to get away...making a longer run for the trawlers thus more gas=more expense!!

Time to let the pirates in us all come to the surface!!!

If the Trawlers are pulling Net it is a vessel with restricted manuverability and they have the right of way But that doesent change the fact that they are catching the Stripers forrage fish at an alarming rate.They also cant jump out in front af a boat and drop a net either.I bet if enough people report their actions to the Coast Gard they will have to do something about it.Dont worry they will be gone soon because there arent enough Menhaden to support 8 Trawlers being guided by 4 spotter planes.

I was out there yesterday and saw it first hand. Until I saw it going on I did not realize how bad it really is. Those trawlers looked like old war ships out there. I saw the planes also. With all those planes and boats they had to be harvesting alot of menhaden just to cover there expenses. How can our stste allow this?
GIL

I like how you think. Break out the Potatoe guns!

DO SOMETHING USEFUL
If you're really interested in seeing something done about the Bay and it's fisheries(besides viewing with alarm, which accomplishes little), do two things:
(1) Join the Coastal Conservation Assn www.joincca.org
(2) Join the Chesapeake Bay Foundation www.cbf.org or become a Boater for the Bay www.cbf.org/boater
Then you can become part of an organization which is working on these problems.
Otherwise, we get what we deserve.

I think we should band all comercial netting in virginia, look how the florida fisheries have rebounded since they have quit netting comercialy.

It continues!! I went down there today to see 9 trawlers. This time armed with camera and video recorder. These guys were netting in the inlet between the red and green cans and the Red/white c-bouy that marks the end of the channel...clearly hindering navigation. Copies of video will be sent out!! Coasties were notified...I spoke with Lt Clark of CG Group Hampton Roads and he said he'd look into it since they were in the channel.

Seems like I've heard this before............... many times over and from recreational fishermen. I go to some of the meetings (fin fish, menhaden, and such) and the only club (besides CCA) that has a good attendance on a halfway regular basis is the PSWSFA. I hardly ever see anyone from the other "saltwater" clubs in the area, but I have seen a large representation from the commercial side; and I don't blame them as they are trying to protect their business interests regardless at whose expense. One night I think the all the captains from the Omega fleet and their families showed up at a meeting with only about 14 recreationals and most of them were from ........... yup, the PSWSFA.

So it will go on and on until the recreational fishermen as a group get fed up with the whole mess enough that they finally rally around the cause and try to do something about it and present themselves as the very large united front they could be.

Unfortunately, it will probably be too late.

Nice work with the camera. Make sure you send a copy to all the media, send one to Richmond 12 on your side. It might open some eyes around richmond.

They really need to be banned... hopefully people will start to see the damage that they cause and it will be outlawed.

Nice pics!!! Hopefully this will come to an end soon! Today as I was out at Cape Henry 12/18/06 I counted 9 of the trawlers, made me sick! It needs to stop SOON!
1st Mate
-Chris

If we anchor off, its 30-50' there, we are not vessals underway and do not have to yield to them.

Greed has no place on God's ocean!
Dave

Dont forget the fact that Omega is not owned by Virginians and the profits they make are not spent in Virginia either. The tiny amouts they pay the Captains and crew are the only revenues spent in Va.The rest of the money goes to banks in La.

\


Well Said Don!!! I think the leaders no whave a plan to fix the problems /// first step wait untill its to late. BE SURE TO VOTE

Pretty work with the camera Don. I think this is a great opportunity for Dam Neck to get some practice in with their big beach guns.

I posed the question about whether if it would be legal for the City of VB to enact an ordinance to prohibit purse seine netting w/in 3 NM of their shores on the "other" fishing board (w/in their bunker debate), but didn't get a response.

So again, I pose the question.

My reasoning is the City successfully enacted legislation prohibiting shark fishing w/in a quarter-mile of the beach (a knee jerk reaction nonetheless following the Dam Neck shark attacks several years ago).

If such city-based action turned out to be legal, it wouldn't be hard for other cities along the Bay to jump onboard the wagon and strangle Omega.

[quote=Sandtiger,Dec 18 2006, 06:58 PM][quote=Captain Nick,Dec 18 2006, 01:10 PM]I think we should band all comercial netting in virginia, look how the florida fisheries have rebounded since they have quit netting comercialy.
[/quote]
Seems like I've heard this before............... many times over and from recreational fishermen. I go to some of the meetings (fin fish, menhaden, and such) and the only club (besides CCA) that has a good attendance on a halfway regular basis is the PSWSFA. I hardly ever see anyone from the other "saltwater" clubs in the area, but I have seen a large representation from the commercial side; and I don't blame them as they are trying to protect their business interests regardless at whose expense. One night I think the all the captains from the Omega fleet and their families showed up at a meeting with only about 14 recreationals and most of them were from ........... yup, the PSWSFA.

So it will go on and on until the recreational fishermen as a group get fed up with the whole mess enough that they finally rally around the cause and try to do something about it and present themselves as the very large united front they could be.

Unfortunately, it will probably be too late.

[/quote]

What "meetings" are you talking about and where can we go to find out when and where? One of the problems is that these "meetings" are probably not very well publicized. Maybe we can invade one, M&G style , so we at least have some input.

--Brett

I was out on the 13th at CH. The radio was alive with how much bait was at Ch. There were about 60 recreational boats there and we were not having great sucess but not bad either. A call came over 68 that the big rocks were at the Ramada ripe for the picking. The quote was "get here and there are more 35 to 40 inch fish than you want" .
After three or four of these reports about half the boats left in search of the rocks off the Ramada. About 10 min later here came the menhaden boats right into the middle of the recreational fleet at CH. Basically bullying the rest of us out of the way.
I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I think maybe the menhaden boats were putting out a false report trying to clear the CH area for their harvest?
I really like the idea of getting the City of VB council involved. We have to protect our recreation, enviroment and our tourist industry. As far as I know, none of the menhaden fishing money comes to the beach. While allmost all of the recreational fishing money is spent here.

Like knot to fast was saying what meetings are you talking about because i never hear anything about them and would jump on the chance to get in on one. Where do they usually publicize them so i could keep a look out on when and where?

Omega has a processing factory in Reedville, Virginia. The boats and spotter planes are a common site in that area of the bay. They will fish an area until there are not enough menhaden left to justify the effort. In other words, they work the fish until they are gone. Its just a business to them.

Has anyone notified any other fishing boards so that they too can help?

Having nothing else better to do at work, I drafted up an email to City Council (Mayor CC'd) asking for consideration of a ordnance banning purse seine fishing within the city's ocean waters out to three nautical miles. The bulk of the email is below, with exclusion of a few reports/documents detailing facts and figures.

I don't anticipate much reaction from City Council, however maybe one of the freshmen members will see this as an approachable issue - which would probably generate constituency support for reelection purposes.

Hopefully my opinion and facts were close to target...

-------------------------
Council Members,

I am asking the Council to consider adopting a proposed ordinance to ban purse seine fishing in select portions of ocean waters bordering our city.

As many of you are probably aware, the issue of localized stock depletion of menhaden has been a hot topic for many years between numerous conservation groups (none of which I am a member of - therefore solely representative of my own opinion), and industry representatives (e.g. Omega Protein, based in Reedville, VA). Even with the current curtailed season (six months) and recently enacted harvest limits (Code of Virginia § 28.2-408.1), scientific evidence strongly suggests purse seine harvesting of menhaden is detrimental to the species, apex predators (fish as well as birds), and the surrounding marine environment.
The attached report, "Menhaden Math: The Economic Impact of Atlantic Menhaden on Virginia's Recreational and Commercial Fisheries," details facts and figures regarding the impact of menhaden to the local and regional economy. As you can see, saltwater sportfishing provides a tremendous influx of revenue for the city and the flourishment of menhaden is key to sustainment of this fiscal resource.

Additional data can be gleamed from a PBS documentary aired this past summer regarding the importance of menhaden to the marine environment (see below).
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/229/index.html

The attached pictures demonstrate the purse seine fleet conducting operations within the navigable channel directly outside Rudee Inlet only a couple days ago (Dec 17). Such operations are routine this time of year (between Thanksgiving and Christmas) when the purse seine fleet concentrates operations locally at season's end (which secures on the last Friday before Christmas annually).

Such purse seine operations are detrimental not only to the menhaden but the local sportfishing industry. Striped bass are migratory and traditionally move south from the North Atlantic states in late fall toward the warmer waters off the Carolinas. Virginia Beach is perched directly within this migration route and provides sportfisherman ample access to these fish. Resultantly, fishing for striped bass has become a boom to the local economy. The one major item besides water temperature that controls how long striped bass stay in the local area is forage food (e.g. menhaden). Aside from these issues, dozens of birds (gannets, pelicans, seagulls) become the unfortunate purse seine by-catch daily after being caught in nets (dying from drowning or suffocation) being hauled in. Many a fisherman will tell you of mysterious trails of hundreds of dead birds appearing early in the morning in areas frequented by purse seine fleets the previous evening (often times correlative to the path of the fleet returning to Reedville).

Ask any charter captain at Rudee Inlet what sort of relationship striped bass fishing and menhaden has on their bottom line. All of them will tell you there is a direct correlation between their own success chartering vs. the abundance of forage. Clients come from all over the Eastern seaboard, spending millions of dollars annually, to fish out of Virginia Beach. When the menhaden schools are swarming, fishing is outstanding, clients are happy, charter captains can make a living, and the local economy receives a good portion of those proceeds through local business revenues (hotels, restaurants, etc.). When the purse seine fleet comes through and harvests these very schools of menhaden, fishing immediately declines (often for several days). It would be one thing if such fleet fishing only occurred occasionally, but these harvesters are off our shores on a daily basis during the height of the season. Given enough sustained harvesting pressure, menhaden stocks become locally depleted and resultant schools of forage and predators begin to routinely bypass the Virginia Beach area en route to warmer southern waters. Should such factors as sustained harvest pressure, sustained cold weather, etc. coalesce over a period of weeks, the sportfishing industry becomes adversely affected - directly impacting the city's economy.

What I am proposing to City Council is to consider enacting an ordinance from Thanksgiving to Christmas (annually) which would ban purse seine fishing operations within the ocean waters legally declarable/enforceable under city jurisdiction - preferably three nautical miles into the Economic Exclusion Zone. It is my understanding that the city successfully lobbied for and enacted a ban on shark fishing following the shark attacks several years ago - so the precedence exists for similar bans related to fishing in order to afford protection to a given entity.

Such an ordinance is reasonable, given its short duration and the small size of the prohibited area, however its positive impact would be profound in terms of resource protection and increased local revenues. Prohibition of purse seine fishing would not affect the commercial harvest of seafood locally, as the type of equipment/capture methods are different.

Your time and consideration in this matter is appreciated. Please reply with comments.

Respectfully,

Erik Wagner
VB, Bayside District

Nice letter. Maybe it will get someone attention.

Don, the pics are great evidence. I think this would be a great opportunity for Dam Neck to get some live fire practice with their big beach guns!!

Erik(wag)...great letter!! Please feel free to send those pics with it. I also have a video showing how close they were and how it affected inlet traffic. I'd be more than happy to make a copy and send it with your letter.

I finally got out to see this profound raping of our resources yesterday. The Captain of one of those trawlers decided he needed to maintain a course not more than 150' from me. I think everyone here is 100% correct in wanting to do somehting about this problem.... Wag has a very coercive argument I feel we need to find a way to support. A petition of some kind from all Sportfisherman would probably help convince our local politicians to take actions to ensure our economy is not effected by such unreasonable depletion of Menhaden of our local waterfront. My two cents anyway.....

The Omega Boyz Grease some palms up in Richmond and probably D.C. we need to show them how much money is spent by Recreational / Charter fishing.

Wag, the letter is great, but the city has no juristiction. They banned shark fishing from the beach, ie you are standing on their beach. The state has juristiction out to three miles and the state legislature handles menhaden fishing. That's where your letter needs to go.

Don, make sure your video has a date on it or else it cannot be credited if you send it in.

Congressman Randy Forbes was my old Basketball coach. I wrote him a email telling him about what was going on. he responded with this email. I don't know if it means anything but its a start.

December 20, 2006

Mr. Jeff Brown
1422 Philmont Avenue
Chesapeake, Virginia 23325-3718

Dear Friend:

Thank you for contacting me to express your support for a limit on the
commercial fishing of menhaden. I appreciate your taking the time to
share your thoughts on this matter with me. It is always good to hear
from my former basketball pupils.

As you may know, the harvest of menhaden has become increasingly
concentrated within the Chesapeake Bay. Since 1997, approximately 58%
of
the entire East Coast catch (by weight; nearly 70% by numbers of fish)
has
been harvested in the Chesapeake Bay.

I support common sense policies that promote our nation's environmental
health and maintain our country's economic health. Like you, I want
future generations to enjoy the bountiful natural resources of our
nation
as well as the benefits of strong and stable economic growth. Please
be
assured that should I have the opportunity to consider legislation that
would impose a limit on the commercial fishing of menhaden, I will
certainly keep in mind the points you have brought to my attention.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. As your
Representative in Congress, I appreciate your input in this matter. As
always, if I may be of assistance to you on this, or any other issue,
please feel free to contact me in my Washington DC office at (202)
225-6365 or online at www.house.gov/forbes.


With kind personal regards, I am

Yours truly,



J. RANDY FORBES
Member of Congress
JRF:ACM

Plan on a trip there tomorrow, but it sounds like we may have to alter plans if the place was raped.What has the bite at CH been like today ? Can anybody give us a report from today?