Dogfish Problems???

[FishBlueWater]

Fishermen Organized for Responsible Dogfish Management, an ad hoc group
of recreational, commercial and party/charter fishing and allied
organizations and businesses, will be sending the attached letter to
NOAA Administrator Lubchenco asking for her help in a situation which is
becoming increasingly critical to fishermen from the Carolinas to Maine.

If you are in an organization whose members are being adversely affected
by dogfish or a business that is similarly affected, please take a few
minutes to fill out the form at
http://fs16.formsite.com/NilsStolpe/...342/index.html, indicating
that you will sign onto the letter. We are aiming to have the sign-on
process completed, and to transmit the letter to Dr. Lubchenco, by next
Wednesday.

If you know anyone who you think would be interested, please forward
this email to them

For more dogfish information, visit the website for the Dogfish Forum
that was held in Philadelphia last September
(http://www.fishnet-usa.com/dogforum1.htm).

Thank you for your attention,
Nils Stolpe

[Big Fish Billy]

I thought I heard there was going to be a season in July and a market for dogfish (the English). I forget what I heard the daily quota was going to be, but guys up here are figuring a two week season for the first year.

[CGMate]

they've really put a hurting on the sea bass populations here. we fished wrecks one day last week and it seemed like every bass we caught had ten dogs behind it. a good portion of our bass had no tails.

[FishBlueWater]

I thought I heard there was going to be a season in July and a market for dogfish (the English). I forget what I heard the daily quota was going to be, but guys up here are figuring a two week season for the first year.

That is what they are trying to do. It is still in the works and we need everyone to get behind this so that they will re open the fishery.

[Bite Me]

I've heard for years about an English market for these vermin.

The original fish and chips blah, blah, blah.

Has anyone ever eaten one of these?

[Deep C]

Yeah they are vermin. Yeah they are fish and chips... The high reproduction age (fecundity), gestation period, etc are a bunch of crap. They make sure groundfish wiped from an area can't come back because they eat far too much biomass. The problem extends past just those ground fish to larger species that prey on them. Most specifically the giant bluefins...
The dogfish is fairly good eating and I would love nothing more to send every last one we can vacuum up sent to europe... Get the groundfish back and maybe we could get some of that Bluefin population to stick on this side instead of moving to where they find food and unfortuantely those big nets and holding pens...

The proliferation directly impacts all kinds of species from sea bass as mentioned, through the hakes, cods, scrods, flounders, whitings, striped bass, etc. all the way up through the tunas, pelagic sharks, inshore sharks. Killem all...

[SeaBiscuit]

A very worth while petition. I gladly signed on. Dogfish are good for nothing, other than a fair fish & chips dinner.

Now brother Deep your statement below:

Get the groundfish back and maybe we could get some of that Bluefin population to stick on this side instead of moving to where they find food and unfortuantely those big nets and holding pens...

suggests, I believe, that the bluefins go to the Med because forage is more abundant there. That, would be scientifically inaccurate. The unchecked commercial abuse of marine resources in the Med has rendered that sea practically dead, especially when ground fish are considered. I believe that bluefins have historically (and continuing to this day) fed in waters cooler and richer than the Med only so that they can build up their strength to travel there (or the gulf of Mexico) for spawning. Unfortunately the instinct to breed is stronger than that of self preservation for these magnificent fish thus guaranteeing their eventual demise.

SeaBiscuit

[FishBlueWater]

This is the from the Garden State Seafood Association

Folks -

The dogfish issue is offering us a rare opportunity to demonstrate how out-of-touch fisheries management is with what's going on in the oceans, and it's particularly so because it is having an impact on just about every fisherman, and every finfish fishery, in the Northeast. In spite of this, and in spite of the fact that signing on to a letter to Jane Lubchenco addressing this issue takes perhaps a minute and a half of typing and two or three mouse clicks, less than 300 people in total - and less than 100 of them from the commercial fishing side - have bothered. At this point we're looking at submitting a letter this week at a supposedly massively important issue, both to the fishermen directly impacted by spiny dogfish and other fisherman impacted by the same misguided Magnuson amendments, with at a stretch only 1% of them willing to bother to jump aboard - and the antis can and probably (if they think our attempt is important enough, and at this point why would they?) will generate thousands of opposing email responses overnight.

So please make the investment of time and effort to sign on - and to get a few of your customers, clients, suppliers, colleagues to do so as well. You don't have to write a letter, you don't have to make a phone call, you don't have to send an email, and you won't be offending anyone other than the organizations and people who want most of us out of business and off the water.

Nils

Click here and fill out the form - http://fs16.formsite.com/NilsStolpe/...342/index.html

[FishBlueWater]

If anyone feels like there are to many Spiny Dogfish around and want to do something about it then you need to follow the link and sign the letter. This is our opportunity to do something about it.