I suppose it’s nothing new these days for the fishing community to blame all their troubles on environmentalists, but indeed the intensity of the blame-game has been ramped up in recent years. “Radicals”, “extremists”, “socialists”, “elitists”, “antis” etc… You know… Those people who want to “end all fishing.” Recently, some folks have gone so far to claim that the environmental community is really part of a grand conspiracy by “Big Oil” to abolish all fishing so it can drill wherever and whenever it wants. If would be funny if it wasn’t so pathetic.

I could write tens of thousands of words on this, but I’m going to keep it short as the weather is warm and the bass are in, and any editorial might ruin that wonderful feeling spring brings to anglers.   So here’s the skinny, and I’ll try and just stick to the facts (Note: if [...]

The Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board approved the initiation of Draft Addendum IV to Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. The Draft Addendum will propose extending the Chesapeake Bay reduction fishery harvest cap for 3 years.

Alexandria, VA – The ASMFC Winter Flounder Management Board approved Addendum I to Amendment 1 the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for the Inshore Stocks of Winter Flounder, establishing harvest reductions for the Gulf of Maine (GOM) and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic (SNE/MA) inshore stocks (0 to 3 miles).

It’s likely that New York will have a very short season, very high minimum size and a very small bag limit for summer flounder (locally called fluke) in 2009, while in adjacent states’ regulations will be much more bearable. Party boat captains and the tackle industry in New York will undoubtedly suffer as anglers flock to such states with looser restrictions. It didn’t have to be that way.

COASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION NEW YORK RECOMMENDS IMPROVEMENTS TO PROPOSED SALT WATER LICENSE West Babylon, NY—In comments addressed to New York Governor Patterson and provided to other leading administrative and legislative officials, Coastal Conservation Association New York recently recommended several improvements to the recreational salt water fishing license proposed by the Governor last month. Such comments [...]

By Capt. John McMurray Governor Patterson’s proposed 2009-10 budget bill includes a provision to establish a recreational salt water fishing license. Indeed such a license is long overdue and if properly administered, we should support it. Such a pay-to-play system would immediately put a concrete figure on the number of saltwater anglers in New York. [...]

There’s been a lot of discussion on declining bass stocks on this site as well as plenty of others. After witnessing some of the epic bass blitzes this year in Montauk, it’s hard to believe that there could be a problem. But indeed there does appear to be one. If you are one of the [...]

It’s been over a month now since I saw the link-referenced letter to the Gloucester Daily Times regarding the “dissolving” of the New England Fishery Management Council. If that link dosen’t work on your computer, you can cut and paste this one into your browser: http://listserv.uri.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0809&L=riseagrant-l&D=0&T=0&P=48. Sounds like pretty serious stuff right? But, of course [...]

By Capt. John McMurray Readers of this blog may or may not read my column in Fly Fishing in Saltwaters Magazine (FFSW). I’m not trying to promote it here, but I do want to point out the recent column on bluefin tuna: (http://www.flyfishinsalt.com/species/conservation/the-bluefin-dilemma-1000064910.html ) I’m told by the editors over at FFSW that it’s generating [...]