mnicc
05-18-2002, 10:39 AM
Well, as we cruise into the season and local towns harvest herring like gold and dish them out for profit selling as many permits as possible to rake in the bucks off a natural resource, one has to wonder how it came to this. I remember only 5-6 years ago when things were so much different, but we have done this to ourselves due to poaching, rudeness, GUIDES WHO TAKE 1000 plus fish a week and brag about it, etc. The towns had no choice to become like the TALIBAN in dealing with this situation and thank god we can still get fish in this state. If you think it's bad here take a look at CT. There is one town that is bucking the trend to conserve fish, BARNSTABLE has elected to kill THOUSANDS OF HERRING fron the Long Pond and Lake Wequakit run by closing off the water supply and thus KILLING OFF A WHOLE YEAR class of fish. They have no reason to do this, it is against state law, there is no science behind it, no marine biologist report on what this might do to the ecosystem of the CETERVILLE RIVER or THE LAKES. There is no management plan and the mentality is to hold the water back because people complain about too much beach on their property or that it looks "bad'" when they have no water to fill in the landscape. The Natural Resource people have no explanation as to who gave them PERMISSION to do this because "THEY own the fish and can manage the way they see fit." They are arrogant and have NO PLAN WHATEVER to manage the runs in the town. They have no creative ways to provide the public with access to fish and are missing out on the $ from permit sales. This GOMER PILE APPROACH has now lead to the slaughter of a year class of fish.I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE WHO READS THIS TO CALL THE BARNSTABLE NATURAL RESOUCES #508-790-6272 and ask them why they broke the law and what kind of an example this is to us who follow the law and want to conserve this resource.They should be ASHAMED of what they have done, and should be fined just like the poacher who breaks the law......