Possible relaxation of groundfish regulations in Gulf of Maine...

[Roccus7]

Tim Tower has a good summary of the changes on the Bunny Clark site. This is only a recommendation and it's still two approvals away from regulations.

I was also keeping track of the Groundfish Committee meeting from friends who were attending it. And, at the end, I got a pleasant surprise; the Committee adjusted the motion of the RAP in the fashion that I had wanted initially but which most of the RAP members were against. It's also the most conservative. Now this is what the suggested regulations for the Gulf of Maine recreational angler will look like:

The Groundfish Committee recommends to the New England Fishery Management Council

Gulf of Maine cod- Adjust the open season, same for all modes

• Open season: September 1 - October 7; April 1 - 14
• Minimum size: 22 to 28 inches slot limit
• Possession limit: 1 fish per day

Gulf of Maine haddock - Increase the bag limit to 20 fish (from 15 fish)

• Open season: May 1-Feb 28/29; April 1-30
• Minimum size: 17 inches
• Possession limit: 20 fish per day

As you can see, they changed the minimum size for cod from 21 inches to a slot limit between 22 and 28 inches.

Keep in mind, this is just a suggestion to the Council. The Council can change it back, send it to the NMFS Regional Office as read or do something entirely different.

 

[MakoMike]

I was and am still against the slot limits. They did nothing for striped bass and will do less than that for cod.

 

[hartattack]

I was and am still against the slot limits. They did nothing for striped bass and will do less than that for cod.

Please explain why you feel that slots don't work for Stripers? This past season seemed to prove to many that throwing back those 38"+ had a positive effect on the fishery. Slot fish work well for Florida and Texas, and now slots are being considered in NJ for fluke. Mike,,, Can you please tell us your reasoning?

 

[MakoMike]

Please explain why you feel that slots don't work for Stripers? This past season seemed to prove to many that throwing back those 38"+ had a positive effect on the fishery. Slot fish work well for Florida and Texas, and now slots are being considered in NJ for fluke. Mike,,, Can you please tell us your reasoning?

Because people will still catch them and even target them and the hero pictures of guys holding big bass out of the water cause higher than normal morality on released fish. IMHO higher size limits, like the old one at 36 inches will at least allow the younger (smaller) fish to survive to grow up and spawn a couple of times before they can be kept.

 

[hartattack]

Thanks for the reply. Morality or mortality - tough choice

 

[Chinacat]

Because people will still catch them and even target them and the hero pictures of guys holding big bass out of the water cause higher than normal morality on released fish. IMHO higher size limits, like the old one at 36 inches will at least allow the younger (smaller) fish to survive to grow up and spawn a couple of times before they can be kept.

That is an interesting point Mike.
I chuckle at the younger generation social media guys that are so obsessed with posting pictures of themselves with bass to say look at me, and pat themselves on the back for being catch and release only, and trashing others who keep a legal sized fish. I'm sure all those fights catching and releasing many fish is worse than me catching and keeping the occasional SB every year....

 

[Roccus7]

That is an interesting point Mike.
I chuckle at the younger generation social media guys that are so obsessed with posting pictures of themselves with bass to say look at me, and pat themselves on the back for being catch and release only, and trashing others who keep a legal sized fish. I'm sure all those fights catching and releasing many fish is worse than me catching and keeping the occasional SB every year....

One can't stop photos of fish, it's right up there with photographing that dinner at the fancy restaurant for you FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc., but slots are the way to protect the most fecund breeding fish.

Florida has experienced excellent results with slots for many fish in spite of the Instagram Crowd, i.e. Snook Slot Limit: Not less than 28" or more than 32" total length.

I especially like this snook caveat which ASMFC should include in ALL daily bag limit regulations: Daily Bag Limit: 1 per harvester per day; zero captain and crew for-hire limit

 

[MakoMike]

One can't stop photos of fish, it's right up there with photographing that dinner at the fancy restaurant for you FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc., but slots are the way to protect the most fecund breeding fish.

Sure you can, just prohibit anyone from taking the fish out of the water, like FL did for tarpon.

 

[Pangaroo]

When the Bag Limit for Cod is 1 per day the Cod Stocks must be in very bad shape up there. They completely shut down Canadian Cod fishing and that Population still hasn't recovered. Scientists said the stocks would be beaten down so far ,they'd have a tough time rebounding. They were right. Can't blame global warming for any shortage of cod in Canadian waters or in Maine waters. Same with Winter Flounder in the NY Bight. Pounded them way down and the population can't build because of predation.

 

[Roccus7]

When the Bag Limit for Cod is 1 per day the Cod Stocks must be in very bad shape up there. They completely shut down Canadian Cod fishing and that Population still hasn't recovered. Scientists said the stocks would be beaten down so far ,they'd have a tough time rebounding. They were right. Can't blame global warming for any shortage of cod in Canadian waters or in Maine waters. Same with Winter Flounder in the NY Bight. Pounded them way down and the population can't build because of predation.

A bit late to the conversation Pangaroo.

Gulf of Maine cod has been under strict reductions for going on 5 years or so. Yes, they're in deep trouble and the proposed restrictions on the table for George's Bank Cod, which includes LI, show they're in trouble too...

 

[MakoMike]

NEFMC voted this morning for a 22 inch size limit on cod. everything else stayed the same for both cod and haddock.

 

[Roccus7]

Here's the detail...

The New England Fishery Management Council Groundfish Committee took the suggestion from the Recreational Advisory Panel, altered it and moved it to the Council. The Council, in turn, altered it again. So this recommendation will go to the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) of the National Marine Fisheries Service to be further reviewed and either changed or implemented into law as is. Now the new regulations read like this:

The NEFMC recommends to the GARFO

Gulf of Maine cod- Adjust the open season, same for all modes [party/charter/private angler]

• Open season: September 1 - October 7; April 1 - 14
• Minimum size: 22 inches
• Possession limit: 1 fish per day

Gulf of Maine haddock - Increase the bag limit to 20 fish (from 15 fish)

• Open season: May 1-Feb 28/29; April 1-30
• Minimum size: 17 inches
• Possession limit: 20 fish per day

Just keep in mind, these are suggestions to the NMFS and could change when they implemented before May 1, 2022.

 

[MakoMike]

I'd wager that GARFO adopts the recommendation.

 

[Old Mud]

When the Bag Limit for Cod is 1 per day the Cod Stocks must be in very bad shape up there. They completely shut down Canadian Cod fishing and that Population still hasn't recovered. Scientists said the stocks would be beaten down so far ,they'd have a tough time rebounding. They were right. Can't blame global warming for any shortage of cod in Canadian waters or in Maine waters. Same with Winter Flounder in the NY Bight. Pounded them way down and the population can't build because of predation.

I know this is a little late here but a good point is Predation. The population can and has been impacted by predation. One has to remember just a few short years ago we were inundated with dogfish. As far as you could go in the Gulf of Maine and yes including Georges you could not get a bait of any kind to the bottom without it getting eaten by dogfish. They were wiping out the juvenile Cod. This went on for 8 to 10 years. And im sure still goes on today at a lesser frequency.

​

 

[Roccus7]

I know this is a little late here but a good point is Predation. The population can and has been impacted by predation. One has to remember just a few short years ago we were inundated with dogfish. As far as you could go in the Gulf of Maine and yes including Georges you could not get a bait of any kind to the bottom without it getting eaten by dogfish. They were wiping out the juvenile Cod. This went on for 8 to 10 years. And im sure still goes on today at a lesser frequency.

​

And that drop in cod, is not coincidental to huge lobster catches in Maine, as cod LOVE to dine on baby lobsters. It's rare to fillet one that doesn't have a lobster or two in its stomach...

 

[Old Mud]

You got it !!

 

[Old Mud]

A great history about Cod. The Good and the Bad. Part of a series with much information. A little lenthy but worth the time.

 

[Pangaroo]

Sorry for the late replies, up in Canada there's a fish that prey on baby cod really heavy . When Cod are very abundant the big cod eat those fish and they have no effect on the population when it's healthy. Decimate the Cod Stocks and the predator fish become super abundant and eat huge amounts of baby cod and keep those stocks from rebounding.

 

[MakoMike]

Sorry for the late replies, up in Canada there's a fish that prey on baby cod really heavy . When Cod are very abundant the big cod eat those fish and they have no effect on the population when it's healthy. Decimate the Cod Stocks and the predator fish become super abundant and eat huge amounts of baby cod and keep those stocks from rebounding.

We have the same thing here, they're called spiny dogfish.