Re: [VFB] Baja...concern, bait, shell

[KEITH PASSANT]

The Grate Murf did write:   BTW, there is a huge discussion on menhadden limits and oysters in the Chesapeake Bay right now.  Menh are the food of gamefish (blues & stripers) here and oysters filter the water.  Anyone want to discuss?   YEPP. I just looked at a link to the Chesapeake Bay and the comments on the Menh situation. You guys on your side of the pond are spot on with your fisheries management. Would that we had the guts to manage ours in the same way and with the same will. It is just becoming a political point here and the government are starting to look at special no fish areas for the commecial fishing fleet. We have a history of fishing the hell out of every good fishery (sea) that we ever had. The cod fishing is a case in point. What many here do not realise is that in the North West where we used to have a superb herring fishery there was also a huge tuna fishery. This is in the North Sea opposite Denmark and Norway!! Not exactly warm water. But it was rich in the required elements of planktons, whitebait, herring and then tuna came in after the herring. We fished out the herring and now we have sqaut in the North sea to talk about. I would hope that the controls specific to the Bay are bought in and the fishery can recover to allow the continued sport fishing. As for the oyster well ditto really. We grow them in nets here and it works ok as the Oyster fishers dont have to rake the sea bed to a wreck to get a good harvest. I beleive your sport fish management is being used as a shining beacon here by our own conservation groups that are hoping to put the pressure on govt to create these sport fisheries here. KP