The more nets that are found will better the cause for a net ban and hopefully save some more fish. Those nets looked like they had a no vacancy sign on them though. I can't believe some one hasn't been busted by now............Gary

Yeah, that's why everything about these nets is "fishy". If someone actually set them and worked them to make money, they would have been caught! It looks like these nets were just set and abandoned to catch fish until the right time for "someone" to find them for a media event. CCA, MSSA, DNR, ??

Mikie - Not to be smart but MSSA has trouble getting volunteers to man the booths at flea markets - some how doubt they could find the $$$$ for nets plus labor to put them out there.

Same for CCA - plus would not be worth the risk , media would have a field day - IMHO. Heard a rumor there will be arrests made - hope it is true that DNR found the poachers.

My take on it - the poachers were forced to abandon the illegal nets when all the DNR officers were on the water in winter. When the gill net season opened last few days of February - it was way too windy for the poachers to try to get them while blending in with legal netters.

Gibby later asked for amnesty period for illegal netters but was turned down. Kinda a last ditch effort.

Guess at that point - the poachers wrote the nets off - knowing DNR and others were watching.

Wish DNR would offer a reward for net locations - no questions asked - to get these things out of the water.

Ahhhhhhh so much closer to a net ban:) I hope it happens while there is still a few fish left...........Gary

Good chance we'll never know the truth. I'm in for another total shutdown, moratorium - right now, for everybody!! Including C&R. Let's let the fish recover from everything and everybody. You get caught catching stripers - you forfeit your boat and all of your equipment and maybe get some jail time. You all in?

Don't think for a minute that a CCA or MSSA member wouldn't do it. Who says it has to be sanctioned by the officers. I have first hand knowledge of CCA members trying to break up marriages over fishery matters.

You presume to much of what Gibby Dean was thinking. Even to the point of addressing him by his first name. Is that to give the impression you know him? I'm betting he doesn't know you.

Don't presume DNR was on the water much this winter, just not true.

No takers? Just what I thought - everybody's all show and no go.

Mikie - I'll bite.

If another moratorium had to be put on Rockfish - I'd be 100% in favor of taking a poachers boat.

IMHO - That is how it should be right now , not a small fine. One reason we see repeat offenders who steal from all of us. They have little to fear. Hell , most times the fines are not even 5% of what was taken. That is cheaper then sales tax.

Reds - Guess we will have to wait until an arrest (s) is made to know who set the nets. I just can not see some one ( CCA / MSSA ) putting out thousands of dollars like that - on hope it is found. Illegal nets have been found in most past years - nothing new about it.

Do you have the entrainment studies done on that site? Entrainment does occur. The last time I looked the striped bass weren't at the top of the list in the late 90’s. There life cycle dosen't place them in that area generally during the time they are most vulnerable. Now this varies from site to site. Thus the need for the specific site survey.

The surveys are done and on record. Now with the change in security they might not be releasing data to the public on nuclear facilities.

I just happened to do my senior thesis on topics similar to this using blue crabs as a model species. My class mate cribbed a lot of my literature research since he was looking at striped bass.

I took a quick look at different states commercial harvest methods.

I might have missed one this should be close for the discussion




Main , Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey & South Carolina Have no commercial harvest Of rock Fish.
Massachusetts Has a Hook& Line fishery ONLY
Rhode Island has a Fish trap and hook & line Fishery
Delaware has a Hook & line & a Gillnet Fishery
Virginia has a Hook & line & a Gillnet Fishery
New York has Hook & Line Pound Nets Fish traps Gillnets
Maryland has Hook & Line Pound Nets Gill Nets Haul seines
North Carolina has everything
Potomac River Hook & Line Pound Nets Gill Nets.

5 states Under the striped bass managment of the ASMFS allow gill netting and one more for the Potomac fishery
7 States don’t allow Gillnets.