Maryland to shorten 2024 rockfish season

[ChannelCat]

But it’s everyone’s fault, not anyone’s fault, if you know what I mean.

As someone stated on TidalFish, there are too many pigs at the trough.

 

[Muleskinner]

So, who do you think they are lobbying to in Annapolis? To DNR? No, they are lobbying to the governor. As I said before, DNR does NOT pick which regs to enforce...the governor does. If DNR were truly in charge of sustainability of our resources, they'd be in a lot better shape. And they're be a lot more pissed off watermen and commercial enterprises.

IN this case it's being taken out of the governor's control by the ASMFC. They are giving the states an opportunity to fix this themselves but if they can't or won't the ASMFC has the power to override the state regs with their own. and it looks like that's what they are doing...

If these regs don't work or aren't not enforced I foresee 1 of 2 things happening..either another moratorium is put in place AND/OR stripers are designated as gamefish and then there is no commercial harvest...

 

[TI-tick]

I've had some humongus arguments with my Town Manager Sister on this subject. I'm broadly in agreement with 44man.

Work the simple math:
The number of farmers has decreased from the 80's and before; restrictions way increased.
Ditto the number of waterman.
Charter boats IDK for sure but I'd also say ditto.

Contrast that with the increased building and population in the watershed that flows into the bay. The effects of pharmaceuticals that, from what I've read, don't get removed at water treatment facilities. Car tire dust, brake dust, oil, etc.

To me the root of the issue is too many people, as evidenced by the math.

And while the FED as no problem tossing billions to Ukraine, etc., to blow shit up, for decades they never seem to be able to come up with millions to address bay erosion (discounting Poplar Island, wildlife you know) at places like Tangier Island to shore things up.
Think about what all of that erosion has done to the bay.

Put the monkey on the back of the folks upstream of the watershed and let them howl at the moon; cost of doing business/living in the state. The water that comes out of those sewage treatment plants should be good enough to drink, or don't pass it on. And forget fines for overflows; lock 'em up!

Go after the fat cats that bought up farms and now have palatial spreads with bright green grass on waterfront property while the natural grass in the area is not so bright green.

Leave the shore farmers/waterman/and charter boats alone as there are not that many left.

Rant off. For now.

 

[joppaj]

Kent Island is a good example. Places that were marshland or farms in the 80s are houses now. Condos in some cases. Lots of new runoff while the marsh that helped filter it is gone.

 

[mpollan1]

I've had some humongus arguments with my Town Manager Sister on this subject. I'm broadly in agreement with 44man.

Work the simple math:
The number of farmers has decreased from the 80's and before; restrictions way increased.
Ditto the number of waterman.
Charter boats IDK for sure but I'd also say ditto.

Contrast that with the increased building and population in the watershed that flows into the bay. The effects of pharmaceuticals that, from what I've read, don't get removed at water treatment facilities. Car tire dust, brake dust, oil, etc.

To me the root of the issue is too many people, as evidenced by the math.

And while the FED as no problem tossing billions to Ukraine, etc., to blow shit up, for decades they never seem to be able to come up with millions to address bay erosion (discounting Poplar Island, wildlife you know) at places like Tangier Island to shore things up.
Think about what all of that erosion has done to the bay.

Put the monkey on the back of the folks upstream of the watershed and let them howl at the moon; cost of doing business/living in the state. The water that comes out of those sewage treatment plants should be good enough to drink, or don't pass it on. And forget fines for overflows; lock 'em up!

Go after the fat cats that bought up farms and now have palatial spreads with bright green grass on waterfront property while the natural grass in the area is not so bright green.

Leave the shore farmers/waterman/and charter boats alone as there are not that many left.

Rant off. For now.

Yup, it is all quite the joke on us. So concerned about the environment that all they could come up with is $43M for James and Barren Island.

https://www.chesapeakebaymagazine.c...-awarded-to-rebuild-disappearing-bay-islands/

 

[remrug]

Have you ever seen how much water moves through the C and D Canal? Its mind boggling to watch the tide rip one way, then not long after, its ripping back the other way. Part of the Delaware River has a One Meal per Year advisory on catfish. Can you imagine how many PCBs are in those fish?
How many get washed into the upper bay? It makes me nervous to think of how bad it really is compared to what THEY tell us it really is.

 

[LAC_MD]

Have you ever seen how much water moves through the C and D Canal? Its mind boggling to watch the tide rip one way, then not long after, its ripping back the other way. Part of the Delaware River has a One Meal per Year advisory on catfish. Can you imagine how many PCBs are in those fish?
How many get washed into the upper bay? It makes me nervous to think of how bad it really is compared to what THEY tell us it really is.

Yup that’s a big reason I don’t eat non migratory fish especially big ones…

 

[JPG]

Not sure how much of the extra $20? for my save the bay goes to it but i"m a fan of the Oyster replenishment program.
I give a yearly donation to them

Oyster Restoration

In support of re-establishing this keystone species, CBF has established facilities and programs in Maryland and Virginia devoted to restoration of Crassostrea virginica.

www.cbf.org

Not sure how much of the $ goes directly to action or not.

I give more $ to OCRF cause I KNOW a large % goes to dumping reef materials. I read the guys facebook posts and see the photos of it happening almost daily in the summer. That program I have seen the effects and the fish (Sea Bass) are PLENTIFUL out there.

Ocean City Reef Foundation

www.ocreefs.org

This is where I am on this Bay cleanup let nature do it, like they are built to.

Priority should be to dredge the Conowingo Dam to stop the sediment running into the Bay. There should be a program to massively replenish the oyster population so that they can filter the water.

I think at one time there were so many oysters in the Bay that they could filter it every couple of days.

 

[Doco Overboard]

I heard the other day from a waterman that big oyster bar, the largest actually near Princess Anne quit producing again this year. He told me it's every few years it will just quit.

I think, the only thing that will save the bay is to build another bridge span.
The more people we can get around the bay, will fix it right up.
The faster we can bet people to Ocean City, and on to rt 50 the better it's going to get in kind so maybe the bay should just be paved.
Instead of "Save the Bay" a "Pave the Bay" campaign needs launched.

 

[outrider58]

This is where I am on this Bay cleanup let nature do it, like they are built to.

Priority should be to dredge the Conowingo Dam to stop the sediment running into the Bay. There should be a program to massively replenish the oyster population so that they can filter the water.

I think at one time there were so many oysters in the Bay that they could filter it every couple of days.

The dreaded Zebra mussels cleaned up the Great Lakes. Are there any remaining ill effects resulting from the mussels?

 

[gtodave]

This is where I am on this Bay cleanup let nature do it, like they are built to.

Priority should be to dredge the Conowingo Dam to stop the sediment running into the Bay. There should be a program to massively replenish the oyster population so that they can filter the water.

I think at one time there were so many oysters in the Bay that they could filter it every couple of days.

There is. The Sanctuary program. We (MDers) pay MILLIONS in to this program. Problem is that most watermen don't want sanctuaries on/near their harvest grounds, so the spots that get picked are so-so (bad DO, bad bottom, etc), and their success stems directly from that. The sites that are successful some of the watermen want to harvest from (lol...that's not what "sanctuary" means).

We spend millions on a program that lets "everyone have a say" in the plan. Well, not everyone wants the same goals, and even less know how to reach their goals.

The dreaded Zebra mussels cleaned up the Great Lakes. Are there any remaining ill effects resulting from the mussels?

Clogged inlets/outlets, constant cleaning of every ship hull in the water system, other filter-feeders starving for food, probably a few more I'm forgetting.

 

[gtodave]

Rules are out.

Maryland Enacts Striped Bass Emergency Regulations to Increase Protections for the Spawning Population

news.maryland.gov