Quote:
Originally Posted by tautog
If whiting, ling and cod were restored and sea bass limits were sane, blackfish pressure would drop a bit.
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Correct... I can remember[it wasn't that long ago really] when tog boats would sail with maybe 10 people on a nice saturday or sunday in october or early nov... Thats because there were masses of big blues everywhere, day and night, sometimes big weaks would be with them[NO stripers!] flounder were thick in the rivers and bays, winter whiting and ling was right around the corner... Plus the bottom boats that weren't tog fishing were still catching Porgies, Sea Bass, and Ling with Tog mixed in... Just as Tautog has said, everything else that was within reach is gone, overfished, or is off limits, and tog are about the only game left except for Stripers at certain times of the year, unless you want to go 60 miles offshore for sea bass and porgies... Some fish can withstand pressure as they go in and out of range, are more spread out, and there are always some populations that get a chance to spawn.. Tog are dwindling because they don't migrate, are slow growers, and are a species in very high demand.. I find it VERY interesting because I recall vividly when almost NO one wanted anything to do with them... I was around when if you wanted to fish on a head boat with space around you, plenty of room, no crowds, you went on the head boats that went out for blackfish... It was that way for a very long time,, until one day someone discovered that tog were good to eat raw, thinly sliced, dipped in some sort of salty soy based condiment... Quite a few years ago, a mate on a head boat told me he gets a minimum of $25 for a good sized blackfish when presented alive.. Might be even more today not sure.. With that kind of value, I doubt the pressure will ever end, even IF they become a no kill species.... bob
