Whiting @ Wegmans= disgrace...

[Capt. Lou]

How do u thinkI feel , I lobbied hard for the two hundred mile limit in the 70's !
We won got all the foreign fleet out of the mud hole etc, BUT what very few of us realized our own fleet would now be turned loose to finish the decimation of these stocks .
When this law was enacted there was virtually no limits on commercial fisheries.if u were a giant tuna fisherman in those days u witnessed as I have on many occasions literally miles at times of floaters. Whiting / ling by the thousands dead floating throughout the mud hole!
By catch dead ended up destroying a viable fishery , most local draggers , cause all the foreign fleet was now gone !

[Capt Sal]

Originally Posted by FASTEDDIE29

I grew up caching Whiting off a few choice beaches in NJ, mind you I'm only 38 years old. They were a blast to catch and I believe my father and I used to call the bigger ones BATS as in baseball bats. All I remember is some good times catching these fish off the beach in the mid 80's and enjoying a great meal. One of our family staples at Yankee game was bringing a 2 pack of smoked Whiting to the game to snack on with some pretzels. Great memories! They'll be whipped out in no time the way things are going now! Another great memory, another huge loss!!!

It was even better in the sixties and seventies. I am almost thirty years older than you and started my salt water fishing career with my dad and grandfather in the late fifties. Back then the party boats fished all year because we had whiting and ling. It was a hell of a lot easier to make a years pay when you could get in at least ten months of fishing. Now the bulk of the patronage is in six months. Although there is competition amongst the for hire boats,our main competition is fisheries management. Tough business to say the least!

[the1jonc]

I, too, am upset seeing all of the small fish for sale in the markets, Asian, Seabra and otherwise.

As far as Wegmans, I think they are a cut above most of the markets in NJ. They definitely try to attract a more affluent clientele, IMHO.

from Wikipedia- "Most of Wegmans' newer stores are of the "superstore" or "megamarket" type, with a large area, a variety of foods aimed at an upscale clientele, and in many stores, Market Café in-store dining areas."

[Dino]

what did Wegman's say when you let them know about your concerns? ....Or do you just complain to other cranky fisherman on the internet during the 1 month of the year we can't go out and kill fish.

[bulletbob]

I don't go out much and ""kill fish""... I live 225 miles away from the closest salt water.. Most years I kill and eat just a few sunnies and yellow perch, maybe a walleye or two. Caught in local lakes. On a good year I get down to the Shore maybe twice.. .. If I am lucky I take perhaps 2 dozen salt water fish home in a year these days.. Mostly ling sea bass and porgies.. Last year I also caught 2 flounder, and no fluke.. Don't try and paint me as a rabid dog " gotta have MEAT!" type of fisherman.. Its not reality..
In any case did you really expect me to complain to a $9.00 an hour counter clerk about the bait size fish they were selling??.. He/she would have no clue... They have NO reference point as we fishermen do... bob

[Reelron]

Perhaps people can go to this page and let Wegmans know what you think about thier "sustainability" program

http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/st...=CATEGORY_2321

[Dino]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

I don't go out much and ""kill fish""... I live 225 miles away from the closest salt water.. Most years I kill and eat just a few sunnies and yellow perch, maybe a walleye or two. Caught in local lakes. On a good year I get down to the Shore maybe twice.. .. If I am lucky I take perhaps 2 dozen salt water fish home in a year these days.. Mostly ling sea bass and porgies.. Last year I also caught 2 flounder, and no fluke.. Don't try and paint me as a rabid dog " gotta have MEAT!" type of fisherman.. Its not reality..
In any case did you really expect me to complain to a $9.00 an hour counter clerk about the bait size fish they were selling??.. He/she would have no clue... They have NO reference point as we fishermen do... bob

my bad !

[Scrubby]

I was in Wegmans this past weekend and saw they had packs of smoked whiting, 2 per pack. I didnt even notice a price beacuse i was so disgusted that we no longer have these fish in our local waters. I just walked out of the store.. The memories of my dad and uncle smoking whiting after a good trip on the long branch pier are exactly that, memories.. It doesnt look good for me to take my kids fishing for whiting any time soon or ever... Sad..

[shresearchdude]

It seems like "Whiting" and really a Silver Hake are part of a "multi-species" trip area for commercial guys. The fish really are collected in most bottom trawls since they tend to be around the bottom area and from my own personal experience they seem to be the most common fish sometimes. Keep in mind that I'm not on the survey boats all the time, yes there are many other numerous species as well so I hope the fans of the spiny dogs don't take offense.
I'm asking around about how the tiny ones get to the markets. There are no restrictions on the size from what I have found so far- there are mesh requirements for the multi-species trips thought-but I'm looking for some more precise info and will check back.

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by shresearchdude

It seems like "Whiting" and really a Silver Hake are part of a "multi-species" trip area for commercial guys. The fish really are collected in most bottom trawls since they tend to be around the bottom area and from my own personal experience they seem to be the most common fish sometimes. Keep in mind that I'm not on the survey boats all the time, yes there are many other numerous species as well so I hope the fans of the spiny dogs don't take offense.
I'm asking around about how the tiny ones get to the markets. There are no restrictions on the size from what I have found so far- there are mesh requirements for the multi-species trips thought-but I'm looking for some more precise info and will check back.

Excellent!... Really would like an answer..
. Maybe those baby Whiting are just dead "net trash", and the commercial guys sell them for whatever the market will bear, instead of shoveling them overboard... bob