Think we will see Whiting in our lifetime?

[Blackfish Doug]

I loved the Whiting but as the dogfish population grew the Whiting population dwindled. I also believe part of the problem was overfishing as well by everybody like you mentioned. We needed the regulation like we now have in place to protect that fishery back then. They still do get Whiting up north but I'm not sure if it's a rod & reel fishery or not. I know if they shut down the Codfishing up north they may start targeting them again up there. I did hear that we still have them here in the canyons I'm not sure how true it is. I know that if people are willing to spend the money they now do for 15 Sea Bass I'm sure they would spend it for Whiting if they had to do a offshore trip for them. I only wish that somebody would try it & see if it's a feasible fishery down here or not.

[RBC67]

nope

[JOHN D]

yes, I know there are scientests that siene, I even beleve there is somebody on this sight that does too, but they are saying that they are catching thousands of tiny whiting in their nets. the only thing we can do now is allow them to come back.

[GetANet]

Would be one of the greatest comebacks of all times, I miss those MAJIC HOUR trips !!!! Usually always came home with a 5 gallon bucket full which was more than enough to enjoy!

[nancy corigan]

The whiting stock is not down, it's that the trawlers get them before they can even get to us.

These whiting we used to catch are Hudson Canyon stock and just like cod do these fish migrated inshore over the winter months.

It's simple, get rid of the Trawlers or at least cut the fleet in half and they will get a chance to come inshore.

Corporate Commercial fleets are what has ruined the whiting fishery, not hook and line.

[Cuz]

Just look in the fish cases at any fish store and CRY over the size of the whiting that they bring in to sell the public. Ten (10) inches at best. How the hell can the stock reproduce when the regulations let the trawlers keep such small fish. Has a whiting that size even had a chance to reproduce once? I've told seafood owners and managers not to buy these undersize whiting. How much meat is on them? You would need a dozen to make one meal. Ridiculous! The government worries about a healthy fish stock like seabass but doesn't put their foot down in other places. Don't they go into stores and see what I see? It's pitiful to look at such small fish being sold. Unless there is a moritorium on whiting I honestly feel we will never see them in numbers again where they will be a targeted fish. And that is so sad. Don't get me started on the whiting (silver hake) depletion.

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by Cuz

Just look in the fish cases at any fish store and CRY over the size of the whiting that they bring in to sell the public. Ten (10) inches at best. How the hell can the stock reproduce when the regulations let the trawlers keep such small fish. Has a whiting that size even had a chance to reproduce once? I've told seafood owners and managers not to buy these undersize whiting. How much meat is on them? You would need a dozen to make one meal. Ridiculous! The government worries about a healthy fish stock like seabass but doesn't put their foot down in other places. Don't they go into stores and see what I see? It's pitiful to look at such small fish being sold. Unless there is a moritorium on whiting I honestly feel we will never see them in numbers again where they will be a targeted fish. And that is so sad. Don't get me started on the whiting (silver hake) depletion.

You know its funny, I still see those whiting you speak of at big huge stores here in NY state [Wegmans}.. They have big , incredibly well stocked seafood sections.. They are indeed pretty small, a one footer being a good one... Sad to see.. The average one we caught was probably 15 inches, with some bats up to 22-24 inches now and then...The NMFS is regulating everything.. How about clamping down real hard on Silver Hake for a year or three for the draggers??. Maybe then we'll see some come inshore mixed in with Ling... In my opinion though. I doubt I'll ever catch another, especially living where I do, and not getting to the shore but a few times a year... bob

[italianfisherman]

Originally Posted by nancy corigan

The whiting stock is not down, it's that the trawlers get them before they can even get to us.

These whiting we used to catch are Hudson Canyon stock and just like cod do these fish migrated inshore over the winter months.

It's simple, get rid of the Trawlers or at least cut the fleet in half and they will get a chance to come inshore.

Corporate Commercial fleets are what has ruined the whiting fishery, not hook and line.

AGREE...

Remember the Long Branch pier very well as a kid. Anyone who never fished it can ever imagine the amount of fish that were landed by everyone during the course of a night in the fall / winter when the ling and whiting moved in. It was insane fishing! The northeast corner of the pier was furthest out and produced the best but most nights anywhere on the pier you could catch fish. They used to have an old chum grinder inshore a little bit that they would grind left over carcasses and drop chum into the water. Not sure it made a difference especially with the ling and whiting but it was pretty cool. One helluva a fluke pier as well. Remember one September day when the fluke were schooling up getting ready for their easterly migration there were about a dozen and a half fluke caught over 8 lbs on that pier with at least half over 10 lbs. The biggest that day was 13.8 lbs. They'd drop a mesh basket down and you would have to work the fluke into the basket and then have the guy working the basket for you raise it when you positioned the fluke above it and then hoist it 50 feet or so to the deck. It was crazy but fluke fishing on the LB pier was phenomenal.

Back to whiting and ling, don't think those days will ever rebound. This October was headed to the Hudson on our boat and ran across literally acres of spike whiting floating on the surface. Thousands of them. I hear what Reel Class is saying but in my opinion there's no way a fishery can sustain itself with the commercial pressure on it that whiting have. The draggers are killing the stock....period. I understand cyclical but if a certain stock doesn't come back for about 40 years, I don't think that qualifies as cyclical. Can almost guarantee if the fishery was regulated and the killing of thousands if not millions of juvenile fish was prohibited, that fishery would bounce back in a few years. How could it not.

Dakota