08-09-2009, 08:11 PM
[size 2]Fishing: Haddock makes remarkable comeback
By Charles Walsh
CORRESPONDENT
Posted: 08/08/2009 04:52:57 PM EDT
The litany of disheartening news for New England fisherman is, as the movie cops say about the rap sheets of repeat felons, as long as your arm.
The winter flounder have all but disappeared. The menhaden (bunker) are nowhere to be found. The bluefin tuna is on the edge of extinction. Even the bluefish seem to be getting smaller by the year.
Perhaps the worst of the bad news is that according to The New England Fisheries Management Council, ground fish stocks, including halibut, hake, pollock, pout, and yellowtail, are over-fished and continue to be in a major state of decline.
But hold on. Before you stop reading this because you're getting depressed, believe it or not, there is good news to report.
Haddock, one of the ground fish that was in steep decline, have made an amazing recovery.
That's right, the numbers of Atlantic haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) now exceed the levels recorded before the declining years.
Scientists have yet to come up with a firm explanation for the haddock's rebound when other ground fish numbers continue to fall, but there is little debate that the two major U.S. haddock stocks on Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine are both considered "recovered." According to an article in the July issue of The Scientist, "between 1995 and 2000, the average number of recruits, or fish surviving to age 1 year, was 22 million fish per year. The 2003 Georges Bank year class numbered 789 million."
One popular theory on the haddock comeback holds that with Cod stocks plummeting for 40 years, the haddock, which forage for the same food resources (clams and other bottom-dwelling crustaceans) as cod, have taken advantage of the lack of competition. Others biologists attribute the rebound to normal cyclical population variations, while still other researchers say changes in oceanic currents have kept haddock eggs in shallow waters instead of being washed out to sea in massive numbers.
Whatever the reason, the haddock comeback is a rare bit of good fish news, especially for those heading for Quincy and Cape Anne for a day of bottom fishing.
What are the top 10 products developed in the last 75 years that had the most impact on how people fish?
The American Sportfishing Association and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation set out to answer that question as part of the ASA's 75th anniversary year. They surveyed thousands of U.S. anglers on which fishing products they thought did the most to improve fishing since 1934.
The top 10 fishing products arranged by type and date of introduction are:
The original Rapala Floater Minnow (1936) -- The hard-body lure has been and still is one of the most successful and widely used artificial baits in fishing history. It remains an important tool in arsenals of both salt and freshwater anglers.
The Nibble, Nabber Springloaded Bobber (1947) -- The red-and-white bobber replaced the cork as an indicator of a strike and made suspending them at a desired depth simpler and easier.
Mitchell's 3000 spinning reel (1949) -- The first commercially successful spinning reel truly changed the face of recreational fishing. At the time, it cost $18.95 and became the reel of choice for millions of fishermen for decades.
Crème Plastic Worm (1949) -- This first real-looking soft plastic changed the way people fished and led the way for the wide array of artificial soft baits available today .
Zero Bomb Company's Closed Face Spincast Reel (1949) -- Cheap (not more than $4) and easy to operate, this product opened fishing to everyone. Early models were prone to tangles, but the version of the closed-face reel now made by Zebco works much better.
Lowrance Fish Lo-k-Tor (1957) -- The first electronic aid for seeing what fish were under the boat.
DuPont Stren Monofilament Line (1958) -- It had better durability and casting ease from other fishing lines and was almost invisible to fish.
The MinnKota Trolling Motor (1958) -- The first electric gear-driven trolling motor gave anglers a way to silently position their boats in places where the fish hung out. It is now manufactured by Johnson Outdoors.
Fenwick High Modulus Graphite Rod (1972) -- Its super-sensitive carbon (graphite) fibers revolutionized the method of making fishing rods and how anglers fished.
The Shakespeare Ugly Stick (1976) -- Tough, cheap and all-but unbreakable, it is still the basic tool of many anglers.
Short casts BLUEFISH TOURNEY WINNERS --
Ray Signore of the Pootatuck Yacht Club in Stratford had the top boat in the Interclub Bluefish Tournament held last Sunday out of Captain's Cove in Bridgeport. Signore's fish trio weighed in at 33.23 pounds to beat out fellow club member Ralph Bershefsky, whose three fish weighed 30.46 pounds. Steve Fenwell of Stratford Boat Owners Association landed the heaviest single fish of the day, a 12.31-pound blue. Only 16 fish weighed in for the tournament exceed the 10-pound mark. -- CHARLES WALSH[/size]
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By Charles Walsh
CORRESPONDENT
Posted: 08/08/2009 04:52:57 PM EDT
The litany of disheartening news for New England fisherman is, as the movie cops say about the rap sheets of repeat felons, as long as your arm.
The winter flounder have all but disappeared. The menhaden (bunker) are nowhere to be found. The bluefin tuna is on the edge of extinction. Even the bluefish seem to be getting smaller by the year.
Perhaps the worst of the bad news is that according to The New England Fisheries Management Council, ground fish stocks, including halibut, hake, pollock, pout, and yellowtail, are over-fished and continue to be in a major state of decline.
But hold on. Before you stop reading this because you're getting depressed, believe it or not, there is good news to report.
Haddock, one of the ground fish that was in steep decline, have made an amazing recovery.
That's right, the numbers of Atlantic haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) now exceed the levels recorded before the declining years.
Scientists have yet to come up with a firm explanation for the haddock's rebound when other ground fish numbers continue to fall, but there is little debate that the two major U.S. haddock stocks on Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine are both considered "recovered." According to an article in the July issue of The Scientist, "between 1995 and 2000, the average number of recruits, or fish surviving to age 1 year, was 22 million fish per year. The 2003 Georges Bank year class numbered 789 million."
One popular theory on the haddock comeback holds that with Cod stocks plummeting for 40 years, the haddock, which forage for the same food resources (clams and other bottom-dwelling crustaceans) as cod, have taken advantage of the lack of competition. Others biologists attribute the rebound to normal cyclical population variations, while still other researchers say changes in oceanic currents have kept haddock eggs in shallow waters instead of being washed out to sea in massive numbers.
Whatever the reason, the haddock comeback is a rare bit of good fish news, especially for those heading for Quincy and Cape Anne for a day of bottom fishing.
What are the top 10 products developed in the last 75 years that had the most impact on how people fish?
The American Sportfishing Association and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation set out to answer that question as part of the ASA's 75th anniversary year. They surveyed thousands of U.S. anglers on which fishing products they thought did the most to improve fishing since 1934.
The top 10 fishing products arranged by type and date of introduction are:
The original Rapala Floater Minnow (1936) -- The hard-body lure has been and still is one of the most successful and widely used artificial baits in fishing history. It remains an important tool in arsenals of both salt and freshwater anglers.
The Nibble, Nabber Springloaded Bobber (1947) -- The red-and-white bobber replaced the cork as an indicator of a strike and made suspending them at a desired depth simpler and easier.
Mitchell's 3000 spinning reel (1949) -- The first commercially successful spinning reel truly changed the face of recreational fishing. At the time, it cost $18.95 and became the reel of choice for millions of fishermen for decades.
Crème Plastic Worm (1949) -- This first real-looking soft plastic changed the way people fished and led the way for the wide array of artificial soft baits available today .
Zero Bomb Company's Closed Face Spincast Reel (1949) -- Cheap (not more than $4) and easy to operate, this product opened fishing to everyone. Early models were prone to tangles, but the version of the closed-face reel now made by Zebco works much better.
Lowrance Fish Lo-k-Tor (1957) -- The first electronic aid for seeing what fish were under the boat.
DuPont Stren Monofilament Line (1958) -- It had better durability and casting ease from other fishing lines and was almost invisible to fish.
The MinnKota Trolling Motor (1958) -- The first electric gear-driven trolling motor gave anglers a way to silently position their boats in places where the fish hung out. It is now manufactured by Johnson Outdoors.
Fenwick High Modulus Graphite Rod (1972) -- Its super-sensitive carbon (graphite) fibers revolutionized the method of making fishing rods and how anglers fished.
The Shakespeare Ugly Stick (1976) -- Tough, cheap and all-but unbreakable, it is still the basic tool of many anglers.
Short casts BLUEFISH TOURNEY WINNERS --
Ray Signore of the Pootatuck Yacht Club in Stratford had the top boat in the Interclub Bluefish Tournament held last Sunday out of Captain's Cove in Bridgeport. Signore's fish trio weighed in at 33.23 pounds to beat out fellow club member Ralph Bershefsky, whose three fish weighed 30.46 pounds. Steve Fenwell of Stratford Boat Owners Association landed the heaviest single fish of the day, a 12.31-pound blue. Only 16 fish weighed in for the tournament exceed the 10-pound mark. -- CHARLES WALSH[/size]
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