Chesapeake Atlantic Sturgeon: Endangered 1/31/12

[Scott McGuire]

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet...

Hopefully this will get the ball rolling on a recovery plan.

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/201..._sturgeon.html

[mollot]

balt sun says gill nets are a problem

http://www.baltimoresun.com/features...,2669852.story

[shaddart2004]

Poachers again ? OH Noooooooooooooooo!!!

[Scott McGuire]

The article said that gill nets are a problem, not poachers. Sturgeon are easily caught in gill nets of just about any mesh size because they don't see well. They are occassional bycatch - and discarded, dead or alive. I'm not sure what coastal gill net fisheries generally target, but that's not really the point. There are so few sturgeon that what are caught are normally juveniles that are roaming around looking for new habitat.

[Scott McGuire]

You're sensitive today, Jim.

[mollot]

yes. legal gill nets are a problem for them too. illegal gill nets wipe out rockfish. legal gill nets finish off sturgeon

[Scott McGuire]

http://www.nero.noaa.gov/prot_res/at..._formatted.pdf

Did a quick google search and found this collection of notes from a bycatch meeting in Feb 11 hosted by NMFS. The notes point out interactions with recreational fisheries - some larger than I expected. It looks like most of the gill net interactions come from gill nets that are soaked for more than a few hours (overnight) targetting striped bass, monkfish, shad, and dogfish. I just skimmed the notes, but it looks like a pretty good discussion took place.



-S

[shaddart2004]

Right Scott. Toungie in cheek because somebody always seems to works nets into the thread to score points with the boss and that is usually followed by it's long line of poachers or whatever so I thought I would get out front. Sorry.

Jim,I tossed that out there quick,I wanted to stay ahead of the over the top crowd on here that blame commercial guys for every fishes decline in the bay and associate everyone and everything they dont like with poaching.

[Shawn Kimbro]

An atlantic sturgeon was found in one of the illegal gill nets last year.

[Scott McGuire]

An atlantic sturgeon was found in one of the illegal gill nets last year.

I forgot about that... true enough.