There is growing concern about the fishing gear that is being used increasingly in New England waters to catch schooling fish such as mackerel and Atlantic herring. The debate over this fishing gear started after fishermen spotted an expanse of floating dead striped bass east of Chatham. The video footage shot by a fisherman revealed that the striped bass stretched for three miles and that the dead fish were scattered sporadically.
The reason for the dead fish is still not clear but a group of striped bass fishermen are arguing that a type of fishing gear, the mid-water trawler, may be responsible. However, the Sustainable Fisheries Coalition, which represents nearly all of the mid-water trawling vessels from Maine to New Jersey, told that none of their boats were near where the dead fish were spotted on October 5.
It is observed that several fishermen’s associations have come out in opposition to the mid-water trawlers in recent years because of their suspected impact on river herring, an anadromous fish that is distinct from Atlantic or ocean herring and includes alewives and bluebacks. It is obvious that the lack of data on mid-water trawlers’ impact on these and other fish populations has frustrated conservation groups that believe the commercial gear is at least partly responsible for the decline of various Atlantic fisheries.
It is informed that the dead striped bass found about 20 miles east of Chatham were likely migrating; this is the time of year when young striped bass move to warmer waters near Virginia and North Carolina for the winter.
