If you're a cod fish, thing's ain't lookin' so good.

Cod fish, the fish that countries have warred over, is in trouble.

Its not because of human activity like Gang Green wants you to believe for a bunch of reasons, like "over fishing".

The anti fishing ENGO's would have you believe it's the fishermen that are hurting the cod, but of all cod predators, fishermen are the only ones with catch limits while the others have no limits!

To the ENGO's it's always over fishing!

Fishermen are regulated more than any other industry, bar none. Don't believe that?

 Go to the National Register and look at some of the regulations. It is mind boggling.

I get a continuous stream of fishery info from a variety of sources, and have posted only fractions of the totals because, well, no one really cares, at least around this neck 'o the woods.They want to play this one upsman crap over partisan politics, while the fish stuff I deliver is the only bi partisan supported issue in the country! Who knew?

Anyway, there's been  an awful lot of news regarding predators in the New England news and from Cape Cod about the extreme numbers of Grey Seals that, thanks to the Marine Mammal Protection Act  have been breeding like rabbits!

The seal population explosion is also hindering cod stock recovery in Canada.

A huge New England population explosion that has brought a few bad actors to the 'hood like Great White Sharks who just love eating Grey Seals.

There are not enough Great Whites to cull the seals to a reasonable level.

The seals are destroying the cod recovery, and they are attracting predators that will eat people.

They are also destroying fisherman's nets, even as they haul them, stripping the cod, biting the belly's open to get the cod livers, and then casting aside the rest of the cod fish. This one issue alone is not good news for the Cod fish, but, well, Here's more bad news!

Atlantic Dogfish Fishery Certified as Sustainable by Marine Stewardship Council

To many people, this may sound like really good news! We love our stuff sustainable, eh?

"U.S. fisheries are among the most well managed fisheries in the world," said Sam Rauch, Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  "Sustainable fisheries rely on a dynamic process of science informing management and working with the fishing industry to ensure responsible and accountable practices.  This fishery demonstrates the strength and success of the U.S process to provide sustainable seafood to domestic and global markets."

I have much respect for Sam, Rauch. Earned respect, as he is the first in a very long line of bureaucrats that are involved in fishery's that has shown me anything but the bumbling ineptness that people are used to with fishery issues.

Shark meat from dogfish is primarily consumed in Europe and Asia.  American seafood processors utilize 100% of the fish, with zero waste.  The back meat (28% by weight) is used for fish and chips in American seafood processors The belly flaps (5%) are smoked and eaten as Schillerlocken in German. The liver (10%) is used worldwide in nutraceuticals. The head (15%) is used as bait by U.S. lobstermen and crabbers. The remainder of the carcass (39%) is used to produce organic fertilizer for agricultural use.

Looking at the above paragraph, anyone can see how well utilized the dogfish is. Exports do help against the trade defecit, you know!

The highly-prized fins and tail meat (3%) are an East Asian delicacy.  Shark fin consumption is important culturally in Asian societies. Shark fin soup is often served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets.  Dogfish is a sustainable, humane source of shark fins.  The Sustainable Fisheries Association joins concerned citizens worldwide in opposing the inhumane and destructive practice of shark "finning" at-sea.

So. Here we are with the shark fin thing! How many articles about shark fins and finning have you noticed, and just how many of you have condemned people eating shark fin soup, because, "They're killing all the SHARKS!" OMG
 Here we have a legitimate use for the piece that some would see thrown in a landfill instead of somebodies soup bowl!

Spiny dogfish are top-level predators, and population levels are high. As opportunistic feeders, preying on whatever is most available, many fisheries observers are concerned that an overpopulation of dogfish may be contributing to lower levels of species such as cod. Continued recreational and commercial fishing on this population under the federal and state science based management plans is both sustainable and potentially beneficial to the North Atlantic ecosystem.

You raise a garden to feed and sustain yourself. You must keep the animals out that will eat the garden, like deer, and usually a barrier like a fence will do, and you must also weed the garden if you expect growth.

"This is a step forward in the use of this resource in a responsible manner. It will open up a lot of economic opportunities for the industry as a whole and bring balance to the ecosystem," said Dr. James Sulikowski of the University of New England, who served as an external reviewer in the certification process.

This is the situation for the sacred cod.

"The ecology and biology of the species is much different than was once thought.  It's reaching maturity faster, it's reproducing at a faster rate, and it's rebounding quicker into the ecosystem.  We hypothesize that it's feeding on other groundfish stocks and limiting their ability to recover," Dr. Sulikowski continued. "No matter how much you reduce commercial and recreational fishing, those species, such as cod, would never recover because of the pressure that dogfish is putting on them -- directly by eating those groundfish and indirectly by competing with them for resources."
 

The above paragraph is power packed with a lot of common sense, though there is one issue that deserves mention.

 They have learned a little bit more about the spiney dogfish!

 As the life cycle, it's always remained the same. They are supposedly just figuring things out?

Let me tell you about the cycle I remember as a fisherman.

We'd work our asses off all winter in the freezing cold, and lousy weather to earn good money, because of winter prices based on high demand and less supply, then as the spring spawn arrived, we'd bust our asses knowing the good fishing and great shares based on high volume, was going to end until late fall, early winter when the water would start to cool off again.

Just as the fish would leave following the spawn, the friggin' dogs would move in.

Why? To eat the eggs of all kinds of fish, but mostley, the cod eggs.

The fishery is important to the thousands of commercial fishing vessels in the Atlantic that hold Federal or State permits for spiny dogfish, as well as shore-side businesses.  It is estimated that 20,000 jobs at sea and 140,000 jobs on land are supported in various degrees by the fishery.  As an export product, dogfish help reduce the U.S. trade imbalance.

Now. Keep in mind, two years ago, when the inept fishing regulators decided that spiney dogfish were being overfished, and during the time of people inthis country doing anything they could to find jobs, I was screaming about NOAA/NMFS desroying jobs and small businesses in the fishing industry.

They shut down the dog fishery and skate fishery, throwing hundreds more out of work, and closing down the processor in New Bedford, Ma.

But now we know "The ecology and biology of the species is much different than was once thought.

Its time to end excessive predation and weed the garden!

Special Report bore-head007, Free Press Fishery Desk

A Plague of Dogfish http://www.fishnet-usa.com/dogforum1.htm