01-22-2009, 11:34 PM
The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources decided last week to take no action to manage the pogie boats in MS waters. I attended the meeting and was deeply disappointed by the Commission’s actions. The pogie reduction industry is the second largest fishery in the United States, yet they operate in Mississippi waters without any catch limits at all. Almost every other commercial and recreational fishery is subject to a catch limit!
In fact, pogie boats are allowed to catch up to 5% by weight of other marine life. At current catch levels, this means they could be sucking up between 1.5 to 4 million pounds of other fish and animals every year. The combined annual catch limit in MS for red drum, spotted seatrout, and flounder is only 149,000 pounds! Why would we so tightly control these fisheries while ignoring the spotted seatrout, coastal sharks, and other species captured by the pogie boats’ nets?
At the Commission meeting, the pogie reduction industry got its say. Now, it is time that the Commission opened up the debate and listened to the real concerns of recreational fishermen and all the businesses which rely on a healthy Mississippi Sound.
You can check out TV news coverage of the meeting here:
[url "http://www.wlox.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=3358762&h1=Steve%20Phillips%20reports%20on%20menhaden%20fish%20debate&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=127900&LaunchPageAdTag=News&activePane=info&rnd=97495162"]http://www.wlox.com/...nfo&rnd=97495162[/url]
Or an article in the Sun Herald here:
[url "http://www.sunherald.com/local/story/1081815.html"]http://www.sunherald.com/...l/story/1081815.html[/url]
[signature]
In fact, pogie boats are allowed to catch up to 5% by weight of other marine life. At current catch levels, this means they could be sucking up between 1.5 to 4 million pounds of other fish and animals every year. The combined annual catch limit in MS for red drum, spotted seatrout, and flounder is only 149,000 pounds! Why would we so tightly control these fisheries while ignoring the spotted seatrout, coastal sharks, and other species captured by the pogie boats’ nets?
At the Commission meeting, the pogie reduction industry got its say. Now, it is time that the Commission opened up the debate and listened to the real concerns of recreational fishermen and all the businesses which rely on a healthy Mississippi Sound.
You can check out TV news coverage of the meeting here:
[url "http://www.wlox.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=3358762&h1=Steve%20Phillips%20reports%20on%20menhaden%20fish%20debate&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=127900&LaunchPageAdTag=News&activePane=info&rnd=97495162"]http://www.wlox.com/...nfo&rnd=97495162[/url]
Or an article in the Sun Herald here:
[url "http://www.sunherald.com/local/story/1081815.html"]http://www.sunherald.com/...l/story/1081815.html[/url]
[signature]