Striper Slaughter and Waste Continues off North Carolina

Commercial trawlers kill thousands more striped bass off the Outer Banks

Taking advantage of a NC Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) decision to allow them back into the ocean, commercial striped bass trawlers off of Oregon Inlet again killed and discarded thousands of striped bass today in a tragic and wasteful repeat of last month’s fish kill.

Despite the massive striped bass kill last month, DMF director Dr. Louis Daniel reopened the ocean trawler striper season and once again the commercial trawlers left a miles-long trail of wasted, dead stripers.

“There are thousands of discarded striped bass covering an area approximately 1-1 ½ miles wide and 3-5 miles long,” said one eyewitness observer who flew over the fish kill in a helicopter. “There is no disputing the fact that these fish came from the trawler fleet as there were no other boats in the area.”

 This follows a previous account of a massive fish kill due to trawlers discarding legal but small stripers.

After that the DMF changed the law which limited striped bass trawlers to 50 fish in response to public pressure and media reports detailing trawlers throwing thousands of striped bass, many of legal size in the 15 to 20 pound range, back into the ocean in order to keep larger fish.

The DMF did not close the fishery, however, and allowed the trawlers back into the ocean under the new rules. They were allowed out again today and will go back tomorrow.

And when the fish are gone, the commercial fishermen will cry poverty and demand the right to overfish whatever the hell is left.

Speckled trout killed by a cold wave in North Carolina

However, NC DMF did close the recreational and commercial fishery for Speckled Trout, after a cold snap killed thousands of fish in two bays:

“The total estimated number of fish killed in Juniper Bay was in the 100’s,” said Burns. “The fish were primarily small (10-12 inches), but a few larger fish (3-5 lbs) were present too. Rose Bay appeared to have a larger kill. We estimated a total kill (there) in the low 1000’s.”

Hat tip to Bill Curry on the striper story.