Thursday, October 18, 2018

THE TRUTH ABOUT OPENING THE BLOCK ISLAND TRANSIT ZONE TO STRIPED BASS HARVEST



Striped bass fishing, and even the possession of striped bass, has been prohibited in the EEZ since 1990, a prohibition originally put in place to help rebuild what was then a striped bass stock that was trying to recover from a catastrophic collapse a decade before.  Although the stock has long since recovered, the closure has remained as a bulwark against overfishing.  

When that closure was first put in place, some fishermen complained that it effectively put the often very productive waters surrounding Block Island off-limits to striped bass angling, as fishermen couldn’t possess the fish in the federal waters between that island and the mainland, and thus couldn’t bring their catch home.

In order to allow fishermen to retain bass legally caught in the state waters surrounding Block Island, the National Marine Fisheries Service created the Block Island Transit Zone, which allowed anglers to possess, but not fish for, striped bass while transiting that particular section of the EEZ.

It was another of those examples of no good deed going unpunished, for instead of being grateful that NMFS created a way to legally bring Block Island-caught stripers back to mainland ports, some individuals, primarily those who constitute the Montauk, NY party and charter boat community, complained that they were only allowed to possess fish in the Transit Zone, but were still prohibited for fishing for striped bass in federal waters.

Thus began a long effort to open the Transit Zone to striped bass fishing.


Republican Lee Zeldin defeated Rep. Bishop a few years ago, and continued the effort to open the Transit Zone to striped bass fishing.  In a press release supporting one of his own striped bass bills, Zeldin wrote

“The unique geography of the region creates this small patch of EEZ between two areas of state-controlled water.  Striped bass fishing has been banned in the EEZ since 1990.  Meanwhile, commercial and recreational fishing for dozens of species are permitted in the EEZ…”
In making that claim, Zeldin clearly suggests that the reason that the Transit Zone should be open to striped bass fishing is because anglers on the East End of Long Island are adversely impacted by the “unique geography of the region” that somehow prevents them from striped bass fishing in waters that would otherwise be open to them.

The notion that there is something special about the waters north and west of Block Island made its way into the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking as well, which stated that

“The Transit Zone area is unique because it is a small area of Federal waters (Block Island Sound) substantially bounded by state waters (Long Island, New York on one side, Block Island, Rhode Island on another, and the mainland of Connecticut and Rhode Island on a third side.)”

“said this anomaly (15 miles from New York’s Montauk Point to Block Island and from Block Island to Point Judith, Rhode Island) only exists in this geographic area.  Not only does it take away from the Montauk fisherman, it takes away from the State of New York—150 square miles of geographic areas that we’ve had historicallyMost of the rips from midway to all the way north to what is know as the Alaskan rips are practically legal anyway…  [emphasis added]”
The MRAC bulletin noted that Capt. McBride later said

“The fish are a public resource for the State of NY and it doesn’t make sense to have 60% of the geographic area in this state denied to the citizens of the State.  This anomaly needs to be corrected.”
With those words, Capt. McBride both contradicted himself badly and made it abundantly clear that the effort to open the Transit Zone to striped bass fishing has nothing to do with Block Island or “unique” geography, and everything to do with just being able to catch striped bass in the EEZ.

One thing that people need to understand is that many Montauk boats never stopped fishing for striped bass in the EEZ, even when such fishing was outlawed.  The story of one such boat, which was stopped and boarded by the Coast Guard, was told in the Block Island Times, which reported that

“A National Marine Fisheries Service agent told Newsday, a Long Island newspaper, that the agency had a tip that Viking boats were fishing for bass in federal waters.  Two federal agents and two agents of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation signed up for an evening trip November 6, 2006, on the 140-foot Viking Starship.
“Captain [Steven] Forsberg took the vessel out to the Block Island Sound buoy, about eight miles off Montauk, the agents reported.  They watched as fishermen pulled in about 40 bass and verified the location with a global positioning system device…
“Federal and state officers were waiting when the Starship returned to its dock and questioned the crew, who claimed they had taken the fishermen within the state limit…
“NOAA charged Viking and Forsberg with illegally taking patrons to catch bass in federal waters, and charged Forsberg with making false statements to enforcement agents.”

“to open the Block Island Transit Zone to recreational Striped Bass fishing is of huge importance to our business and to the entire fishing fleet of the east end of Long Island.  The benefit to the economy of Long Island cannot be stressed enough.  We would be able to employ more people as we would expect to carry many more passengers and sail on more trips.  The increase in business would affect all the boats on Long Island and the positive effects would be felt by the tackle shops, marinas, hotels, stores, and restaurants.  The area known as the EEZ is a known striped bass fishing zone and people on all boats really want an opportunity to fish there.  [emphasis added]”
So there you have it, plain and simple, spelled out in black and white.

The effort to open the Block Island Transit Zone has nothing to do with “unique geography” or an “anomaly” that “only exists in this geographic area” because of Block Island.  In fact, it has nothing to do with Block Island at all.

The effort to open the Transit Zone is nothing more than a self-serving effort, on the behalf of the Montauk for-hire fleet, to reclaim their historic ability to fish in the “150 square miles of geographic area” that is now off limits to them because it lies in the EEZ.

It represents their effort to again fish in a series of offshore rips that “are practically legal anyway.”

It represents their desire to fatten their wallets by sailing “on more trips” and carrying “many more passengers” to “a known striped bass fishing zone” where they can kill even more striped bass than they already do.

In that desire, they are no different than captains sailing out of a lot of different ports between New Hampshire and North Carolina, who lost traditional fishing grounds, that they’d like to get back, when the EEZ closure was first imposed.

There is no logical reason why the Montauk boats should be treated any differently than boats from any of those other ports.

And therein lies the biggest reason why striped bass harvest should not be allowed in the Transit Zone.


3 comments:

  1. This proposal is the first in a series of actions to open the entire EEZ. As announced during the ASMFC Summer Meeting

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg_ZKbI6BEQ&feature=youtu.be

    the Secretary of Commerce has already begun exploring lifting the moratorium on fishing in the entire EEZ (46:45 minute mark of the recording).


    If this passes it will surely be a precursor to the opening of the entire EEZ.

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    1. Agreed. And that's a serious problem because, as this blog points out, there really isn't any significant difference between Montauk and anywhere else, and if the EEZ is opened off Montauk, it won't be long before other areas ask that their waters be opened, too.

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  2. Couldn't agree more. As a charter boat operator in Maryland and Virginia we also could extend our season by a couple of months if we were allowed to fish the EEZ off DELMARVA. But this short sighted approach would be devastating to the Coastal fish population. We are all being asked to take a 17% reduction in Striped Bass quotas for 2020. A hard pill to swallow but necessary. At least the Coastal boats have other things to fish for. Much of the Chesapeake Bay fleet rely on Striped Bass to make a living.

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