Don't really want to get into this fight...cause I really don't have the time that I need to dedicate to it, besides we went down this road last year...Stripa and Trad both know my feelings on the subject....I'd love to get with you Trad and sway you a bit...but you see what you see....I just recently got appointed to the ACCSP Bycatch committee (try figuring that one out)...and gillnets aren't the top offenders....there's much worse commercial fisheries out there....and Southern Shrimp is one of them...I use at least 5 different styles of gillnets and can selectively target different species by changing mesh size, location, drifting...setting etc....and in all cases bycatch is minimal....except gar...you can't keep a f#%king gar out of a gillnet.....
Anywhoo, these are all manned gillnets, I will agree there are issues with set gillnets....but I ain't going in to it...And studies have been done, however they were focusing on the bycatch of sturgeon.
And I agree with you Claimer....Shad nets aren't the problem....especially drift nets...I pulled drift nets for 5 years with out catching a single striper. Stripers have their own set of problems...bycatch alone isn't enough to severly depress their population.....Striper populations are depleted in rivers that have no gillnet activity.
Oh, and Claimer...those boats are specifically designed for running trammel nets, a highly adapted dual mesh gill net....Much different than standard gill nets....
Stripa, did you ever talk to Wally?
Bookmarks