Ever wonder where the bunker have gone!

[CapeMayRay]

Last week there were vast schools of bunker off Cape May Inlet 4 to 7 miles off the beach. We never have a problem with our local bait boats, they fish it but never destroy it.

With less species to fish for many boats up and down the coast have turned to the bunker fishery. The local fish plant down here has a couple of extra boats working it this year, and we have some big boats down from I believe Maine working our schools and the Reduction Fleet from the south, one of which I believe can hold 2.2 million pounds with the others holding over a million pounds.

It is all legal as the fish are in Federal waters. Years ago the bunker migrated along the beach and mostly inside state waters where only local boats could fish. Outside the 3 miles they are fair game for any boats from any state.

After a week of 9 or 10 boats pounding there isn't much left. Last I heard those schools are no more as they have taken it down to almost nothing. Fishermen need it for bait and chum. The reduction boats grinding it up for fertilizer, feed, etc. seems to be the real problem.

No wonder stripers have to eat weakies, blues and anything else they can catch as there natural food is not there in any quanity.

[fishincrazy]

They've gone to BENSONS!!!!!:D

FC:D

[eelball]

It sucks. We need some consistant westerly's so the bunker are tight to the beach. I saw the bunker boats last week. There are still some hefty schools in tight though. Saw lots of them yesterday.

[SJBassAssassin]

Saw four big boats off of SIC and Avalon yesterday. One was from up north, maine,largest fishing boat I have seen in Jersey. And it was loaded down for sure.

[fdformicola]

they should limit their catch the same way they have put limits on us. They limit us to protect our fish numbers so it only makes sense to limit the catch of one of their main sources of forage. More food, more fish and more bigger fish for everyone

[mattlist]

Saw four big boats off of SIC and Avalon yesterday. One was from up north, maine,largest fishing boat I have seen in Jersey. And it was loaded down for sure.

That truely blows. I thought the wind pushed them down and off last weekend or that maybe the chop was too high and they were a few feet below the surface. If they are all in the nets then it will screw alot of variables up. That boat from Maine prob runs right down the coast with them.

How do most of the baitshops guys purchase bulks of bunker? From large companies or local fisherman?

[CapeMayRay]

I believe they get them from local companies where the bait is brought in. Don't think they get them direct from the boats as they are under contract to bring it in to the shipping or packing house where they dock.

[BILLY P.]

Very good post why arent the regulations on commerical strict i have never seen a boat pulled over or boarded in my life. I guess this isnt done on the water . Like us!!!!

[Fly Ty R]

They've gone to BENSONS!!!!!:D

FC:D


It's Betsons.

Yes, that commercial was DRILLED into my brain in the 80's too.... ;)

[Franks Seaswirl]

I guess that explains why I say a huge slick of dead bunker 6 miles off of Wildwood yesterday. How does this happen? Who can monitor this waste?

[Paul Tripodi]

Isn't there a cap on comm. harvest on bunker now ?

Or is that just on the chessy ?

I think I remember reading that in the New Jersey Angler a year or two ago that they were going to start easing more and more regs in.

But if that is why I could not find bunker out front this past Saturday, That su$ks !

[candyman]

OMEGA PROTEIN CORP Company Description


Omega Protein is the alpha dog of the fish-meal industry. With four US processing plants, a fleet of 59 fishing vessels, and 32 spotter aircraft, the company is the largest US producer of fish meal and fish oil, both of which are derived from menhaden (an inedible fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico and along the East Coast). Animal-feed makers and livestock ranchers use Omega Protein's fish meal for protein additives in feed, while the fish oil is used in Europe in margarine and shortening and for industrial uses. Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids (reputed to provide health benefits), fish oil is also used as a food supplement.

[CapeMayRay]

Omega Protein is a total waste of good bait fish with other means to make the same products.

Don't believe there are any limits on the amount that can be harvested by commercials in the ocean.

When the set on the bunker, some of the bigger boats can get a few hundred thousand pounds on one haul. Sometimes some bulge out of a packed net, holes, etc. There is always going to be some sort of waste.

If they just harvested them for bait and chum it would be too bad.

[Working Class Hero]

This is really a shame! Every report worth anything states that schools of big bunker equal big numbers of big stripers!!
The first time I saw it was back in 1975! I was employed at the late, great Magnesite Plant at Cape May Point. I was taking a smoke break on the outfall pipe when I saw a spotter plane and a big school of bunker only 100' from shore. The big boat was 2 blocks off the beach and then two small boats ran right up against the Magnesite pipeline putting a huge net into the water around the school. They pulled the net together and dragged it to the big boat. It looked like a big vaccum cleaner hose that sucked tons of bunker into the big boat.
Even back then we knew it was horrible. It was a little too far to hit them with rocks, so my coworker friend suggested that we should bring a 22 to work and shoot the netters when they came close!
McRenolds only caught that big striper in Atlantic City because the huge bunker schools would migrate just off the beach. They are gone now! These tiny schools of "peanuts" are only 1% of what they used to be.
Dogs would be healthier if they put some veggies in the stinkin' dog food!!
This is such a shame, but with the way things are going, I'm surprised any bunker still exist in the ocean.
I have to also say: In the late 70's the mackerel would arrive in such huge numbers just before the weakfish. All the headboats would fill the boat with them. A metal jig on the bottom with 3 small plastic tubes on a hook would usually get 3 or 4 mackerel on every cast. We let the Russian factory boats use their high tech fishing to wipe the mackerel off the face of the earth!! Gone!!!! no return for 30 years!
Porgies and seabass....... what every headboat went after years ago. Now 1% of what they were.
Flounder........ 30 years ago you could catch 100 big flounder in the canal!!! There used to be green grass on the canal sides, and the flounder were "thick as theives" there. CMP at the concrete ship..... easily 100 keeper flounder bumping bucktails on the bottom.
Things have changed, and the bunker are struggling just like all the other fish.

Sorry, vent over!

[Tuna]

good timing.
My sister was in Wildwood yesterday. She said there was a huge boat just off the beach most of the day. She could not figure out what he was doing. I guess you naled it, netting bunker!

[granpafish]

Saw 5 of the Reedville fleet at the mouth of the bay heading toward home on Monday. They all looked to be loaded down.

[Franks Seaswirl]

There were at least a 6 boats on Monday 6 miles off Wildwood. One very large Red boat. it looked like the one that ties up near the dollar bridge going in to Cape may.

[eelball]

OMEGA PROTEIN CORP Company Description



Omega Protein is the alpha dog of the fish-meal industry. With four US processing plants, a fleet of 59 fishing vessels, and 32 spotter aircraft, the company is the largest US producer of fish meal and fish oil, both of which are derived from menhaden (an inedible fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico and along the East Coast). Animal-feed makers and livestock ranchers use Omega Protein's fish meal for protein additives in feed, while the fish oil is used in Europe in margarine and shortening and for industrial uses. Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids (reputed to provide health benefits), fish oil is also used as a food supplement.




I'm pretty sure good ole' president bush has his hands in that. I could be wrong.

[RyanF]

Doesnt it seem like everytime there is an up-cycle on anything, there are people willing and ready to rape it back into submission? In the past couple of years we have seen the bunker schools grow larger and larger, I guess they finally got numerous enough to warrant attention from the distant fleets.

How do local commercial fisherman take to the increased competition?

RyanF

[Rock&Roll4]

How many other fish like stripers are killed when they do this?:mad:

[smellinfishy]

Doesnt it seem like everytime there is an up-cycle on anything, there are people willing and ready to rape it back into submission? In the past couple of years we have seen the bunker schools grow larger and larger, I guess they finally got numerous enough to warrant attention from the distant fleets.

How do local commercial fisherman take to the increased competition?

RyanF

Ask Fishpicker!!!
Calling for Marty on this one:huh:

[villasbill]

That red boat might have been the a local boat,the Dyrsten. Friend of mine used to work on that one,I think the bunker the catch is sold to whoever who resells them for bait for chunking,etc. I don't think they sell them to the reduction industry,but I could be wrong.

villasbill

[villasbill]

Oops-correction. My buddy worked on a bunker boat but I don't think it was the Dyrsten. The bunker boat was smaller and I think it had a net boat also.
Not sure but I think that the local bunker boats are smaller and sell their bunker for bait,Fishpicker would probably know that.
The Dyrsten is more for squid,mackeral,etc.

Working Class Heroe-- I might know you.Lived in WCM around that time,was in my teens but knew some of the guys that worked there-Bob Hedley(sick pup!),Joe Smith,Ken Mcourt,Franny Perk,etc. I think about half the guys in West Cape May worked there and one time or another.

villasbill

[AKscuba713]

Wanted to jump in on this....

I work on my uncle's boat occasionally (Some of you may know capt John Breitling, Sea tiger outta Barnegat Light). We run out usually hoping to get croakers, but we had more bunker then anything in the net last time I went out on the boat. Now my uncle doesn't do this fulltime, I dont either(just go out to get out on the water and enjoy the day) so we don't rely on these fish for a source of income. When we had 100 pounds of bunker in the net we tossed em in the back of the truck and went right to Barnegat light bait and tackle with em. I took a few home myself for chunking.



So all of you now know at least one netter out there isn't turning them into fertilizer, they go right to those who buy bait at BLB&T nice and fresh :)

[splions]

The boats come in to the Narragansett Bay up here in RI and are allowed to take half of the fish! This has happened in the past two years when the menhaden have finally come back in. The fishing was excellent last fall. This fall there haven't been any peanut bunker in the bay and now the fishing has been slim to non-existent...:mad:

Think they had an effect? :(:mad::(

[FisherMan120]

It's been like this in Raritan bay the whole year :/