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Commercial bass fishing season begins
Banner Daily Update posted Sat. July 14
By Kaimi Rose Lum
Banner Staff
The hunt for the elusive striper is on as commercial bass fishing season kicks off this week. Local fishermen are gearing up and heading out into the bay or motoring off into ocean waters on a quest to fill their daily quotas, a feat which some of the “regulars” managed to accomplish on opening day.
“A few guys already got their limit,” reported Tony Jackett, acting harbormaster at Pamet Harbor, the launching place of choice for a number of local small boat fishermen. The commercial season officially began on Thursday, July 12, and then went into a two-day lull before the second day of the season arrived on Sunday.
Commercial fishing for striped bass is allowed on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Fishermen are permitted to take up to 30 fish per day from Tuesday through Thursday and up to five fish on Sunday. Stripers must be 34 inches in length and may be taken by hook and line only — no spearing, netting or snagging allowed.
Initial reports of the quality of fishing were only moderate in their enthusiasm. “It’s been so-so,” said Truro fisherman Ray Duarte, who fishes with charter boat captain Eric Morea. “A lot of bluefish showed up.”
Commercial bass fishing season will end when this year’s quota of 988,807 fish is filled. According to the Mass. Div. of Marine Fisheries’ website, 456 stripers were landed on the first day of the season.
With the flurry of bass fishing activity came an increase in enforcement. Coast Guard boats and Environmental Police patrolling the waters off Chatham and Nantucket reportedly have fined several boat captains for fishing illegally in federal waters.
The recreational fishing of striped bass continues to be allowed on a daily basis. Recreational fishermen may take up to two fish, with a minimum length of 28 inches, per day.
For more on this story, see the July 19 Provincetown Banner.
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Jul 12th, 2007