Bunker raids by Massachusetts boats concerns DEP Charles Walsh, Correspondent Published: 07:07 p.m., Saturday, July 24, 2010
It was just about 10 years ago that former state Senator George "Doc" Gunther of Stratford finally suceeded in getting a law passed that banned commercial menhaden netters like Virginia-based Omega Protein from bringing their industrial-strength boats and massive purse seine nets into the Long Island Sound.
Since menhaden is probably the favorite food of striped bass and bluefish, it was a great victory for recreational anglers. But now a new battle over commercial menhaden netting, albeit on a smaller scale, is being played out.
Almost every day this summer, outboard-powered boats with Massachusetts registry numbers cruise around Black Rock harbor. Manned by two or three men, the boats use portable sonar to locate a bunk school in the harbor. Then, large 15-foot diameter-weighted cast nets are expertly tossed over the schools. When the nets are pulled in, more often than not they are full to overflowing with thrashing menhaden, known locally, of course, as bunker.
Estimates vary as to how many bunkers a single boat takes in a few hours of netting. Some say each boat takes 1,000 of the oily forage fish; others say it is closer to 4,000.
Whatever the actual number, chances are every one of those fish was taken illegally.
Once the storage lockers are full, the fish are iced and trailered to Massachusetts, where the bunker is sold to bait shops from Cape Cod to Cape Ann.
Thanks to that 2000 ban on the commercial large-scale purse seine netting, the summer population of bunker in Long Island Sound has stabilized, with small harbors like Black Rock's holding resident schools through the hot months. This contrasts with Massachusetts waters, where once-plentiful bunker schools are scarcer than porgies at a shark convention.
So where do the commercial Bay State netters come for their supply of bunker? Connecticut. Where else? Heck, it's just a one- or two-hour ride to those bunker-heavy Connecticut harbors.
The constant presence of the Massachusetts bunker boats has long annoyed local recreational fishermen, who use smaller cast nets to take a few bunker in the harbors for their daily trips in pursuit of bass and blues. Connecticut residents who sell bunker to local bait shops must have purchased a state license. These fishermen and bait shop owners fear that the huge numbers of bunker the Mass boats strip out of the harbors every day will decimate the finite number of bunker. There is some anecdotal evidence that it's already starting to happen. None of the Massachusetts netters appear to have bought state licenses.
The issue came to a head at the recent hearing on the proposed lobster-fishing ban at the Fayerweather Yacht Club in Black Rock, when local recreational fishermen cornered Dave Simpson, head of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection's Marine Division. The locals urged Simpson to use emergency powers to shut down the out-of-state bunker operations. Simpson said by law, such emergency action is limited to dangerous situations that threaten human life.
A few threats of violence against the Massachusetts netter were reportedly posted on free-for-all Connecticut Internet fishing forums.
Since that session, DEP wardens have visited the Black Rock to watch the Massachusetts boats in action. A state commercial license is required to sell bunker or any fish caught in Connecticut waters. So far, none of the unlicensed Massachusetts netters have been arrested, because there is no proof they are actually selling their catch. What else someone would do with a few thousand smelly baitfishes is hard to imagine.
Simpson said Friday that while he worries that setting a creel limit on bunker may be "over-regulation," the package of marine regulations he will present to the next session of the State Legislature will include a maximum limit on the number of bunker that can be taken in a single day by any individual, recreational or commercial.
"The big question," he said, "is just what should that limit be? Is it 100 bunkers? Fifty bunkers? And what about peanut bunker? There are a lot of unanswered questions."
The questions will be addressed in a series of public hearings to be conducted before the Legislature votes on the regulations next spring. Those hearings could be held some time this fall or winter.
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