CAC Presentation by John Bredemeyer
In an effort to provide information to those interested in helping remediate impaired Town Shellfish Lands, Southold Town Trustee, John Bredemeyer, will be making a brief presentation to the Southold Town Conservation Council at 4:30 PM on Wednesday May 11, 2011 at Down’s Creek Preserve, Cutchogue. Topics to be covered are: The Coliform Bacteria, The Involved Agencies, New water testing methods and a brief description of the Town’s MS4 program.
How many fish can you catch and keep?
‘Tis the season
Whether you’re casting off the beach, fishing from your kayak, 14’ Starcraft or a 36’ Off-shore Grady White, you need to be concerned with what and how many fish you can catch/keep. (If you are that lucky.)
NYS Fishing License not required BUT, National Saltwater Angler Registry IS!
New York State backed off the license requirements as a direct result of the actions of our Trustees and those of the other East End towns, but, you are required to have a Federal Registration card to fish for Striped Bass or fish in Federal waters from 3-200 miles offshore. Registration is free (this year) and can be done online at www.countmyfish.noaa.gov
Fishing for $
A week ago on September 22nd, Southold Town Trustee Dave Bergen posted this in our forum:
Jill Doherty, Jim King and I went before the Southold Town Board today to seek their support of our opposition to the new DEC salt water fishing license. For those not aware of it, Governor Paterson signed into law a bill requiring that all salt water anglers must pay for and obtain a salt water fishing license by October 1. Yes, as in next week everyone! While legislative attempts were made to delay the implementation of this bill until January 1, those attempts became stuck in committee up in Albany. So everyone over the age of 16 must have in their possession a salt water fishing license before they drop their lines into the water starting October 1. To make matters worse, while you must pay the full annual fee, the license runs out Dec 31 requiring you to pay the full annual fee and go through the registration process all over again for next year. While we support any program which supports the management of our valuable finfish stocks in the Peconic Estuary, the imposition of a mandatory license with an associated fee is quite simply another form of tax which will cause unnecessary hardship for Southold residents and non-residents who fish our bays. This program as currently designed is simply a money grab by Albany to help fill the financial black hole in the State budget.
Cuomo Sues Federal Government
NEW YORK, NY (June 23, 2008) – Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today
announced a lawsuit against the federal Department of Commerce for
violating federal law with its new limits on recreational catches of
summer flounder along the east coast. The suit charges that their
regulations will harm New York’s anglers and the recreational fishing
industry, without benefiting the long-term health of these popular
sport fish. Read More
Workshop Report: Environmental and Aesthetic Impacts of Small Docks
The stated purpose of the workshop was to make available to the public the latest info, scientific studies, experience and expertise of coastal resource managers of NOAA, because we of Southold Town are working together to address the challenges, needs, desires and rights of all to practice responsible stewardship and develop a long term strategy for managing the process of shoreline development and protection. I attended to bring back a report of what it was about, and here is what I got out of it:
County Bay Bottom Lease Hearing
A hearing was held by the committee drafting the county legislation to grant leases to aquaculturalists to grow oysters in some areas of Peconic and Gardiners Bays. The hearing was held at Riverhead Town Hall Thurs night, April 17th 2008, and baymen from all over Suffolk voiced their concerns over the lack of a provision to assess the natural clam stock on these leases, and the missing prohibition of hydraulic dredging on these leases where there are natural clam stocks.
It seems that an oyster farmer, before planting his oysters, hydraulically dredges the entire leased area. The purpose is to remove predators such as starfish and such. At the same time, the oyster farmer harvests all the natural clams in his leased area, at huge profit, and at the expense of the baymen and public. In addition to harvesting all the clams they didn’t buy from the county, the dredging operation completely destroys and denudes the bottom.
The aquaculturists said that they alone are responsible for our having ANY oysters after the die off on the 90′s, and that their farms provide good habitat for clams, scallops and fin fish. They say they are good stewards of their grounds and they represent the future of sustainable shell fishing.
The committee took the comments into consideration and will report their conclusions….stay tuned.