The apparent result of discards from trawlers operating in the area. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. According to the Marine Fisheries Division of the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources, has a 300,000 fish limit for their commercial striped bass fishery. The gill netters get their 100,000 in December, the beach haul seiners get theirs in January and the trawlers are allowed to land 100,000 rock in February. The larger the fish, the more money it will bring at the dock.
Trawlers catch all sizes of fish.
When they are dumped on the deck, the small ones end up as by-kill and are dumped at sea while the largest ones go to market. Commercial fishermen fish for money and are not going to voluntarily take a pay cut. Until the striped bass is made a game fish like the largemouth bass, the slaughter and waste of this valuable public natural resource will continue to be squandered, for just a few dollars more. Another equally serious problem is the lack of the predominate food source for the saltwater striped bass fishery - menhaden. Both the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic coast landing of Atlantic menhaden were at the lowest point in recorded history last year.