27
April
2009
Bunker
Bunker is the name given to Atlantic Menhaden. Menhaden range from Nova Scotia to Eastern Florida. They can be found in coastal estuaries outwards to the continental shelf.
Menhaden are filter feeders, straining microscopic plankton, algae, etc. from the water as they swim through open-mouthed. Due to their feeding habits, they must be caught by a cast net, or snagged using a weighted treble hook. They will never bite a baited hook. Adult menhaden average 12 to 15 inches in length, and from two-thirds to one pound in weight.
The menhaden spawn in the open ocean. Their eggs are buoyant and don’t hatch for about 75 days. Eggs and larvae wash into coastal bays and estuaries which provide nurseries for the menhaden. In the fall, after they have grown to peanut bunker size, they migrate out into the ocean in sizeable schools which attract gamefish like striped bass and bluefish. Blitzes seen along the coast are many times due to striped bass and bluefish feeding on the schools of menhaden.
Menhaden are the main source of protein for striped bass growing up in the Chesapeake Bay. However, commercial reduction boats operating out of Virginia, harvest vast amounts of menhaden from the Chesapeake Bay every year, creating a large decline in menhaden populations in these waters. It is believed that the present low numbers of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay may be affecting the health of the bay’s striped bass population. Striped bass presently found in the bay, weigh 30 percent less than the historic weight by the time they reach 18 inches in length.
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27
April
2009
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE NORTHERN COD ) - Debbie MacKenzie
Perhaps the most dramatic example of a collapsing fishery is the story of the Northern Cod. When the first European settlers came to North America, the waters were apparently alive with cod. There are accounts of ships having had their progress slowed by the abundance of fish in the water, and cod were so easy to catch that a basket merely had to be lowered into the sea. Whether or not these incidents were exaggerated, the Northern Cod sustained a major fishery in the Northwest Atlantic for centuries, and it was the mainstay of the economy of the province of Newfoundland. (This history has been nicely documented in a recent book entitled Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky.) An article on the internet that summarizes the history of the northern cod fishery can be read at: www.greenpeace.org/~comms/cbio/cancod.html In the last half of the twentieth century it became increasingly difficult to catch enough cod. A decade ago the (Newfoundland - Grand Banks) stock had suffered such a serious decline that it was considered to have collapsed and the fishery was closed in 1992. The plan was to give the fish a few years to recover, and then presumably fishing could be restarted and it would be business as usual. The expected recovery has not happened. The loss of the traditional cod fishery has resulted in a major economic crisis for Atlantic Canada. Much blaming and finger-pointing has been done in efforts to explain what went wrong. (A good recent example of this is found in the book Lament for an Ocean: The Collapse of the Atlantic Cod Fishery: A True Crime Story by Michael Harris.) Blaming individual politicians, scientists, and fishermen is pointless. No-one really understood the system and what was happening to it. The worst part of the Northern cod story is this: despite almost eight years of relief from fishing, the cod stock on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, formerly an incredibly rich fishing ground, CONTINUES TO DECLINE. Surveys have been done yearly, and the abundance of the cod is less each year. “Weight-at-age” remains at an all time low. The few cod that are there are only little ones - virtually none older than 5 years were found in 1999. Cod mature at three years, so in a situation of adequate feeding (and no fishing), significant reproduction should have taken place by now….but it has not. Why the continued decline? Why cannot cod grow to larger sizes? It is because this area of the ocean offers a prime example of the STARVING MARINE ECOSYSTEM. The cod are starving. And continued fishing in the area (now mainly for plankton-feeding shrimp) further depletes the ecosystem as a whole, ensures the continued decline of the groundfish, and helps to seal the fate of the northern cod. They are clearly headed for extinction…and if we continue our present practices many other marine species will soon follow.
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26
April
2009
due to technical difficulties we only have the end of the show …….
its all we could save there may be more if we can find the rest ……..
tom does his best to give you the fish and farmmmm report
from peace gate farm in tisbury mass.
tom discusses dogfish, tomatoes , scup and much more………
please stay tuned for more exciting fun next week ………
produced by
the mike mayrand group l.l.c.
mmayrand@aol.com for comments or info
aquinnah mass..
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25
April
2009
cosmic soup , bole weavels , pirates , wheat and rye ………..
uncle tom osmers will enchant your day with his humor and wit……….
tune in every friday to hear tom live or enjoy the mans news right here ……..
its free and its the freshest show on earth…………
the fish and farm reports with captain tom
wvvy 93.7 fm low power community radio
on the island of marthas vineyard mass.
edited and produced
by
mike mayrand unlimited
aquinnah
namaste
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25
April
2009
heres………… tommy
sit back and let the show begin……….
its your favorite son the captain mr. tom osmers
west tisburys very own………………….
from the island of marthas vineyard mass.
tommy will spawn all the latest news and fishing info for the week………..
the spring is springing so relax a while as mr. oz
will talk you right thru it no worries ……………………
cause its the friday fish and farmmmm report live………..
every friday @ 4:20 pm
or as close as we can get…………
thanks for tuning in
mike
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25
April
2009
tommy diggin deep deep down into the bunker he goes to bring you all the news………
fish and farm reports direct from wvvy 93.7 fm.
local and international news live from the peace gate farm in tisbury mass.
on marthas vineyard island
produced and edited
by
m.e.m. studios
aquinnah mass.
available on itunes as podcast free 24/7
search mike mayrand
comments
mmayrand@aol.com
thanks for caring
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19
April
2009
some pictures by mike mayrand unlimtied
aquinnah mass.
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19
April
2009
off the new cd “im not dreaming ” recorded live from the inland empire……..
deep in the desert of coachella valley calif.
music by mike mayrand inc.
2009
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19
April
2009
pictures of fish in the surf and on the land
photos by mike mayrand studios
aquinnah mass. 2009
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18
April
2009
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