Bluefish size5/27/2023 ![]() ![]() More concerning is the report circulated at the current, annual global climate talks in Madrid. Some believe that increasing ocean temperatures are to blame, causing bluefish to migrate to waters farther north. Last year also marked the lowest commercial harvest for bluefish. Moreover, AFSMFC reported that bluefish harvested in 2018 were “considerably smaller” in body weight than those harvested in 2017. But by 2018, it was dramatically lower recreational fishing harvested 13.5 million pounds of bluefish. Back in 1986, an astonishing record of 151.5 million pounds of bluefish were taken by recreational anglers on the East Coast. ![]() Indeed, the eastern Pacific Ocean is one of the very few areas of the world that bluefish don’t inhabit. Recreational fishing accounts for 87% of the bluefish taken from marine waters.īluefish are not found off the West Coast of the United States. Reading between the lines, the unintended story is this: bluefish are another natural resource that we have over-harvested, in this case mainly by recreational fishing. It can be said that the recent DEC gathering in Setauket took a similar, hapless direction - likely too little, too late. Checking their website at tells quite a story, but maybe not the story they intend. And when you see the numbers the DEC throws around, maybe it’s another case where “we have seen the enemy, and they are us.”Īre the regulators of our bluefish missing the boat? It’s not only the State DEC, but regulators and policy makers for the multi-state fisheries, such as the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). Some strict limits are in store for how many can be fished. But at a recent meeting in Setauket, hosted by the State DEC, there was confirmed what many have regrettably noticed of late: that bluefish have come close to disappearing altogether. Where have all the bluefish gone? And through generations, how much a part of our very culture have they become?įishing for bluefish, or just watching their frenzy in the water, has been as much a part of life on Long Island as our farms, beaches, pine barrens and vineyards. ![]()
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