More Tuna This Weekend
"I'm going to order some butterfish bait," was the response of Tom Edwardes of the Montauk Marine Basin upon hearing that U.S. Congressman Michael Forbes had been successful at wringing an additional 10 metric tons out of the National Marine Fisheries Service's 1997 quota for school-size bluefin tuna.
The official announcement was published via fax yesterday morning. Effective tomorrow, angler, charter, and party boats may begin taking an additional 10 metric tons of large-school and small-medium bluefin measuring 47 to 73 inches long. Fisheries Service projections have the quota filled as of 11:30 on Oct. 19. The daily bag limit has been increased to two large-school (47 to 59 inches) and one small-medium (59 to 73 inches) per boat, per day.
The announcement arrived as angry charter and party boat captains had gotten to the point of planning a civil protest of Federal regulations.
Furious Fishing
On Oct. 1, the season on bluefin measuring 27 to 73 inches was closed to recreational fishermen. As of press time, anglers were not even allowed to catch and release smaller bluefin. Prior to the cutoff date, the daily bag limit was only one fish per boat per day.
The fishing over the weekend was so fast and furious that fishermen marking larger bluefin on their electronic fish-finding screens reportedly could not get their bait past the voracious schoolies.
Mr. Forbes said he hoped to get the fishing re-started by the Columbus Day weekend. And, he said, the daily bag would be increased to three fish, per boat, per day until the new quota was met.
"It's better than nothing," said Joe McBride, captain of the My Mate charter boat and president of the Montauk Boatmen and Captains Association. However, he said the Fisheries Service could have added the quota in time for last weekend.
Irksome Quota
"They did this to us for four years," he said, referring to closures of the school bluefin fishery before the fish migrated to within range of Long Island fishermen.
The closures have been especially irksome because the coastwide quota is divided between southern and northern fishermen. The bluefin reach southern anglers first and they have out-caught their quota, causing the northern quota to be closed early.
This year, New England fishermen caught up the northern share of small bluefin. Only within the past two weeks have large schools been found within 25 miles of Shinnecock and Montauk - just in time for the closure. "It's a problem of data collection," said Captain McBride, adding that the Fisheries Service was still unable to keep track of the landings in a way that allows for equal distribution of fishing opportunities.
While some offshore fishermen are trying to stay away from the bluefin, others are continuing to catch a shark or two. On Saturday, Allen Gregg aboard the Al's Girl Now fought a 228-pound mako to a standstill, but not before the beast jumped six times, once at least 10 feet in the air. John Ward and Kent Gaugler shared the excitement.
Big Bass
Inshore, boaters continued to catch bass, bluefish, and false albacore, but the beach had been quiet until Tuesday, when Fred Kalkstein of Amagansett, competing in the Montauk Locals bass tournament, landed a 34- and-a-half pound striper. Already in first place, Mr. Kalkstein held first and second spots on the leader board - but briefly.
Yesterday morning Bob Jones of East Hampton caught a 35-and-a-half pound bass, putting him in first place and dropping Mr. Kalkstein to second and third places. The two catches have put the noses of Montauk locals out of joint, seeing as how they named the tournament.
"They have knocked a chip off our shoulders," Joe Gaviola of Montauk said of the UpIslanders of whom he and other tournament organizers had allowed more this season.
