One problem of buying fish is the source where the fish came from. Lots of people fish the areas coming out of Onondaga lake that are full of sunfish, how would you like your next perch or panfish dinner coming from there?This is where the $100.00 hook and line commercial license would help. The unethical scum bags who knowingly fish those waters (even though the consumption ban has been lifted for years) are the same ones who would never buy a $100.00 license and have their catches recorded and monitored. Another thing is unscrupulous fish buyers , like Lake fish was in the 80's buying up eels and sending them to Canada to sell as foodstuffs. You get a lot of corruption that way as well. Some smaller waters cannot handle the impact of perch or panfish selling at all, I say keep it in the Great lakes. It is a fact that $$$ fishing decimated the perch population in the 80's on Oneida, and since lake fish closed the perch have never been better. That statement is ABSOLUTELY FALSE and it can be veryfied by speaking directly to the biologists who've monitored and studied the lake for years. Lars Ruudstam would be a good start if you want the solid FACTS. Year after year of low water levels after the early 80's bonanza was the biggest factor in the declining perch populations. I can't remember the numbers but the perch population was in the "Millions" back then and it was quoted by the biologists that in no way possible, could hook and line fishing/selling hurt the perch fishery on Oneida. What you fail to mention is that while the heyday of fish selling was in full swing, there were mom and pop bait shops and other businesses all over the area that were beneficial for the local economies. Where are they now ? And it's not because the Wal Marts and Bass Pro Shops. The bottom line is that Hook & Line commercial fishing has NEVER been detrimental to the waterways of New York State. Maybe some small ponds have been beaten to death buit again, it's the few unethical scum bags who do this. Every year the perch get bigger, and you can limit out out on those tasty jumbos.Thank the Zebra Mussels for that !A friend of mine sold some sunfish locally here in the area, and he brought 85 of them to the shop. Doesn't make a difference if he brought 850 sunfish into the shop. The NYS law states that fish that are legal to sell can be transported in any number........Period ! [/b] He made like he caught them all, And what point was he trying to prove by doing that ?which he did not. He sold them for 28 dollars or something thereabouts. The guy who bought the fish who is new to the business said, "I'll buy fish like that from you all day", wink wink. Again, what are you trying to prove ? It's not up to the fish buyer to determine if the fish seller is a pirate or not. Too many variables involved . If someone walked into my shop with 85 big sunfish, I'd say I'll buy fish from you like that all day as well ! It's legal....and the law ! He is on this forum sometimes, and he knows what i'm talking about. Just a matter of time before they get him on a shady deal. Now you're reaching for something that isn't there. Maybe you should park outside of his door and monitor every fish seller who comes in and inform them of your intent and opinions. It's totally legal to protest in this state so start waving your signsIt's all bad business I think, Really ? Seems more like an uneducated guess to me !unless it's in lakes that can handle it. If someone posts in a dumb way that he is killing sunfish in a small pond or something here. Key word DUMB The money guys will clean it out in a week, that's why the crappie fisherman are so darn secretive.So now you're accusing every crappie fisherman of seeling their fish illegally ? Open you eyes ! It's more about protecting private access and saving the fishery from the unethical scum bags who'll exploit it. Can't say I never sold a fish to Lake fish as a kid to buy gas and bait, and or some beer. But I was 16-18 years old at the time, and we all grow up. Eat those sunfish and perch I say, or give them to grandma or the old lady next door. What's the difference ? They're still being taken out of the system ! Do you actually believe that if you give 50 perch or sunfish to a little old lady that the ecosystem will recover faster and be happy ! They will appreciate them a lot more than the cat food companies. Right ! And Grandma and the other little old ladies are going to hire you and pay your salary when you need a job too !! Those cat food companies are huge employers and are part of the economic circle that keeps people employed. Lots of old fishermen here and there who don't fish anymore, give them the extra perch you get. Better yet go down to the local VFW and put on a perch fry for the old farters. Finally......something that makes sense !cny
it seems pretty hush hush right now... ill wait for more info. before i make an opinion... i also have used that bait shop on my way to south bay
There is nothing wrong with perch fishing except the limits on their catch. Perch are so prolific that if you do not take enough of them they will stunt down. Perch feed on the fry of themselves and walleye etc. The limit should be what you need and can clean yourself. As far as selling them, this nation imports 3 trillion dollars of seafood annually. How about allowing America to buy American fish which belong to everybody, not just license buyers? The DEC knows that the walleye fishing declines when the perch are out of control. Lake Simcoe in Canada put a 50 perch limit on it and license sales dropped 6500 licenses. The perch stunted down and 50 perch would not fill a 5 gallon bucket. Lake Erie gill nets were stopped in 1986. We failed to have a good walleye hatch in the Eastern Basin till 2003. You have to remove the perch to have good walleye and perch fishing.
When all is said and done, we'll find that the issue will have been that Lenny was being watched and charged for dealing in illegal crappies. Even though it's not his responsibility to police his customers, the issue will be that he was buying crappies from New York fishermen with a Vermont fishing license. These guys catch crappies in Champlain and Saratoga and sell them to Lenny and tell him they were caught in Vermont and all they have to do is show their Vermont fishing license to make the sale legitimate.....ot what they believe to be legitimate. This has been going on since they made the crappie a game fish back in early 90's (size and number limits)It created a HUGE black market that is still present today and it's a market that is fueled by demand. I've known Lenny for more than 25 years. Honeys Bait & Tackle has been a huge benefit to the local economy out there but instead of helping these small businesses stay fluent, the Gov't / DEC tries to sink them every chance they get when there are real violators of much more serious laws that always seem to go overlooked / unseen This whole fish buying situation could be a benefit to the states economy if they'd just open their eyes and do what's right. NY should offer / require a $50 to $100 Hook & Line commercial fishing license with a card system just like food stamps or public assistance. You can't sell fish unless you have the card and it needs to be swiped through a scanner for every sale ! # .1, this would eliminate much of the riff raff who fish and sell illegally from coming into these bait shops to sell their fish as most of them are too cheap to buy a commercial license and/or they won't buy one because they're collecting disability, SSI, Welfare, Unemployment and fear of loosing their gravy benefits. It would take a huge burden off the bait shop owners backs plus, it would allow the DEC to monitor the amount of fish (different species) being sold which would help them in their research. Maybe a small fee from each fisherman's catch and from each dealer from every sale could go to restocking programs or habitat improvement programs for the waters where the fish are being taken ! I know it's adding more laws/fee's to the books and I hate the thought of it but they could be laws/fee's that help both the fishermen/women who never sells a fish to the guys who sell everything (Within the Legal Limits) that they catch. Having been part of the fish buying/selling system for many years, I see things from both sides of the fence. Good and bad on both sides. The one thing that would be bad for both sides is if they totally ban the sale of all fish. Not only would it have an impact on the quality of the fishing that we have here in New York but it would create a black market so big that the DEC could never control it and by their track record in recent years, they're not know for their stellar performance in enforcing the fish laws "according to the book".
Whiners and snitches ....... Mostly its all about jealousy. They will whine OHHHH the Fishery .....Oh the Fishery .....But mostly they are just upset they can not catch the same amount of fish.
