Fishing contest debate focuses on ray’s Chesapeake impact
WASHINGTON — Brutal and wasteful. That’s how supporters of a ban on a fishing tournament targeting the cownose ray describe annual contests that encourage participants to kill the rays that nurse their pups in the Chesapeake Bay.
But contest supporters say they’re needed to curb the ray population: Watermen insist the rays arrive in droves and scoop up oysters like vacuum cleaners.
Both sides testified in hearings before a Maryland Senate committee during the General Assembly session in Annapolis.
Dennis Fleming, who runs a fishing guide business, told lawmakers that “killing an animal for fun, and then throwing it into a dumpster to rot, goes against everything I’ve ever been taught about respect for the Chesapeake Bay.”
Why not make the fishermen process them and eat them? Ray is excellent food! There are plenty of organizations who would love to have this bounty of Nature given to them to feed our Vets, homeless, and for the food banks.
Many "scallops" served at restaurants are really ray wings. The use a cookie cutter to punch out round pieces of the wing and most customers have no clue what they are really eating.
First of all, has Dennis Fleming actually witnessed the dumpster throwing of rays? If a fisherman wants to do wanton waste, which is a crime in ALL states, all he has to do os weigh and photo it on the boat then toss it overboard and say he caught and released! Seems like a lot of extra work and risk of being caught to bring a bunch of rays to shore then tote them to a dumpster!
I think Mr. Fleming is a tree hugger that's never been fishing. PETA, anyone?
Why not make the fishermen process them and eat them? Ray is excellent food! There are plenty of organizations who would love to have this bounty of Nature given to them to feed our Vets, homeless, and for the food banks.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm missing something.....?
Most rays people eat are not cow nose....
DeleteBullnoses are destructive....but tasty! People don't know what they're missing.
ReplyDeleteThey are really good to eat.
ReplyDeleteMany "scallops" served at restaurants are really ray wings. The use a cookie cutter to punch out round pieces of the wing and most customers have no clue what they are really eating.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, has Dennis Fleming actually witnessed the dumpster throwing of rays? If a fisherman wants to do wanton waste, which is a crime in ALL states, all he has to do os weigh and photo it on the boat then toss it overboard and say he caught and released! Seems like a lot of extra work and risk of being caught to bring a bunch of rays to shore then tote them to a dumpster!
ReplyDeleteI think Mr. Fleming is a tree hugger that's never been fishing. PETA, anyone?
I keep hearing that old scallop story, but when Andrew Zimmern cooked ray's wings on his Bizarre Food show, the meat was red.
ReplyDeleteIf they were worth $20/lb., people would be poaching them like rockfish. Problem solved.
ReplyDelete