January Winter Weather

GALE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM EST MONDAY OVERNIGHTW WINDS 20 TO 25 KT...BECOMING NW 25 TO 35 KT. SEAS4 TO 7 FT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT NEAR SHORE. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS WITH ASLIGHT CHANCE OF VERY LIGHT DRIZZLE EARLY THIS EVENING. Would you go fishing with that weather? Well we won’t either. I am heading home-after a slow January TAG and realizing more and more- what it meant to be here in the good years. Some of the commercial boats were discussing selling their boats due to the the poor fishing this year. The headlines are filled with bluefin news- One very positive outcome of being here is that we obtained over 70 DNA samples for the genetic analyses we’re conducting. We had great help from all the fishers who landed fish and the fish houses. We are working on sorting through the entire TAG data set to examine what populations we’re tagging (Gulf of Mexico or Mediterranean). OK- That’s it for now- Andre will keep us informed as he’s sticking around these parts. I am building a bumper sticker "Hatteras in 2009!" I am hoping for an echo of the mid- 1990s. That is the fish breeding now in the Gulf- this coming year and the past few- their young (those 30-150 lb fish we've been hearing about) - hopefully they will provide a banner set of fishing days a few years down the road- we all have to do our part to ensure these fish recruit into the fishery- protecting the spawners and the young fish will be key to ensuring the bluefin's future in the west.