May 28, 2013 — Recreational fishermen and charter captains here are reportedly experiencing one of their best spring seasons in years, thanks to a boom in the fish population off the North Shore coast.
Specifically, huge numbers of cod and haddock have been spotted in the coastal waters, an encouraging sign after the local populations of both fish dropped substantially in the past few years. And while commercial fishermen ar working under tight new constraints and landing cuts ordered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, those regulations do not cover the recreational fishing sector.
“We’ve seen an uptrend compared to the last four or five years,” said Chris Charos, whose family runs Captain’s Fishing Parties out of Plum Island. “We’ve seen a better spring as far as activity across the board from the first trip of the year to the present.”
The increase in fish activity could serve as a boon for local charter fishing boats. Charos said his boats have consistently seen a lot of fish on a daily basis since the beginning of this season, and Charlie Crocker, captain and proprietor of Mistie C Charters, said there have been a lot of keepers too.
None has been bigger, however, than the monstrous 42-pound halibut that Crocker helped one of his customers land a week ago Sunday.
Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times