Yellowfin Tuna

Federal health regulators have linked a recent salmonella outbreak in several states, including 11 people infected in Maryland, to yellowfin tuna produced at a California company. Moon Marine USA Corp. of Cupertino, CA. , has voluntarily recalled more than 58,000 pounds of tuna labeled Nakaochi Scrape, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday.  Nakaocho Scrape is tuna backmeat with a ground up appearance that is scraped from the bones of the fish. The product isn't sold to individual consumers, but may have been used to make sushi, sashimi, ceviche and other dishes available at grocery stores and restaurants.

ON THE SITE... Light traffic reported on routes around JFX lane closures :  A Monday morning accident and stalled vehicle on the southbound Jones Falls Expressway  worsened a commute city transportation officials had already warned would be difficult because of planned lane closures. Traffic moved smoothly on alternate routes. Parsons' bail reduced in videotaped robbery case : A judge reduced bail for Aaron Parsons, a 20-year-old Rosedale man, from $1 million to $500,000 Monday.

Ocean City saw its first mako shark Memorial Day weekend. The charter boat Grand Slam, captained by Butch Davis, caught and released the first mako shark of the year. The shark was estimated at 30 pounds. The boat was trolling in the 500-fathom line in the Washington Canyon.Mako sharks, which generally turn up in June in this area, are related to the white sharks. They are usually caught by fishermen trolling at least 25 miles offshore. They are cobalt to blue-gray in color, streamlined, and are often seen feeding on the surface.

Federal health regulators have linked a recent salmonella outbreak in several states, including 11 people infected in Maryland, to yellowfin tuna produced at a California company. Moon Marine USA Corp. of Cupertino, CA. , has voluntarily recalled more than 58,000 pounds of tuna labeled Nakaochi Scrape, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday.  Nakaocho Scrape is tuna backmeat with a ground up appearance that is scraped from the bones of the fish. The product isn't sold to individual consumers, but may have been used to make sushi, sashimi, ceviche and other dishes available at grocery stores and restaurants.

The first white marlin of the season made their appearance here last week.The very first fish was caught and released by angler Brent Hofmann of Columbia aboard the Searoamer last weekend. Brent and his father and captain of the boat, Ron Hofmann, hooked the fish north of the Washington Canyon in 36 fathoms of water. They were trolling a ballyhoo for bait. That same weekend six other white marlin were caught.Anglers have been catching mako sharks for several weeks, luring them with whole mackerel baits, slabs of bluefish filet and whole bunker.

Federal authorities unveiled yesterday the first comprehensive management plan aimed at restoring dwindling Atlantic stocks of migratory fish such as swordfish, sharks, tuna and marlin.The National Marine Fisheries Service effort, an attempt to reverse years of overfishing of many ocean species, was described as a comprehensive process that involved more than 5,000 environmentalists and commercial and recreational fishermen who testified during 27 public hearings in the past six months.The managed species include Atlantic bluefin, bigeye, yellowfin, albacore and skipjack tuna, Atlantic swordfish and 72 species of shark in U.S. waters from Maine to Texas.

ON THE SITE... Light traffic reported on routes around JFX lane closures :  A Monday morning accident and stalled vehicle on the southbound Jones Falls Expressway  worsened a commute city transportation officials had already warned would be difficult because of planned lane closures. Traffic moved smoothly on alternate routes. Parsons' bail reduced in videotaped robbery case : A judge reduced bail for Aaron Parsons, a 20-year-old Rosedale man, from $1 million to $500,000 Monday.

The first white marlin of the season has been caught. Brent Hofmann of Ocean City ventured out to the Washington Canyon with his father, Capt. Ron Hofmann. They trolled an eel for bait from their boat Searoamer, out of Harbor Island. This first white marlin, which was about two weeks late compared with last year, weighed 70 pounds.Yellowfin tuna has showed up in numbers, proving that the water finally warming. Aileen and Ray Delario of South Bethany decided to spend their honeymoon fishing aboard the Grand Slam with Capt.

Summer fishing on the upper Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries usually is a steady stream of rockfish, catfish, perch and black bass. But over the weekend, three unusual catches were reported to the Department of Natural Resources.Charter boat captain Skip Slomski's party, after limiting out on rockfish over 30 inches near Belvedere Shoals, caught a 16-pound bluefish while fishing for catfish at Man 'O War Shoal.Dave Drexal of Pasadena was chumming for rockfish near Podickory Point when he caught a 48-inch, 70-pound black drum.

Offshore tuna fishing has been excellent. Last weekend, anglers found a huge school of bigeye tuna beneath floating debris northwest of the Washington Canyon. The fish were in 40 fathoms of water, and some weighed more than 100 pounds.Many boats caught two to four fish before leaving. Although there is no limit to the number of bigeye tuna an angler can keep, a 100-pound bigeye is still considered a baby fish, so conservation-minded anglers were using good sense.Anglers at the Jackspot are still doing excellent chunking for bluefin tuna with pieces of butterfish.

This weekend is perhaps the peak of tuna madness in the waters of the Atlantic off Ocean City, as the annual tuna tournament draws more than 500 anglers and 100 boats for three days of competition for the heaviest fish brought to the scales, the greatest total poundage and the most caught and released.But while a brisk breeze snapped the catch or release pennants flying from the outriggers of the sportfishermen tied up at the Ocean City Fishing Center on Friday, there was an air of concern among anglers along the docks.

Federal authorities unveiled yesterday the first comprehensive management plan aimed at restoring dwindling Atlantic stocks of migratory fish such as swordfish, sharks, tuna and marlin.The National Marine Fisheries Service effort, an attempt to reverse years of overfishing of many ocean species, was described as a comprehensive process that involved more than 5,000 environmentalists and commercial and recreational fishermen who testified during 27 public hearings in the past six months.The managed species include Atlantic bluefin, bigeye, yellowfin, albacore and skipjack tuna, Atlantic swordfish and 72 species of shark in U.S. waters from Maine to Texas.

Summer fishing on the upper Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries usually is a steady stream of rockfish, catfish, perch and black bass. But over the weekend, three unusual catches were reported to the Department of Natural Resources.Charter boat captain Skip Slomski's party, after limiting out on rockfish over 30 inches near Belvedere Shoals, caught a 16-pound bluefish while fishing for catfish at Man 'O War Shoal.Dave Drexal of Pasadena was chumming for rockfish near Podickory Point when he caught a 48-inch, 70-pound black drum.

Last Saturday was a big day for offshore fishermen. We have not had many good offshore days because of windy weather. As soon as fishing gets good, the wind seems to blow, and the boats cannot get out to that "hot spot" again the next day. This was the case on Saturday because by Sunday the winds were gusting and the small craft warnings were posted once again.The party boat MoJo with angler Ted Liebau of Woodbine enjoyed some of this fantastic fishing in the Baltimore Canyon. The boat landed a 99-pound wahoo, released two white marlin and one blue marlin, and caught two tuna.

Just in case you haven't noticed, the weather has been rotten for the past three weeks -- especially if you're an avid fisherman.A small cold front passes through Harford County nearly every afternoon, spawning dangerous lightning, severe thundershowers, high winds and at times, flash floods -- all the ingredients to make life miserable.The results of these persistent weather patterns are obvious, even to the casual observer.The Susquehanna River is a virtual sea of mud. Deer Creek, although somewhat clearer, is high, fast moving and difficult to fish, and most farm ponds are covered with a thick mat of algae.

Good reports of yellowfin and bluefin tuna fishing lured me aboard Captain John Runkel's Liquidator Too last weekend. Joining me was Sykesville's Bill May, and Bruce Williams and Bob Jones, both of Bethany, Del.The week before, my friend, Captain Dick Broden, had boated three yellowfins in the area of the Jackspot. This was the same day that Hampstead's Michael Wolinski, fishing aboard Captain Joe Drosey's Osprey, boated a 47-pound bluefin in the same area. A day or two later Harry, Eddie, and Dave Yingling joined Tom Bauerlien, Ray Dittmar and Dave Traenkuer, all of Hampstead, in combining to catch six yellowfins off the area known as the Hot Dog, while fishing aboard Captain Frank Pettolina's Last Call out of the Bahia Marina.

RESIDENT GOOSE SEASONMaryland will hold a hunting season for resident Canada geese Sept. 7-15 this fall, with hunters allowed three geese daily and a limit of six.The areas open to hunting will be the 14 counties west of the Chesapeake Bay.In addition to normal licenses and stamps, hunters will be required to carry a free September Canada goose seasonpermit, which is currently available from Department of Natural Resources offices.Hunters will be required to keep a daily log of hunting activities and to mail that report to DNR by Sept.

Last Saturday was a big day for offshore fishermen. We have not had many good offshore days because of windy weather. As soon as fishing gets good, the wind seems to blow, and the boats cannot get out to that "hot spot" again the next day. This was the case on Saturday because by Sunday the winds were gusting and the small craft warnings were posted once again.The party boat MoJo with angler Ted Liebau of Woodbine enjoyed some of this fantastic fishing in the Baltimore Canyon. The boat landed a 99-pound wahoo, released two white marlin and one blue marlin, and caught two tuna.

The first white marlin of the season made their appearance here last week.The very first fish was caught and released by angler Brent Hofmann of Columbia aboard the Searoamer last weekend. Brent and his father and captain of the boat, Ron Hofmann, hooked the fish north of the Washington Canyon in 36 fathoms of water. They were trolling a ballyhoo for bait. That same weekend six other white marlin were caught.Anglers have been catching mako sharks for several weeks, luring them with whole mackerel baits, slabs of bluefish filet and whole bunker.

Offshore tuna fishing has been excellent. Last weekend, anglers found a huge school of bigeye tuna beneath floating debris northwest of the Washington Canyon. The fish were in 40 fathoms of water, and some weighed more than 100 pounds.Many boats caught two to four fish before leaving. Although there is no limit to the number of bigeye tuna an angler can keep, a 100-pound bigeye is still considered a baby fish, so conservation-minded anglers were using good sense.Anglers at the Jackspot are still doing excellent chunking for bluefin tuna with pieces of butterfish.