Kevin Wark is the owner and operator
of the gillnetter "Endeavor" [ ]that
fishes out of Barnegat Light. Depending on the season - and the market
demand - he targets weakfish, bluefish, monkfish or shad. He occassionally
sets his nets for bonito as well, and will often net menhaden for a small
but lucrative striped bass rod and reel bait market on Long Beach Island
(in the photo above he is disentangling a small striped bass, a fish which
it is illegal to buy in New Jersey, from his net prior to releasing it).
Limiting his fishing effort to day trips, in the off-season in New Jersey
he has moved his boat to and fished out of Ocean City, Maryland in the
past.
When he's not fishing, Kevin is likely to be found in one of a number
of conference centers between Washington, DC and Boston, acting in
his capacity as an industry advisor to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council, the New England Council, the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council
or the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission on weakfish, shad, monkfish
and bluefish. Along with the other industry members who have gotten heavily
involved in the management system, he does so because he realizes how important
informed and equitable regulations are to the future of commercial fishing. |
