Bluefish and Striped Bass are two iconic species that inhabit the waters around Long Island. They’re both top-tier predators integral to our marine ecosystem and prized targets for anglers throughout the northeast. Despite playing a similar role in the food chain, they are vastly different fish. I was lucky enough to speak with a handful of anglers that I have a lot of respect for in order to get a better idea of how blues and stripers are perceived by anglers and where the similarities and differences lie.
Read MoreThey go by many names - Bunker, Menhaden, American Sardine, Pogy (not Porgy!), Mossbunker, Bug-head, Fat-back. No matter the nomenclature, it is indisputable that these pedestrian-looking baitfish are an important cog in the machine of the marine ecosystem around Long Island. They filter our water, they are an amazing source of omega-3 proteins with a myriad of human-based uses and, perhaps most importantly, menhaden are the primary food source for a lot of our ocean’s top predators. As Paul Greenberg pointed out in his 2009 NY Times Op-Ed, “Nearly every fish a fish eater likes to eat eats menhaden”.
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