Killing the Cownose Ray

[AbuMasgouf]

Not to change gears here, but I split my fishing time between yak fishing and surf fishing. You think a CNR is a blast from the yak, try it on the beach with heavy equipment. Beached a few this past fall and what a blast it is fighting one of these bad boys to the beach. 20-40 minute fight, 40-70lb fish, and most importantly the reward of the release. Definitely the strongest of the ray family. As a fisherman, the fight, landing, and safe release of Gods creatures is a natural high not found elsewhere. Even though these creatures are not regulated it is up to each and every one of us fishers to education those who choice to destroy the intricate balance of nature. It is up to each and everyone of us to educate the public, our children and our grandchildren to respect what God has created. Remember, there is a reason for the decline of one species and the overabundance of another. The balance is intricate and delicate, Mankind and government will not succeed to change that balance no matter how much they attempt to do so. Respect, leading by example, and education of Gods creatures are our tools to pass on to others.

Amen

[Salty Dog]

Not to change gears here, but I split my fishing time between yak fishing and surf fishing. You think a CNR is a blast from the yak, try it on the beach with heavy equipment. Beached a few this past fall and what a blast it is fighting one of these bad boys to the beach. 20-40 minute fight, 40-70lb fish, and most importantly the reward of the release. Definitely the strongest of the ray family. As a fisherman, the fight, landing, and safe release of Gods creatures is a natural high not found elsewhere. Even though these creatures are not regulated it is up to each and every one of us fishers to education those who choice to destroy the intricate balance of nature. It is up to each and everyone of us to educate the public, our children and our grandchildren to respect what God has created. Remember, there is a reason for the decline of one species and the overabundance of another. The balance is intricate and delicate, Mankind and government will not succeed to change that balance no matter how much they attempt to do so. Respect, leading by example, and education of Gods creatures are our tools to pass on to others.

[AbuMasgouf]

Mustafa,
Thank you for the kind words. I am looking forward to meeting you and fishing with you. Jeremy thinks we will get along great. My grandmom would have liked your AbuMasgouf recipe. She was an adventurous cook and loved open fire cooking. I try to pass her lessons down to my children. Both of my girls know and live by her saying. I pray they become good stewards of this land.

Jeremy is a great brother. I am looking forward to meeting you as well bro . I pray your girls, my boys, and our collective children become good stewards of this land and it's inhabitants, both animals and people.

[Backdoc]

Mustafa,
Thank you for the kind words. I am looking forward to meeting you and fishing with you. Jeremy thinks we will get along great. My grandmom would have liked your AbuMasgouf recipe. She was an adventurous cook and loved open fire cooking. I try to pass her lessons down to my children. Both of my girls know and live by her saying. I pray they become good stewards of this land.

[AbuMasgouf]

She used to have a saying that I still use. "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without". I miss her.

Lessons like that are ageless and unfortunately becoming rare in our day. God bless her soul.

[Backdoc]

I too grew up with the "if you kill it you gotta eat it" rule. We ate all kinds of stuff I wouldn't necessarily choose to eat now: squirrels, carp, stringers of undersized bluegill, crayfish. My parents both survived post WWII Germany where food was scarce or non-existent, so the philosophy of utilizing everything was ingrained in me at an early age. Funny thing about the CNR article was the point that until a market is established for them they won't have any reason for establishing quotas. So chow down...I figure they probably taste like shark. We used to eat those too

My mom grew up in Ft. Ashby, W.Va. They were poor but according to my mom she didn't "know" she was poor because they ate well from what they farmed and killed/caught. My grandmom always saved tin foil and other things that didn't make sense to me when I was a kid. Now I get it. She used to have a saying that I still use. "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without". I miss her.

[jhoss]

I too grew up with the "if you kill it you gotta eat it" rule. We ate all kinds of stuff I wouldn't necessarily choose to eat now: squirrels, carp, stringers of undersized bluegill, crayfish. My parents both survived post WWII Germany where food was scarce or non-existent, so the philosophy of utilizing everything was ingrained in me at an early age. Funny thing about the CNR article was the point that until a market is established for them they won't have any reason for establishing quotas. So chow down...I figure they probably taste like shark. We used to eat those too

[YaknBass]

Dirty secret time: I was raised by a man who hunted and fished. My dad was born in 1933 and grew up dirt poor in Cumberland. His dad died when he was a young kid. He raised me to hunt and fish and we lived by one rule. If you kill it, you are going to eat it. It started when I got a Buck Daisy BB gun when I was five. I was not allowed to kill birds or other animals . When we hunted we ate what we killed. When we fished we kept what we needed. Long rant....the point is this. We caught a large ray near the Bay Bridge in the early 80's. My brother gaffed the ray in the wing near the head. My dad wrestled that beast into our 18 foot Chincoteage scow and home we went. We skinned the wings and used a piece of metal conduit to punch 3/4" circles of meat from the wings. My mom dredged them in bread crumbs and Old Bay and fried them in a skillet. THEY WERE EXCELLENT. Tasted like scallops. We never targeted them but our incidentals always ended up on the table.

i have heard exactly that, folks cut the wings similar to scallops and prepare them the same way... i have not caught a ray nor had the pleasure.

[Backdoc]

I like the eat what you kill mentality. I have heard that the cow nose rays are very bloody? Have you found this to be the case? I would eat one.

From what I can remember my mom soaked the "scallops" in salt water for about 20 minutes. I remember them being very good. I may keep one this coming summer just for nostalgia. I will try to replicate what my mom did with it and see how it turns out. I don't remember the wing meat being bloody but who knows, I was 12 years old.

[jsquare]

Dirty secret time: I was raised by a man who hunted and fished. My dad was born in 1933 and grew up dirt poor in Cumberland. His dad died when he was a young kid. He raised me to hunt and fish and we lived by one rule. If you kill it, you are going to eat it. It started when I got a Buck Daisy BB gun when I was five. I was not allowed to kill birds or other animals . When we hunted we ate what we killed. When we fished we kept what we needed. Long rant....the point is this. We caught a large ray near the Bay Bridge in the early 80's. My brother gaffed the ray in the wing near the head. My dad wrestled that beast into our 18 foot Chincoteage scow and home we went. We skinned the wings and used a piece of metal conduit to punch 3/4" circles of meat from the wings. My mom dredged them in bread crumbs and Old Bay and fried them in a skillet. THEY WERE EXCELLENT. Tasted like scallops. We never targeted them but our incidentals always ended up on the table.

I like the eat what you kill mentality. I have heard that the cow nose rays are very bloody? Have you found this to be the case? I would eat one.

[Backdoc]

Dirty secret time: I was raised by a man who hunted and fished. My dad was born in 1933 and grew up dirt poor in Cumberland. His dad died when he was a young kid. He raised me to hunt and fish and we lived by one rule. If you kill it, you are going to eat it. It started when I got a Buck Daisy BB gun when I was five. I was not allowed to kill birds or other animals . When we hunted we ate what we killed. When we fished we kept what we needed. Long rant....the point is this. We caught a large ray near the Bay Bridge in the early 80's. My brother gaffed the ray in the wing near the head. My dad wrestled that beast into our 18 foot Chincoteage scow and home we went. We skinned the wings and used a piece of metal conduit to punch 3/4" circles of meat from the wings. My mom dredged them in bread crumbs and Old Bay and fried them in a skillet. THEY WERE EXCELLENT. Tasted like scallops. We never targeted them but our incidentals always ended up on the table.

[AbuMasgouf]

I'm in agreement with Cowpokey. Regardless how annoying it may be to hook into one and lose a lure or worse, killing it and tossing it aside seems like a waste of a life. When we become the judge and jury of which creatures are "good" and which are "bad" we end up playing God with an ecosystem whose nuances we don't fully understand. I'm still convinced that the invasive species with the worst impact on the bay is us. Let Mother Nature balance things out.

Sorry about the rant

Not a rant, rather, a just statement. I completely agree "When we become the judge and jury of which creatures are "good" and which are "bad" we end up playing God with an ecosystem whose nuances we don't fully understand."

[Mark]

Cownose rays were problematic in the Chesapeake Bay even 400 years ago.

History buffs may be interested in the "Cool Facts" section of this article.

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/a...es/cownose-ray

Kill all they want but they shouldn't dump them but find a place that uses the meat.

CNRs tear up the grass beds and eat a lot of crabs not good for the bay.

[jsquare]

We already played god and killed all the sharks. Now we have a ray problem.

Yep. Much like wolves and deer, sharks keep the ray populations in check.