The Ghosts of Cape May: Recovering Weakfish with Dr. Jessica Gorzo of NJDEP

In This episode I interview Dr. Jessica Gorzo, NJDEP weakfish population stock assessment scientist. We talk about the historic cultural significance of these regal sportfish and how they shaped New Jersey shore towns. I talk about my own treasured experiences with weakfish chasing them as a child in capemay in the 1990s and then watching their populations crash and fall off a cliff. Its this crash which is the majority of our discussion as we explore the reasons behind what some scientists call the greatest mystery in Atlantic marine biology. We talk about possible factors for the reasons these fish gonout to open ocean and seem to just disappear. Stripers, bottle nosed dolphin, spinny dogfish, and bluefish have all been suspected but unproven. We will talk about bycatchint in trawler netting, changes to forage base, and havitat changes in costal estuaries as we try to get to the bottom of why these fish have declined from their former glory. We also talk about the micro increase in their populations, talk about anecdotal fishint reports and ask are there reasons for optimism in the future or not? #weakfish #saltwaterfishing #saltwaterflyfishing #seatrout #fortescue Check out my Fly Fishing After Dark Column in Dark Skies Fly Fishing Magazine! https://darkskiesflyfishing.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorsfzId4xoY6sTFNaqpnzjprpwhEVD11uUQKhY5WZJ8MjrYDtS2 Check out UNICORNBROOKIES.com for the best coverage of brook tro it fisheries science out there https://www.unicornbrookies.com/