Having a viable fishery for the small sizes of bluefin tuna, often referred to as “schoolies” or “footballs,” is relatively new to us here in the Granite State.

In my extensive experience with the saltwater resources in New England, we never experienced any of this action until several years ago. We were fishing for giant bluefins off Rhode Island’s Block Island and ran into the disgusting sight of fish boxes full of the football bluefins that were just rotting on some of the docks. There were no regulations to speak of, and what seemed like an endless supply of these fish.

Several things have changed since those days, some good and some bad.

The bad news is that the once plentiful schools of tuna are fast disappearing from what seems like the whole world. Stringent regulations now are in force worldwide. On our side of the Atlantic, fishermen have mostly been very conservative and have abided by the rules. On the European shores, especially in the Mediterranean Sea, the regulations have been widely ignored, with overfishing being common and apparently devastating to the global tuna population.

Why the late migration of these schoolie tuna north of Cape Cod can only be guessed, but locally we have a scientist hard at work to solve some of the habits and geographical area questions of where these fish roam. Dr. Molly Lutcavage, who works at the Large Pelagic Research Center at UNH, has been doing intensive studies that could lead to how to regulate and manage this new visitor to the northern New England waters.

With the help of Coastal Conservation Association, New Hampshire Chapter, Dr. Lutcavage has been providing tags for the CCA-NH members to use when catching and releasing these tuna and also some radio tags to track their movements. The results have been very valuable so far, but not nearly enough information has been assembled yet to draw any conclusions.

And this may never happen as recent cuts in her budgets, even though much pressure has come to bear to reclaim them, will cause Dr. Molly (2007 CCA-NH Conservationist of the Year) to have to give up the study without a finish to it! Pleas to both state and federal officials seem to have fallen on deaf ears. And we’re not talking a lot of money, but much more than the few thousand dollars that CCA-NH has been able to raise in support of her work. She’s seeking any help from any source. Can you speak up for this necessary work she’s been doing?

Successful gathering in Concord, Mass.

Concord, Massachusetts, conjures up visions of our Minutemen getting off the first shots fired of the Revolutionary War. We recently attended the annual business meeting and banquet of the New England Outdoor Writers Association (NEOWA) at the fine Concord Sportsmen’s Club there. We were pretty astounded to see their great grounds complete with stocked fishing pond, archery courses and other sportsmen’s amenities. The clubhouse was built in the mid-1950s of real logs but inside offers comfort and all the modern facilities. This is no doubt the most impressive sportsmen’s club we’ve ever experienced, bar none!

Some of their members put on our banquet which featured wild game — roasted quail with apricot stuffing, venison sausage and bear stew, all done with a gourmet touch. And a huge cake with NEOWA’s logo featured on the top. For about 50 participants! It was awesome.

Henry Dane, who honchoed the event for the club, revealed that we were right next to the field where our rebels had buried their arms and ammunitions to avoid having them being seized by the redcoats. Dozens of wild turkeys and a handful of deer were guarding the field as we left.

One of the highlights of the day was the Dickster’s winning ticket for a new model rifle being produced by Marlin Firearms, a bolt action 30-06. This is my favorite all-time deer and bear caliber. Pat Fuller, NEOWA’s President Tom Fuller’s spouse and full time sportswoman took home the other main prize, a four piece, seven foot by three-weight flyrod donated by the Kittery Trading Post. Tom emailed me to tell me that Pat had hidden the rod from him but not good enough. It will be interesting to see who wins out when the fish start hitting in the nearby rivers.

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Dick Pinney’s Guide Lines column appears weekly in the New Hampshire Sunday News. Readers may email him at DoDuckInn@aol.com