...Last night at the Mass/Bass meeting they mentioned a "slot" limit for stripers...

..somewhere along the lines of 1 fish > 28 inches and above....and your second fish, having to be 40+ inches...I believe he said, they want to try and get all the N.E. states on the same page.

...I know I heard or read somewhere that the healthiest "spawns" happen in fish that are 30-40 inches long...the "prime" of the fishs' life. Can anyone provide "factual" link-age to support or condemn this hear-say?

...there were mixed thoughts on the subject last night..

Someone brought up a good point at the meeting. They said, if you want dinner...and you land a 29 inch striper, you'd be able to keep that 50 pounder if you kept on fishing...rather than have to either go home after you landed the 29incher...which could happen ten minutes into your trip or toss back that 50 pounder because you already had your "keeper".

An opposing thought was...twice as many fish would be kept...thus hurting the stock.

What are your ideas on this??..

1 fish 36' end of story
why beat the hell out of our fish just because they made a comeback!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.striped-bass.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3735

But especially check this section here: 3) DMF proposals to amend striped bass regulations (322 CMR 6.07):
(a) Proposal to authorize holders of the new for-hire permit to be authorized to filet striped bass at-sea for their customers consistent with existing regulations, thereby negating the need for written letter of authorization from the Director.
(b) Proposal to amend the recreational striped bass bag and size limit from the current 1-fish per angler at 28'' or greater to a limit of 2 fish where the first fish must measure at least 28" and the second fish must measure at least 40".
(c) Proposal to increase the commercial quota from 807,000 to 1,000,000 lbs.


I dunno, if we're going to do that, what about a regular slot limit?

I do like the ability for one larger fish.

I kinda like IRL's thought,. when the limit was 36, we were getting bigger fish. Maybe because they were more plentiful, the smaller ones had to wait to eat.
Maybe.....
But again why take more fish with a lower limit?

I feel like most of us who catch a good # of fish and release them make up for the weekend poachers who take shorts and multiple fish. I really wish the fines were like they are if a hunter gets caught poaching... loss of equipment /vehicle / boat mandatory. or maby loss of state drivers licence for 60 days why not?

Here - here !!!!!!

I do not think that twice as many fish will be taken. In order for that to happen, you would need to catch a fish over 40 inches in addition to a normal 28 inch keeper. Does it happen? Yes, but not very often.

There was a poll taken at the meeting and there was strong support against the measure. I don't recall the exact numbers but it was something like 75-80% against the new proposal.

Last night it was mentioned that the DMF's stock assessments show that the striped bass stocks can sustain such a quota system.

I personally support the measure if the stocks can truely sustain it - in the long term. I don't know enough about "year classes" and such to be an authority on the matter but it was also mentioned last night that the DMF Comissioner, Paul Diodati, has always been straight when it comes to fisheries management concerns that the club brings to his attention so I'm inclined to think that the DMF wouldn't be floating this proposal if they weren't confident in the science behind it.

Mike

I guess I don't see whose interests this serves. This isn't a slot limit that protects a certain group of spawners or class of fish, its just adding the possibility of keeping a second fish, albeit a larger one (or smaller if your first fish is 40+).

And if its the ability to keep a trophy fish if you've already caught your 28" fish, shouldn't that be more like 45"?

I'm no big fish expert, but I know that 40" is not a trophy fish.

Last thing I heard, the worry was the lack of big fish and the goal was to restore stocks of big fish. This does nothing to work towards that goal.

IMO, either a straight 1 fish 36" limit or a slot, say 24-30" and/or over 40"... even if you went with two fish (a slot fish and a fish over 40"), you are at least protecting that range deemed to be healthy spawners... allowing them to spawn several times.

I like the 1 fish over 32" or even 36". Most of us that are fishing only keep a bass once in awhile anyway.

Some people made a stink about 6-packs being able to fillet at sea. They were saying there would be no way to tell if the fillet is a short. I say let them fillet at sea, but they must also hold on to the carcasses for inspection purposes, till their charters are finished for the day.

By the way there is no problem with the way the limit is now. Law abiding people are the only ones who will abide by the slot anyway. Those that take shorts, or more than their allotment will continue to do so.

What comeback would that be:(. Oh I agree there was a comeback, but I think we are in a bigtime decline in the fishery. The last couple years have basically produced 50% less fish for me and that's with twice as much fishing time. From the reports or lack of them for canal June fish, my waters as well and Juls latest for Boston, this year isn't going to be any better.

Originally posted by IRL
1 fish 36' end of story
why beat the hell out of our fish just because they made a comeback!!!!!!!!!!

I think the average size of a fish seems to have gone up
I think we are seeing more schoolies too just me

Why do ya need more than 1 fish per day. If they won't make it 36" , then make it 32" or 34" all along the coast 1 fish.

if they want a slot so bad, still make it 1 fish only period.

Just a thought, think how many NEW people there are to s/w fishing trying to catch a s.bass.

Now at 28", they stand a good chance of getting that one fish, then they go home happy.

now if you jump that 28" say to 34-36". how many little fish are they go to catch & KILL trying to get that 34-36" fish, where is your stock now - most will be floatting belly up going down tide because they don't know to target the lrg.er fish. they just keep on catching rat, after rat.

I think things are just fine the way they are now.

One other dumb ? mass is 1 fish per//////R.I 2 fish how come?
please be nice now! tx.

Originally posted by Slipknot
Why do ya need more than 1 fish per day. If they won't make it 36" , then make it 32" or 34" all along the coast 1 fish.

if they want a slot so bad, still make it 1 fish only period.
what He said only 36"

I think a lot of you have missed the point on the slot limit issue, which after reading through the posts seems clouded with hypotheticals and what-ifs. Connecticut enacted a very similar slot limit two years ago. The fact is, the CT slot protects prime breeding fish between 32 and 41 inches. More breeders means strong year classes. The reason the 36 inch limit seemed so successful is because it was enacted to protect a specific year class from the Chesapeake. As those fish grew, the length limit grew until those fish reached about 36 or 38 inches. The reason you saw a lot of good fish is because that was a strong year class and nobody was taking them because limits were raised to protect them.
A second fact that has not been addressed here is that fish under 28 inches are roughly a 50/50 mix of male and female. Fish over 34 inches or so are almost entirely female. Additionally, very large fish of over 45 inches begin to lose their breeding vitality.
Some people argue that low slot lengths would keep fish from breeding at all, which seems to be disputed by the male vs female numbers at that age. One male fish can fertilize several females, so their importance is not as great to the quality of the fishery.
Several of the posts here indicate that individual sportsmen are fairly responsible. This is likely a true statement but our biggest enemies when it comes to growing a truely healthy striper population are the rod and reel commercials and the charter industry.
Striped Bass have a fairly limited value as a food fish. The rod and reel commercial fishery, in my opinion, serves mainly to finance fishermen's hobbies and allow guys to make a quick buck doing something they enjoy. The cape is perhaps the worst example of this. I know of a few wealthy individuals with boats who can afford to take the summer off, and subsequently run out of Chatham every day to take numbers of fish over the commercial minimum of 34 inches. They sell each and every one of those fish because they CAN. I've seen the dawn come on the back beach, after a good night with decent fish, only to expose a dozen or more 20-40 pound fish dead as two guys gathered them up for the walk back. Why do you think Block Island was so hot for big fish in the early 80's? Becuase thats all that was left. The commercial fishing made them the last of a dying breed. Commercials would never buy off on a slot, because poundage is where they make their money. How quickly we forget.
The charter boats are just as bad, if not worse. Most go out twice a day, every day and gather a limit of one or two fish depending on location, for every person on board, including the captain and the mate. Thats 12 or 24 fish a day, per boat. How many charter boats are there out there? In some cases, Charter boats have their own regulations. What makes them special? Capt Dave Peros of On The Water magazine has a great editorial on this topic in the current reports section of their website; http://www.onthewater.com I highly recommend it.

Thats all verry interesting. I just dont see why people keep so many fish. Do they need to keep 10 of 12 fish a year no! hell I woulden't care if they were strictly catch and release or 1 fish over 45" why not.

KEEPING A FISH EVERY SO OFTEN IS FINE BUT WHY PUT SUCH A DENT IN ONE OF OUR MOST VALUABLE FISH STOCKS.

36":smash:

Originally posted by IRL
I just dont see why people keep so many fish. Do they need to keep 10 of 12 fish a year no!


...ummmm.....AM I THE ONLY PERSON WHO EATS 10 STRIPERS A YEAR???.....:af: ..Before this striper catching thing became a "sport" to most of us, it was a "food" thing. Unlike "some" fisherpeople, I enjoy eating Stripers. THEY TASTE GREAT!!! I eat Striper often, Is that a bad thing??....But from what I gather, a lot of people don't want the work of "gutting/cleaning" fish, or they're second half doesn't want the smell of fish in the house.....awwwwww too bad:mad:...so they prefer to buy fish from the market already dressed or go out and eat 2 week old fish...:gf:

...Sorry, I'll take it fresh if I can catch it. I don't keep 1/3 the fish that I catch....but when I feel my stocks are running low...I restock. Striper holds pretty good in the freezer and late fall I'll put a few away too so I'm eating bass thru early January.

I understand there are many who just target Bass for the sport, but don't forget us "BASS EATERS" who follow regulations, pick up trash and are very concerned about preservation ...we're people too!!...;)

.....enough for now, I got some fish on the grill.....gotta go :D

I'm hoping to bring a 30 incher home for the table tomorrow and like to a half dozen times a year. You couldn't convince me those 6 fish or 12 or 15 for that matter make a relative difference, when you compare it to what's happening on the commercial side of things.

AND RI rod/Reel is 34 in, 4 fish per day ,per angler
Mass 40 fish per boat//////////////
plus the ones that are caught out of the commercial season time frame,frozen,and then sold when the markets open/// plus there is a good black market, one has to at least be commercial size fish the other a little more than just stripes/////////////////////////////
everyone knows it ///fishing was twice as good 5,10 years ago :smash: :smash: :smash:

Bloo is right I also like to eat stripers but if I were to keep one every week that I fish ( this is not the case) May tru Oct. that would only be 24 fish so please do not try to tell me that I am the one that is doing all the damage to the fish stocks. If the idea is not to eat (kill ) any fish then we must ALL stop fishing because you know as I do that of all the fish you Catch And Release some are going to die. So you tell me whats better to catch kill and eat or catch release(kill) and walk away. I think some people need to go to Sow + Pigs reef off of Cuttyhunk and anchor down current of the chunkers and watch the under size bass float buy one after another. This may be great for the lobster but not so good for the bass. So what do we do say chunkers can only catch one fish and then go home???????????????????????????:confused: I think the regs. are good as is 28" one fish. Hey bloo the fish done yet.

Right guy's, most of us do the right thing. Catch and release, and abide by our bag limits. No matter what the limit, there will always be a certain percentage who will break it and be ingnorant. The big picture also includes commerial bass. I think biologists take all of that into consideration before deciding to propose a two fish limit. I'm sure everyone has caught anorexic stripers, to many bass is an imbalance in our eco system.

How educated are you compared to individuals who have been studing bass most of their lifes? Years ago the 36" size limit was the answer to the awsome rebound in striped bass...." how do we maintain it today? " I say keep it one fish at 28".

Why do we need two fish? Just because other states do......so what! Some of the best striper fishing takes place in Mass. waters in the summer months and that's when the most recreational fisherman are out there........many use poor tackle, poor technique's and lack of knowledge. Also, when the waters are warmer there is less oxygen and fish get stressed out easier. Most of the places that get fished hard we see alot over kill............"theirs your second fish"

Why aren't people fighting to keep pogie boats away? Stripers aren't going to grow to 40 plus inches real soon on small bait fish.... You don't see a big guy at a buffet eating salad.......he goes right for the meat.......anybody who's used live bait knows thats what the bigger bass want and need.

One fish is more then enough for my freezer and for what I hope someday...... my kids freezer ! :)

Originally posted by capesams
... at 28", they stand a good chance of getting that one fish, then they go home happy.

now if you jump that 28" say to 34-36". how many little fish are they going to catch & KILL trying to get that 34-36" fish, where is your stock now - most will be floatting belly up going down tide because they don't know to target the lrg.er fish. they just keep on catching rat, after rat.

.....I think you make a great point here....capesams. Most people (weekend warriors) are more than happy taking that one keeper home. Unfortunately, most people do not know how to release a fish properly...and some get disgusted enough to (out of spite) release them improperly. There are a lot of ignorant people out there who don't think every fish matters, and I think the release of an undersized fish or any size fish for that matter....is one of the bigger recreational fishermens' flaws.

....If I were voting, I'd say keep it at 28".....ONE fish per day.

I think the important factor would be to Crack the whip on the lawbreakers, STOP GIVING WARNINGS!!!...ENFORCE THE CURRENT LAWS!!!....PROSECUTE THE GUILTY ....IGNORANTOR NOT!!!...One way or another, the word will spread that fines are being issued and property is being confiscated. I haven't walked into one Bait and Tackle that didn't have some kind of "size/bag limit" sheet posted on the wall.

I haven't walked into one Bait and Tackle that didn't have some kind of "size/bag limit" sheet posted on the wall.

That's where a lot of the education needs to start. At the tackle shops. Most are good about it (well, at least the better shops) and when they sense someone is a newbie, they'll often mention the regs. But, I never see a big sign which has say a 27" ruler, a bass, and a big red X through it... That would certainly help a little...

One another thread, someone said that when a shop hands out bait, they should have the name of the shop on the bag with notes to CLEAN UP your TRASH on it, maybe it should have a ruler on it that's 28 inches long too....

Here in Maine we have a slot limit where you are allowed to only keep one fish. That fish can either be between 20-26" or over 40"
This rule seems to work great. We are seeing many fish in the high 30's that would normally be kept on a regular basis. The overall size of the fish has really increased. I think if the entire East Coast participated in these size regulations, everyone would be very pleased with the increased catch frequency of large fish.
The future of the stock depends on the spawning class. It is important that the entire coast works toward the same goal of protecting the stock. Otherwise our regulations in Maine mean nothing other than the fact that we have tight regulations to protect fish that are going to eventually swim through other states and likely be kept.
As far as the increase in commercial fishing quota's......that is a bunch of crap. We don't have that many stripers around where we should start allowing for the striper stocks to be more heavily harvested.

I fished with another board member last wednesday and we talked about this a bit.

We addressed what GB and Bloo posted.

I like to eat bass... hours old bass is fantastic table fare IMO. I don't keep alot 'cause my wife and daughter don't like it, so I'm just making it for myself. I also don't keep alot for the same reason I don't litter. That's one way I know I can help the problem. I don't judge someone else if they want to keep what the limit allows.

But... Think of most of your year's fishing. Say the season is 5-6 months. We get out about 1-3 times per week. What's an average for the season 30-60 trips out. Even if you caught keepers most trips and kept them, the most you might kill would be somewhere between 20-50 fish for the year. That for most of us is way high, but for the sake of argument. Out of the millions and millions of fish...

How many fish in a day might a dragger kill in bycatch. Or like was addressed, a charter boat keeping their quota. Etc. Etc. They can do more damage in a day or a week than we will do in the year or in several years.

However, I don't think that we as recs need to up our take, because is that what its about? Our fair share. Do you want to protect the resource so there's more for you? Or do you want to protect the resource so there's more for your kid's when you want to teach them how to fish? I don't personally want less fish for comms so that recs can keep more... that's hypocritical.

While I think most of the damage comes from commercial interests, recs still need to do their part... and one fish per day is plenty. Or two fish that come from a designated class of fish (i.e. slot), which inherently protects fish deemed by good science, to be your healthy breeders.

The more points I hear, the more I kinda like the idea of a slot limit. Points like giving novice anglers a chance for a keeper fish, giving a guy a chance to keep a trophy when he's kept a smaller fish, taking pressure off the females and prime breeders... makes alot of sense.

Yah, you may not be able to feed your family with a 26" fish, but I think most of us are in agreement that while we may like to eat bass, its more of a gamefish than a food-fish. I think we are already beyond the argument of putting a meal on the table out of necessity.

BUT all in all, whether its one fish, two fish, or a slot, the fight really lies with fishing methods and the bycatch they create, along with the destruction of the fishes habitat and overfishing of their primary forage (i.e. bunker, herring, mackerel).

I think that all states should get together and have 1 slot limit
and after thinking about it, I DONT HONESTLY KNOW WHAT IT SHOULD BE. I do know that I would like to see the fishing improve every year .
I must have seen 5 deads float by yesterday mostly because people using bait go diging for their hook when the fish swalows it instead of cutting it off .
To every one who takes a good share of stripers each season
mabey you just like fish more than I do :D (not that I dont like striper )
I love deer and I guess I could never have enough of it in the freeser sooooo Its all about what you like I guess.


surf and turf mmmmmmm

I certainly wouldn't go along with anything which would allow for a higher commercial take. I would like to see a coastwide slot or at least a 36inch minimum too. I would also like to see a closure just prior to and during the spawn or at least mandatory C&R. Not trying to put the guys out in the spawning areas but that would certainly be better for the fish...

The bass are back pretty strong and breading measurements are pretty solid. IMO all you have to do is make striped bass a non-commerical or game fish. Take the price off the fishes head and put a reasonable sport fishing limit (IMO 2-3 fish is reasonable with a lower limit of 28-36 inches) and make it coast-wide. There will be plenty of fish for gnerations to come

As long as there is a market for the fish...the commerical take will keep the pressure on.

1 fish - 36" .... period!

Meaning when you keep that one fish, you are done fishing for the day.

I think there is plenty of room for more then one 36" fish. Again, I think the problem is with the commerical side and not the average sport guy who probably fishes 10 days a year for bass and catches fish half the time. You have to look at the numbers.

That said, there is no reason to take a lot of fish for sport, esp if you can't sell them.

I would be willing to limit sport catch to 1 fish but I want to eliminate commerical fishing for bass. If you are going to allow commerical fishing...then the sport guys should be allowed to take more as well. However...what is best for the fishery?.. I don't know if you have ever attended some of these meetings but it is a "me me me" fest. I can tell you the comm guys do not care if they wipe out the bass as long as they get to catch as much as they can. They honesty don't care.

I have not kept up with the very latest in the last few years...I just got tired of it...but the bottom line is

1) If you wiped out sport fishing for bass completely and allowed commerical fishing to continue...the fishery could get wiped out again.

2) If you wiped out commerical fishing for bass yet allowed sport fishing even without limits... the fishery would thrive.

If you look at the fiscal impact, the charter fishing business purduces more income then the netting and does less harm to the species as well, so (2) has less fiscal impact.

The netting of entire schools of fish (tons) does significant harm to the population of year-class fish. Sport fishing no matter how intense does not do nearly the damage.

IMO all striped bass that is sold in stores should be farm-raised.


All you have to do is take the price off the fish and keep the water clean and they will thrive.

What we want to aviod going back to these days...

If there is a slot for 2 fish, then many many of the 28's that go back in now in anticipation of the "big one" will be kept (read killed). Vote FOR the slot if you want to support the non sportsman ( you know the guy who brings anything home so he can get the big white hunter look from the family). I think a lot more more fished will be killed with a slot.

:smash:

No slot, make the Striped Bass a game fish, negate commercial fishing and make size limit 36" minimum with 1 fish limit:happy:

Newell Guy - welcome to S-B...

I'm tossed on whether to game fish or not. I do think that too many are taken commercially every year and that economically, there is no contest on which, comm -v- rec is more importamt dollar wise to the economy.

I just think that there should be effective sharing between groups. Now seeing that effective sharing is not likely to happen, then if pushed, I would push for game fish...

I heard a report this morning concerning a study conducted at the Stoneybrook Institute in NY by a Fisheries Management specialist. The report found that when larger fish are kept, the avarage size in the remaining stocks decreases over time. By removing the larger fish from the gene pool, we are thus staging the future for more smaller fish. The study also showed that the removal of smaller fish from the population had the opposite affect. By removing smaller fish, there was a substantial increase in the numbers of larger fish. Also, it was observed that the fish achieved much greater growth rates and appeared to produce more offspring.
Why do we need to keep a large fish anyway. What is wrong with bringing a camera, taking a picture, and letting it go. Who wants to eat the large fish anyway. I have worked for the Department of Environmental Protection for a few years testing striped bass fillets. These large fish in the 36+ inch range are not healthy to eat. Fish of this size are in the 12-13year+ class and have bioaccumulated more heavy metals than anyone in thier right mind should really care to consume.
So, if keeping a smaller fish is beneficial for more larger fish and a healthier stock, and smaller/younger fish are much healthier to eat,.....what is the problem??? It really doesn't seem too hard to figure out. Think about the slot.(20-26")

Frank Daignault discusses genetics in several of his publications and its always a keystone of his striper management arguments. I believe his analogy says something to the effect of what farmer would slaughter his finest brood stock and save his runts? Yet another reason the slot is the way to go. Don't forget that half of those smaller fish are males. Fisheries management in freshwater lakes has proven that slots help to grow healthy populations with large fish. If a trophy category is to exist, make it a real trophy category with fish of say 48 inches or so for the taxedermist.

Stocks are up to the point now, breeding numbers were never higher. If every fish were to be able to spawn at least once before they could be caught the fishery would continue to grow. (do the math) This results in a 4 year old fish or about 28 inches.(more or less) I am in favor of a multi fish (2 or 3) 36" limit (allowing each fish to spawn several times). But IMO the commerical aspect has to stop completely. The REAL HARM comes when the undersize fish die in nets or are tossed back dead because they can't be sold. These fish NEVER get the chance to spawn and this results millions of potential fish each year that never swim and far exceeds the entire annual sport catch.

This is really just a big political problem, everyone knows what *should* be done, just knowone has the balls to do it.

it simple:
1) No commerical market for bass
2) sport catch size limit such that each fish spawns at least once before caught be caught. (36" allows for several spawnings,)
3) keep the water clean
4) allow for a reasonable catch limit (2+)
5) push catch and release
6) make it a coast wide law. <-------- this is the tough one because you need the feds to do it and they think it is a states problem. The states will never agree.

IMO, If this was in force, there would be a sustainable population of bass forever, the sport catch would be insignificant and the population would grow at an amazing rate. Neary every fish born would spawn 2 or more times, the growth rate (of the fishery)would be amazing now that there is a substantial breeding stock.

I understand that the big fish have many more eggs then the smaller fish but I but my faith in the numbers. I would rather have 10 fish spawning 10,000,000 eggs then 1 fish spawning 10,000,000 eggs. There is safety in numbers, that is why fish swim in schools :-)


With regard to the NY study... I take issue with a few of statements. Genetically the fish is not changed when you take a 36" fish, that is absolute nonsence, anyone with a science background will see through this.
Further, the heavy metal situation is no where as bad as it was in the 60's, you should be more concerned about eating frank perdue's hormone laced giant chickens (which IMO have caused young girls to over develop at an early age) (chickens are not suppose be 15+ pounds with 90% of that breast meat!)
Further still, one can make a good argument that you don't wnat the larger "heavy metal contaminated" fish breeding (with regard to long term genetic problems). I would like to see ALL fish breed a few times prior to catch.

Back on track....
Sorry for all my opinions but I am convinced that by eliminating the commerial catch and keeping the waters as clean as possible, the problem will be 95% solved. How do you get from here to there is the question.

I think that the idea of of a two-fish limit seems a bit, well, funny, seeing how we've gone so long with the one-fish deal. I like the idea of allowing one trophy over 40," because they'll probably have a couple of more spawns than the 36" fish. When it comes to the 28" fellas, it seems that no matter what you write down on paper and stamp with a government seal, there are alway going to be people taking shorts, or more than one fish, or worse, both.:af:

Guess I'm just a one-per-trip kinda guy.

Just my $.02, Not gonna jump on anybody elses opinion. :laughs:

MM - welcome to S-B... Yeh, I also like the high trophy size. Would I keep one? Probably if it's over 50 pounds, the first one. Release the rest? Probably, maybe all... I don't know what I'll do and I really can't say until the time comes...

I eat 10 times as many blue claws as I do stripers in any year. :laughs: :D :smash: Just kidding Bloo.

Seriously, what's wrong with a coastwide standard of one fish 36 inches and larger? That should help the aforementioned stocks/classes, and it eliminates the confusion for anglers who cross state lines to enjoy their favorite pastimes.

In any case I'm 100% catch and release with stripers now, unless my family wants me to bring some fish home. I think there are better tasting white meat fish. Like blue crabs. Oops, I gotta stop doing that. :smash:

-FWW

I think that no matter what is done, it should be coast wide. That would make enforcement easier.

To Mr. Sandman,

Apparently you don't know anything about heavy metals in the ecosystem. They don't leave or metabolize. So if you think heavy metal levels in fish are better now than in the 60's, you are seriously mistaken. Fish are higher in heavy metals more than ever. Heavy metals bioaccumulate in fatty tissue. This means, as a fish feeds and increases with age, the level of contaminants increase over time. This same idea works with you. As you eat the fish, the contaminants that built up in the fish, bioaccumulate in you. Whether or not you care about the levels of heavy metals in your body is up to you. But, for someone like me who would eat a fish once a year and would like to have children some day, a fish much smaller than 36" would be much healthier for me and my future child. That is why some states have allowed fisherman to keep their one fish under 26". It is much healthier from a consumer standpoint. In Maine, we have consumption advisories specific to certain species and locations to inform people on how many meals are considered healthy to consume.

As for your genetics comment, Yes- If you remove large fish from the gene pool, you are eliminating large genes from the gene pool. If you are removing large genes from the gene pool, you are left with fish that do not have the genes to become large. That means the remaining fish overall average length is smaller. :)