Haven't been here in a while, been busy with school and in that spirit I have come to ask for your help. I am taking Public Policy Analysis with Micheal Dukakis and our assignment is to come up with a public policy that would solve a current problem the state is facing. I am looking for ideas in regards to what may be a relevant topic facing the Striped Bass fishing community or just the fishing community in general. Anyone care to make suggestions?



Sincerely,


Joe

As I seem to remember, the duke was no friend of the sportsmen of this state. I may be wrong but the moneys from hunting and fishing license's were taken and put in the general fund?

Regardless of what opinions are of MD's past choices what kind of information are you looking for ?

As recreational fisherman of Striped Bass we are subject to State fishery codes that recently, don't seem to make sense regarding hte management of the fish.

How about access or poaching

I'm looking for an idea that I could write up a public policy about, for example implementing universal healthcare for all of massachusetts. I could do something bland like that but I was hoping to find an issue related to the environment and as an extension of that fishing.

How about info on the new commercial rules i.e Sun-weds which has helped diminish and eliminate the recreational wekkender from illegally selling Bass at below market prices BEFORE the commercial fisherman appears with his catch.

We won't know until July 4th whether or not these implementations are working. I hope they are. I know a few commercial guys that are great, hardworking people who got screwed by the poachers in years past.

Both the recreational and commercial limits are up this year. How much impact will that have on the stocks. How do we count and keep up ?

What about bycatch from the offshore draggers ? These boats are not allowed to harvest the Bass by- catch because they don't hold the license. Thus it is dumped. And, of course this is just one example of many. The commercial fisherman isn't to blame. It is these ridiculously unflexible licenses.

Why can't bycatch go to the homeless ? Because they will end up eating better than us ?

The duke is a great teacher. may not agree with all he has too say, but makes for a good way to spend an hour at NU.

How about the #^&#^&#^&#^&
I mean Duke was the first to try for a saltwater fishing Lic.
Have arguments for and against it.

I have to take a STAND. IT has to be accesibility and recognition.

To many people who want to have mansions,palaces, or their own private ,private ,private Estate on the waters edge are making accesibility a dirty word. IF you look at fishing in general
as a sport....ok...publicly it has taken a back seat to all others.

Everyday you see every gory detail on television about all the major sports of baseball,basketball,football,tennis ,golf,soccer,ect.
and no where is fishing even mentioned.

We contribute millions of dollars to the States Economy buying
licenses,gear,paying for BOATS,parking,gasoline ect. and get very little recognition or RESPECT. That has to change. :af:

And now with conservation groups with the walt disney mentality preaching BAMBI politics, the United States AND NEW ENGLAND in
particular have to PROTECT our Right to the pursuit of happiness.
and for us fishermen ...its fishing!! The sports taught in school
foster hostility and brutality with parents killing one another on the sports field (battlefield) over ->A GAME. Thats insanity!

The general statement that the "too many people who want mansions" on the water front have made beach access reduce does NOT hold true on Nantucket.
Nantucket has ALWAYS been a hardworking man's home. For all of the opinions who generally think it is a place just for the rich, all one needs to do is look at the Beach Access issue.
Mass law says properrty line extends to mean (average) low water mark. That means, by law, that you really can't even "walk" in front of a beach front home at any other time other than absolute low water without a snorkle or you could be considered trespassing. Nantucket many years ago decided that the town needed to be proactive and allow the common public to have better beach access through easements and procurement of land. The other island (because it is 4 towns and not one) was unable to have the foresight and thus has issues with the wealthy prohibitting beach access on or in front of their property. The wealthy person isn't wrong. It is their property by law. What sucks is the common man being left out in the cold.
The island respect for the common, working person is strong here. It is the fabric of our community. When a summer a$$hole tells us "they could never live here in the offseason" we say "good, we don't need your prejudice opinions then anyway.

I see the biggest problem for fisherman on the mqainland being that the beach front is many times rock (prime frickin Bass habitat) and Skippy from Harvard won't let us fish the rocks in front of his house. Guess what ? That is why the rule is there in the first place. Do you think Skippy has to wake up to my ugly, riff-raff a$$ fishing in his front yard ?

Seek first to understand, then to be understood

Yep! That's it. Open beaches and access. Give the all beach to the public.
Where does "Skippy" turn when a bad winter storm errodes "his" beach , wipes out his dock, and washes away half his fron lawn. Public money! "they" (the government) should help fix it. That's us guys.

There you go, write a public policy that gives the beaches to the public and provides access.

Incidently, for all you fresh water guys, in Mass the state owns all great ponds by definition and the public has access by law.
OK lawyers jump in!:( :(

Actually, on Nantucket (and don't get pissed with the continual references here. This is my home. Firsthand experience, no conjecture) when you beach starts to erode and your property and home begins falling into the sea, YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN !
The town's only expense is paying the Fire dept. to burn the home down if it get's to the point where it is condemned. Otherwise, Skippy and Muffy are on their own.
It is otherwise known as Existentialism. The theory that one is responsible for their OWN actions. In these cases building a home near an eroding beach. Nantucket has lost more than 1/4 mile of the South shore in the last 100 years and The east beaches ? Just take a look at the Bass loaded rips if you are ever out there. They are there because of the East beaches eroding into the sea.

It is easy to take a stand but much harder to accept underSTANDing.

About the Gory deatails of sport, etc.

What about the destruction of the large fish you just caught ( have you ever ?) with a live eel you just hooked through the face. All for the glory of showing everyone on this site what an amazing, lucky fisherman you are ? What the hell does that do for the hallowed protection of the species ? In one sentence we are clammering about protection and rights and poor fisheries management and at the same time defending our right to kill a giant 30 year old Bass so we can be the hero for a spell. Sounds like a gory spectator sport to me. But, that is just my opinion.

The truth generally causes offense. My apologies to anyone, including Raven, who thinks I am being a prick.

Seek first to understand, then to be understood

GREAT posts beachwalker

Edited -

...:)

and open a CASINO HEALTH CARE SOLVED!!!!

OH OH WHAT!! and get in the states lottery pocket they dont want that instead they will try and get in foxwoods pocket by blackmailing them give us millions or we will open a casino!!

Jsox - wish I had seen this yesterday and I have a public policy catch-22 worth your investigation. How about a policy that addresses the need for proper enforcement of existing laws / rules / regs that are ALREADY on the books to ensure that they are working as designed and the species are recovering as intended due to existing regs that are ALREADY on the books in the 1st place?

I bet you could come up with some kind of cost / enforcement / fines / education matrix that would both ferret out the many problems of the existing system, and bring current local fisheries management processes to where they should be in the first place - how's dat :D ?

The access issue has to be just about the most pressing problem to the large majority of us given the fact that most of us do not own boats. Public policy should be implemented that coincides with the fishing and fowling and walking below the mean high or low tide marks. But to that end all legal "rights of way" should be posted and as my folks had to do in Eastham years ago, these rights of ways should be kept clear by the land owners on either side. It should be made illegal to block them off in any way shape or form. This public policy should also include exactly what is a public and/or private way. Their are many ambiguities in this regard. Many landowners believe that simply because they post no parking signs and private property signs they have the right to tell anyone to leave an area, such as the nut at the end of a certain road in Bourne. The truth is that in every municipality only the town fathers can give legal approval to any signage or the making of a public way into a private way. What we all have to remember is the question, "would the town fathers grant a person/s roadways to become private," which means in theory that the residents who now live on "private ways" receive less services making them eligible for rebates on the taxes they pay to the municipalities in which they live. I don't think that is going to happen anytime, anywhere in this day and age. I am not advocating tresspassing by anyone, but these ideas are all part of what the gentleman who ask for advice on his paper requested. Good luck and email me privately and I will respond.



One good cast deserves another.........and another

How about a policy that will keep filthy rich shoreline homeowners from harrassing fishermen. There should be more public access to the shorelines of Massachusetts, not less.

nahhh beachwalker i'm not offended...your just outspoken and after reading off your town's fabric and policy i can see where your coming from....i'll have to go there sometime for perspective.
In the meantime i believe that us mainland fishermen without boats are having an increasingly difficult time maintaining access
that will erode over time. And yes, who wants to wake up and see a scraggly ole fisherman out there spoiling there view or improving it , as some like to watch the-> zen (art) of fishing...

i'm just gonna buy a boat and wade in & then access is no longer an issue. I'd parachute out of a plane with my gear if i had too.

I agree with the guy who said to better identify existing access and enforce. Even in rhode island where we have better laws for walking on the beach, people who live on the water try and stop you from getting to the beach via legal right of ways. Get some money, identify these spots put up signs and issue a book on it. The access issue is for all who wnt to use the beach, not just the fishermen.,

I have also read some stuff about classifying stripers a s a gamefish, so it can't be commercially harvested at all?