LOL So I'm to enterperet that we still just wanna argue about it instead of doing anything. same dumb-A-- response from us that brought about the moratorium yrs ago. so are we gonna do something constructive of just moan an groan as usuall.we can fix this if we get off our collective butts an work together. We are a damn big voice that a load of other anglers listen to.

Thank god it's just NOAA's data that is wrong.

You would think they could count dead fish accurately after all these years of practice.

Keep on killing boys- the ocean's bounty knows no bounds.

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Lack of communication hurt us a long time back. guys like John an Zeno along with a load of good anglers with some heavy credability give us a huge tool to use to get some important changes made now when needed so that in a few yrs things will be much better. i went through one moratorium an learned a lot from guys like Bob Pond,Stan Gibbs,Roberto Germani,Jerry Jansen an a load of others.Most important waS THAT IF WE WORKED TOGETHER WE CAN ACCOMPLISH A LOT.We can only hurt ourselves with all the insesant bickering.We not someone else need to start taking steps. i'm not talking stop fishing I'm talking being conservative and taking care to release fish so they survive an use methods of fishing an gear so the STRIPERS have the biggest chance of survival.I've put so much of my own life into this fish and the love an joy of chasing it an the fantastic people we all have had the chance to meet because of it that it would be such a shame if we don't work together to try to fix this before it gets out of hand.We need to work together. we all played a part in getting things where they are today so lets all work together to fix the problem. Ron McKee--AKA-- Striper Maine-iac

I love that when the NOAA data matches pretty much what nearly all of the serious rec fisherman have seen, it is faulty data. 8.1 million to 1.3 million is so far beyond the range of error that it is a joke to say the data is invalid. By nature, the data has error. The question are the numbers within the margin of error. Not even close. Take the 100 fisherman on this cite who consistently fish the most hours. Survey them about the fishing in 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010. No doubt in my mind that an overwhelming majority catch substantially fewer fish now than 10 years ago.

Another variation keeping the catch by state broken out.

I can't wait to sign up for the Striper Cup.
Who needs a stock assessment.

Amen

If history is the benchmark, I'm betting that nothing happens to change the quota, size, commercial take, etc. No one wants to do anything until it gets like 87 & 88 when if you caught 2 schoolies you had a great morning. Then the fisheries management guys will close the season, impose a moratorium and "close the barn door after the horse is stolen."

Now I'm really glad I have taken up sporting clays and competitive pistol shooting.

Given the methods they use to collect data, the results are certainly in the ballpark. I've been keeping a detailed log since 1996 and I've used the Mass. DMF's eLogbook for the past two seasons. When they recently released information saying the recreational catch had declined 65% over the past few years, I went into my log and came up with 66% for myself.

My issue is with the arbitrary value they use as the sustainable limit. How can you know how many fish are in the ocean by counting a small percentage of those that are taken out?

The decisions made by these folks are political. They report to the Department of Commerce and their main concern is economic, not species conservation.

Best two years of striper fishing on the backside of cape cod we've ever seen.

Fish move.

The bait is the problem. Protect the bait, the stripers return.

Anecdotal evidence does not represent the whole population. Best fishing on the backside also happened right up to the collapse. Are you saying best two years ever, including the 1960's-early 1980's? Bait wasn't the problem in the 60's- 80's. Overfishing was. We have harvested more fish in total in recent years. It will lead to collapse, if it hasn't already. Fish move, but 10 years ago they moved, as well, yet were found up in down the coast spring through late fall.

PI

Last time >.your went to Golf & Photography ><<<>:love::grins:

How come ct isnt included?
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This is for all the guys who think the bass are healthy because they saw a miles-long school of them off the Cape this summer. You never judge the health of a fishery by the numbers of them in the center of their migratory range, at the middle of their migration period. There were schools like than back in the 80s, too. You go by the numbers at the end of their range, and the numbers of resident fish along their migratory route.

The tale of the tape is Maine. From more than 4 million, to less than 150,000, all in the space of 5 years.

But hey, I have other interests in my life besides fishing. So catch 'em up, boys, and keep on telling yourselves that NOAA can't count their own toes.

Yup us old farts don't know what we're talkin about LOL. No one has to listen. I remember some of the blitzes out along the Cape in the early 80's. loads of big fish. Went back home to Maine an nothing.Had a couple nice 50's back then but nothing in Maine.musta forgoten how to catch them again LOL.Don't do anything you'll learn the hard way.Like I said we CAN fix this if we do something now.But it takes all of us.not just the old farts.

I'm just a renaissance man.:uhuh:

There is one tournament that claims to have 3000 entries and a ten(10) fish limit. Don't know too much about that one up in MA. But that's not a catch and release thing I gather. If not, 30,000 bass is 30,000 bass.

Thankfully I'm just as happy chasing black sea bass, tog or fluke; but I do miss those days where your rod was bent all day with fat schoolies. If it gets so bad its not worth towing the boat to the launch, it will be time to sell and golf full time.

None of the people I fish with here is NH can understand where the last number came from. Since 2005 there has been a steady decrease in the catch with 2010 and 11 actually having big jumps down. Last season I was out 96 nights in NH and got about 20% of what I caught in 2005. Very few small fish from 30" or less. 2006-2009 there was really good numbers of 40-45" fish but 2010 dropped off and 2011 saw a bigger drop off. Guys out for tuna in the eez still see fair numbers but in shore has been dismal.-

One thing for sure bait isn't really the issue. Since there have been very few bluefish up here the last 7 years we have plenty of Mackerel around from May through Oct. There is still good numbers of alwives in the early season and sea herring in the fall. Bunker have been missing for the last few years. Plus we've seen some good numbers of sandeels and silversides. For a month the river had good numbers of squid.

Something here doesn't make sense. The only link posted is to a secure website. Do the guys posting these graphs have any other links to the place where this is coming from?

These graphs certainly don't coincide with data put out by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Ed B

What Tournament? I've never heard of any tournament in MA that has a 10 fish limit.....

I assume they made the graphs with the NOAA data. Which ASMFC data are you talking about? The yoy index that dropped for years up until the most recent one?

Not in one shot my friend. I'm understanding the 10 fish total is over the course of the tournament. I used the word limit, but they use the word total. But it's not about the words, it's about the 30.000 bass.

About the only catch an release tournament I know of is the TRI STATE TOUNAMENT of NEW ENGLAND that was founded back in the 60's by Bob Pond and a bunch of clubs for data reseaerch. Was a catch or release tourny till the stripers went under in the 80s then became just a catch n release on till present.

There have always been Tournies. I remember them from when my dad had a charter boat years back. But I don't think the tournies of today that include keeping so many bass over a set period of time is even any option anymore. Who gains from this? What's the point? Bragging rights? Who cares about bragging rights when this thing we do is in trouble.

I'm awed by anyone who seriously pursues this sport who disagrees with the declining trend of the stock.

I live and fish in New Hampshire. I can tell you that the shores were not teeming with striped bass this past season -- the summertime inshore fishery in NH and Southern Maine has really eroded within the past 5 years or so. Ask any guide. I suppose the increased catch data in 2011 could be attributed to (near) offshore catches(?) Honestly, I don't know anyone out there fishing from shore catching more numbers than the recent past.

Again....What Tournament? Never heard of one like that in MA.

This is never a popular sentiment, but...

As far as our own culpability as recreational anglers, our biggest contribution to the current state of the fishery is our egos.

I'll speak for myself: Earlier in the past decade, I was one of those guys out there whaling on schools of shorts -- trying to break 100 fish in a tide (etc.) so I could tell anyone willing to listen how well I did. I'd kill large fish primarily so I could get my picture taken at the local B&T for the sake of my reputation. If I couldn't give the fish away I'd toss it in the woods. Wasteful. Foolish.

I got wiser as time went on, but I did spend the entire 2007 season eeling a small section of shoreline, pounding on a summering school of 25 - 35 lb fish. I went through about 300 eels and had "the summer of my life" impressing myself with how good I was. I'm almost ashamed of that season now; eels are in tough shape in most of their range and clearly smaller bass were on the decline, but my ego mattered more than restraint and common sense.

If you have been or are on this path regarding our sport, I guess it's up to you to recognize it and decide what your actions mean to your sense of responsibility as an angler.

We are all charged with stewardship whenever we pick up our rods...whether we do a fine job or a poor job of it, it matters -- and it's the only part of this situation we can control completely ourselves.

Eric

The same outfit that draws map and spot burns locations.