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Well, I don't know about the Gamefish status thing. I am on the fence. It seems to me that all factors have to be examined for instance forage and baitfish need to be abundant. Do we have that now? I don't think so , so what will all these newly unmolested fish eat to get large?each other? maybe so ,they do eat their young ya know.So I would need more convincing for gamefish status coastwide. Certainly the waste and by-catch being rid of wouldn't be a bad thing.
About this "common man" thing... the rest of the quote may be applicable to get the jist of what was meant, I think ??? here it is
The common man is the guy who hasn't "paid his dues," hasn't spent the cold, wet nights without a fish, learning his trade; hasn't learned the tides and the wind and the movement of bait, hasn't learned how to feel a bucktail along the bottom of a rushing inlet or "tune" an Acetta spoon for use while trolling sandworms among the rocks of Long Island Sound.
He is the guy who, because he hasn't spent time learning the ropes, has never developed the respect for his quarry that marks so many of the people who post here.
He will kill carelessly, frequently and without regret, because the fishing was so easy that he paid no significant price for his success, and so he gives it little value.
He's not a bad guy, but he had bad teachers, from the photos in the papers that laud catches of barely mature bass to the regulations that say such kills are OK. They call the fish a "keeper," and so it is kept, and if he throws it away some time later, freezer-burnt and ruined, he may feel a pang of regret--but probably not enough to keep him from doing it again.
Once, they fished for flounder and porgy and fluke, later for bluefish, but now too many target the bass. And the bass can't withstand the pressure. We're seeing the results already, and without a change in management, things cannot get better, but can only get worse.
There's nothing wrong with being a "common man." In one respect or another, all of us are. But in the bass context, "common man" status doesn't entitle you to a fish. You should have to work--educate yourself--elevate yourself through a dedication of time and labor, to reach your goal of being a successful striped bass fisherman.
And once you have, you'll probably let most of your fish live, because you've learned that they have a higher value than a mere chunk of meat.
(OK--maybe not in fewer words...)
End......................
I don't like to see groups that fight a common cause bicker about stuff, I wish they would get along.Maybe I'll join them anyway, if my voice will be heard.
What are your thoughts John? or are you waiting for ours first?
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