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The reason I posted this old column was to give historical perspective on how various states approached the issue and just how contentious it was. I remember going to this meeting and many, many, others. I spoke often with Dawson and Othote about the issue. Trap fisherman George Mendonsa was unapproachable, and at one point he and other commercial striped bass representatives on the council ran afoul of state “conflict of interest” laws but were later cleared. One of the major differences between then and now was that the entire rec community united for more conservative regs. For the record I don’t believe current striped bass fishing to be as bad as it was back then – yet. But I’m convinced that if fishermen back then had the benefit of today’s fish finding electronics technology and social media, then the bass would have taken even longer to recover or may not have recovered at all.
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