flatts1 wrote
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Hopefully by trying to achive the target, we will stay below the "threshold" which is a much more important measure because crossing it means that we are indeed overfishing. Note that the chart indicated that we have approached the threshold but it has not been exceeded.
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My point was that, a year ago, the same fisheries managers claimed we were fishing at an F below target in every category. Now, retroactively, we're above target for 6 consecutive years and practically at the threshold for 2001. They used their previous numbers to justify Amendment 6 and the resultant 42% increase in the coastal commercial quota, to say nothing about the increases in recreational bag limits in a number of states.
Ed, I agree that Anne Lange is all you said. She knew her presentation, and she was polite and friendly and patient. I felt personally that she was in way over her head, stuttering and stammering, but very nice. She is also the person who cast the vote that resulted in the recommendation to open the EEZ. I would guess that she regrets that now, given that most of the attendees of the scoping meetings opposed opening the EEZ, and because the state of the fishery in the Chesapeake is truly disturbing. You have to have your head stuck pretty far in the sand, (or somewhere else) to not know that the mycobacteriosis outbreak is rampant, and that many fish are dying of disease and/or malnutrition before ever reaching spawning size/age.
Lots of folks are pointing the finger at the overharvest of bunker (menhaden) in the Bay area, and that may be the right place to start, but ending the commercial harvest of small fish in the producer bays to the south and the large fish from New York north is the best way to get a handle on this resource once and for all. Sounds like the guy in Rhode Island had it right (I wasn't there).
So Mike, what was this presentation a couple of days ago? Certainly not a scoping meeting as they're all done. Maybe it was Pollyanna.
My name is George Watson and I'm an alchol........whoops wrong intro! I'm one of the founders of Stripers Forever.
My agenda is my closing message.