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Originally posted by MakoMike
Spence several points. First stipers forever, the organization behind the push to make stripers a game fish is entirely about increasing rec quotas. Their agenda is to eliminate commercial fishing so that the recs can kill more.
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That certainly is a biased and spun opinion. Gamefish status would increase rec quotas as a % of the entire quota, but doesn't necessarily have any impact on the total number of fish killed.
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Secondly, whatever the economic impact of the commercial fishing, its incremental to the economic impact of the recreational fishery, and I seriously doubt that its minimal. If it truly were minimal why would recreational fishermen care about the few measley fish the commercials catch?
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The economic impact of both fisheries are only connected in that one could make the other unviable. Rec fisherman care about the commercial take because it has the potential to harm the entire rec industry. As we have discussed, this has a much greater economic impact.
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Third, although uncontrolled commercial catch might affect the recreational fishery, no one is advocating that. What we have now is a tightly controlled commercial fishery which is not affecting, and under the rules of the ASMFC can't affect the recreational fishery.
To me it doesn't make any sense and is unfair to make stripers a gamefish.
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It's not affecting the rec industry today because of extreme measures that have been required due to commercial excess. Granted we have learned a lot and manage much better than in the past, but until issues such as bycatch, poaching, upgrading, forage, pollution etc...are addressed, it's not as simple as a yearly take.
I do believe many of the current rules limit a commercial fisherman's ability to best fish the ocean. That's why I think we need more comprehensive eco minded management, which is a bit beyond the whole gamefish thing...but that's another story.
Oh, and as a footnote. I agree Stripers Forever does mislead people as a tactic. This is evident in the Capt. James White article in this months RISAA newsletter. I plan to write a response to the editor...
-spence