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While bass may be a "contributing factor" in the lobster fishery they certainly are not the "cause" of the problem. The lobster fishery has a lot more issues involved with it now than predatation by striped bass.
For an example: striped bass were plentiful at other times (1960s), and so were lobsters.
Shell disease, over fishing, degradation of environment, and a more focused effort to catch them are more likely contributing factors. Just think, as more finfish commercial fishermen are closed out of those fisheries they turn to lobstering, more effort means less and less for everyone else. As far as I know only the Maine Lobster fishery is doing well but I hear that the shell disease creeps further north each year.
In another words - its very easy to try and pin the decline on one factor - but shortsighted.
DZ
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