[scoobe]

Very interesting post... but it is not a valid arugment.

First of all, just because a fish is only half way through its life expectancy does not equate to 'being in prime breeding age.' Where is the data to back this up? Without hard data, this is all just heresay and conjecture. For all we know the first 1/10th of an animal's life could be the 'prime breeding age.' Heck just look at humans. We live a long time but we all know it's only for a short period of time that we can bear children. Not to compare humans to wild animals, but you get my point.

Second, evidence from other fish species does not exactly translate to stripers. Has anyone measured yolk quantity on striper eggs/fry themselves? While you can adapt data from different species, it is still an estimation/aproximation and not completely valid.

Basically what I am saying is that while this post is informative, it is not definitive. I am not trying to rain on anyone's parade. I just think there is still a lot of work to be done. What we need is a concrete study done on stripers, with cold hard facts. That should end the debate once and for all.