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Ok Folks,
My brain tells me to stay out of this discussion, but, to hell with it. I know quite a few members of the list and trust those that I know. This is currently the fifth year that I have had a MA Commercial Rod & Reel License with a Striped Bass Endorsement. Though I have n9ot sold a fish this year, I usually earn enough $ to keep me fishing 4 days a week throughout the season.
The Ma quota is currently at 750,000 pounds with a proposal coming out at the upcoming public hearings to raise the number to 1,000,000 pounds. Myself and quite a few of my MA commercial friends are opposed to the increase due to a variety of reasons like leaving the pressure on the larger fish as is, wanting the quota to be filled prior to the beginning of the fall migration and price stability.
The numbers that I have heard from dealers reflect that 75% of the SB landings by the MA commercial fleet are sold out of state. One of the main reasons for this is that MA has the largest quota in the North East.
Fresh Striped Bass in the Boston-South Shore area is currently being sold at fish markets for between 15 & 19 dollars per pound.
There have been long standing rumors of a gigantic black market for SB from the south being trucked through Boston dealers and sold to ethnic markets. There was a rumor of a Federal Investigation a few years ago, but nothing after that.
I see more Farm Raised SB sold in Ma than fresh and I personaly think that a law should bve passed requiring that wherever a farm raised SB is sold it is posted as such. How can we blame ethnic groups for taking under sized fish when they can buy them in their local markets.
just some of my thoughts
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