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That place acts as a reservoir for the genes that grow huge bass. Many very large cows winter over in the EEZ off North Carolina and even Nantucket (believe it or not), out of range of draggers. With large fish being taken at huge rates inshore, we need those offshore cows to keep the genes for fast growth in the population. Otherwise, genes for early maturity at small sizes will become more prevalent in the population. This has been scientifically shown in cod and swordfish in the wild and silversides in the lab. The same genetic processes work for stripers. Would you rather catch some very large fish for a relatively short time, or keep them around to catch until we ourselves die off? I know what I'd choose.
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