Well SAID, Crafty!!
and i've been preaching PROACTION for over a year, now.
a very simple indicator regarding menhaden is the noticeable
increase in available inshore forage for SB over the past two years
simply, perhaps, because Jerzee did what they did,,,,,,,,,,,,ask the Rhody anglers
how nice it is to be slamming COWS from the rocks??
i would wager that Mass has gotten better too, and that is
without putting an end to the atrocities that Omega Protein and their greedy-arsed reduction boats wreak on the Prime Forage Species for stripers, yearly, on the Outer Banks. push them outside the 3 mile corridor for 5 years and then take some new stock assesments of BOTH, bunker and stripers. in my view, THEY can go pound rice patties and generate their industry from soy,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LEAVE THE MENHADEN ALONE!!!
on a side note ~~kudos to the ASFMC for setting a limit last year for The Gansett Bay. it was a nice move and it "seemed" to have made a difference last year for us shore-bound rec's.
this is just one step of what i feel should be a three pronged attack that would proactively impact our beloved estuaries, majestic species, and the food chain that has been indiscriminately decimated for the past 60 years, +/-, and is in need of sum serious conservative measures.
the last two steps have been spoken about ad infinitum and would involve a change in the fishery mngmnt, imho, to include 1 @ 36" and a slot and stamp/tag system for any fish over 40". perhaps 1/week, 4/year, 2/month let the marine biologists come up with something that is moderately conservative for 5 years regarding the Cows,,,,,,,,,,and at the end of that time frame we could go either up or down based on what the numbers tell us. though i do believe that even "the best" science is an educated GUESS "at best", and can be manipulated to serve its "master".
finally, with gamefish status and a moratorium to the comm's industry for the same five years how harmful can it be to the oceans, estuaries, forage, and stripeys to remove that sort of pressure to the species, environment, and food cycle if these guys were to have to find another line of work? haven't they dictated the damage for lo these many years with only slight decreases in the tonnage they are allowed to haul? while there are multiple variables to consider and livelihoods and pastimes that weigh in the balance, just ONCE i'd like to see the "powers that be" stand up for OUR precious and LIMITED resources over the bulging pockets of their own wallets and the expanding bottomlines of their constituency.
couldn't WE for once be the generation that ACTS first and SAVES our resources; instead of taking the position of closing the barn doors after the entire contents have been been burnt to the ground and the only the cindered silhouettes remain?
the answers are most assuredly numerous and varied,
based upon WHO you ask,,,,,,,,,,,but how hard is it REALLY
to do what's RIGHT for the majority ~to include nature and fish within said majority~ and federally subsidize (we did it for The Heartland in the 80's, the monies could come from our looming licensing fees) the comm's losses for the five year period that may
ultimately BENEFIT this generation AND the generations to come ~~for MANY lifetimes???
just sum thoughts, gents,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
aren't ya sorry you asked now, Crafty??
