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<<Most comm R&Rer's just don't see the the beauty of the SB and don't think of it as a special fish that should be around for EVERYONE to catch, not to remove at some bogus maximum yield theory for the benefit of a few. It is just something to catch and sell to them>>
I resent that statement....I have been fishing for striped bass for close to 40 years, (commercially);I have fished recreationally during that time for bass (when commercial seasons are closed), because I love to fish, i.e., on the water at sunrise, fresh air, exercise, etc. I LOVE everything about bass fishing....and if I can make a legal, supplemental income off of that, to give a person who does not have access to that resource the right to walk into a seafood market or restaurant, have a bass fillet to eat, just adds to the whole experience. After all, it is "a special fish that should be around for EVERYONE to catch". Suffice it to say, you said it in your own words.....Its a shared resource for all.
I, and others like me, abided by the moratorium of the early 80's; we knew that it was needed for the health of the fishery. We also knew the plan would work, and the bass would recover, and that quota's would be devised based on historical catch records for individual states. That has come to fruition. The bass are a recoverd species...with up and down cycles that have been recorded since records have been kept.
As an aside, I attend various marine fisheries mtgs, public hearings, advisory panels, and I am so appreciative of the scientists and biologists of our state agencies to work to solve all the various problems that are involved with marine fisheries. These people for the most part are smart, dedicated people. They do care.... the tools of their science (data modeling, sampling, computer-aided tools, on the water analysis/dragging) are constantly being utilized....It's a shame that they sometimes get a bad rap by people who don't take the time to get to know them...
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