[WoodyCT]

Can't common ground be found so that recs and commercials can fight together against the true villains in this striper war?

I see it unlikely that an all or nothing bill will get passed, so why not work WITH the commercials in MA to create a better situation for everyone in MA - all the while working on the truly dire issues our bass face?

Collaboration in MA-
Cut out the 'recreational commercials' by limiting entry to the FEW who do rely on bass for a significant portion of their income. Mr. Diodati's notion that an almost free and open fishery is good for his entire state in times of GPS, fishfinders, live wells, radar, etc. is shear folly. A 'historic' fishery can be maintained, all be it in such a manner that the resource isn't raped by the general public.

Implement a tag/record keeping system that makes it much harder for a black market to exist. Allocate funds to enforce poaching regs.

Use GPS to monitor the few commecials deemed to worthy of the privilege of fishing for and selling bass.

Reduce the quota for the fishery to reflect the exit of the recreational commercials. Do not allocate the remaining quota to any other user group.


MidAtlantic/Coastwide Crisis-
The recreational/charter kill must be reduced and structured to protect the prime brood stock females.

Indiscriminate commercial/poacher netting must be addressed to protect the prime brood stock females.

NMFS and the Coast Guard must step up enforcement of the rampant EEZ poaching that is decimating the prime brood stock females.

Prespawn and spawning grounds in both the Chesapeake and Hudson must be off limits to all forms of fishing in the months leading up to the spawning run.

Omega Protein must not be allowed to strip mine the menhaden stocks of the MidAtlantic region.

Commercial agriculture operations within the Chesapeake watershed must be forced to treat their animals' waste to the same standards as human waste so it does not lead to algae blooms and subsequent hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay. .

Farmers upstream of the Chesapeake must be controlled in the way they use fertilizers that lead to algae blooms and subsequent hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay.
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Would there not be enough fish for a limited and tightly controlled rod and reel fishery to exist for families that have historically fished bass in MA IF recs and commercials fought side by side to defeat the true enemies of the striped bass?

Just some thoughts on how to win the war by avoiding a costly battle.