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Some thoughts:
The problem is not the amount of Striped Bass but where they are located.
and
The problem is not that the fish are not here but that they are wicked hard to catch because they are transitioning to forage that is hard to mimic.
I suggest the problem is that we have multiple crisis regarding forage species.
Some Examples:
The reason Buzzards Bay is spotty with big areas of bad fishing and a few good is because the Menhaden have been a target by rec and commercial operations for over a month.
I was recently speakign with Throsing Timber who informed me NArragansett was great fishign until the Menhaden operations went to work. After that, collapse of fishing.
The reason MV Sound/middleground/falmouth have all been sllllooooooww is that there have been very very little squid. Why? Commercial overfishing?????
Why is there a monsterous body of fish between Chatham and Ptown? Why have there been blitxes of twenty pounders on Race Poing for the first time in many years? The answer is the presence of sea herring. The seals are not the problem with back side fishing nor is it a lack of striped bass. The availability of bait is the problem. Right now the back side is loaded with micro to large sea herring and the stripers are there big time.
Why is there reports of great fishing in CC Bay. We appear to be off to a good start for sand eels.
Why no fish off the coast of Maine? It's a fact that the State lets every possible commercial operation beat the snot out of every possible species that can be used for lobster bait.
Why no fish off NC in January? Industrial trawlers work the three mile line off the NC coast for the full month of December and decimate mullet, menhaden, shad and all the other forage. The fishgin we keep hearing aobut in the EEZ dow there is a result of no bait inside 3 miles.
Why is there a major problem with shore fishing all over in late May and early June? I think the lack of River Herring might have something to do with it.
Besdies the bait problems...
Of course a commercial increase is insane and I continue to predict that once ASMFC scientists give an updated number for natural mortality caused by the evidence of mycobacteriosis in the coastal migrating population AND and increased number for fishing mortality that includes some estimate of eez poaching during the winter than we will get our cut back to one fish.
I do want to correct the miguided assumption that a cut to one ifsh at 28" will cut the amount of the rec catch by 1/2. In fact it does not cut that catch by much at all.
Please come fight for the bait...it's our key to a healthy Striped Bass Fishery
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