Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that there is no "real" science behind any of the numbers attributed to recreation fishermen. The numbers reported and used by the ASMFC are pure speculation and not grounded in reality.
When was the last time anyone here was surveyed by any of the reporting agencies with regard to their recreational fishing habits, annual take, and # of fish caught and released recreationally? When was the last time anyone here responded to such a survey honestly?
Who's to say that the recs who do happen to get surveyed are indicative of the recreational fisherman in general? Those folks you see bailing fish at the canal, piss me off, and are in no way representative of me or any of the guys I've ever fished with.
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The recs generally kill as much as they can,just to kill.
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To generalize recreational fishermen in this way is obsurd, and anyone who makes such a statement is not in touch with reality. Some people acting stupidly during a blitz is not representative of the majority of recreational fishermen coast wide. Period. Some of us, more of us than anyone knows, actually respect the fishery and have it's best interest at heart.
I fish on average 2-3 nights a week. I have followed the migration, spring & fall from New York to Maine several years in a row. I know how to catch fish from the surf and am not inexperienced at doing so. I took 3 fish home last season. I have not killed one yet this season,,, but I probably will keep one for the table before the season is over. I have released multiple fish over 50lbs, and countless 40s. I represent a coastwide group of likeminded surfcasters who are true sportsmen, and am not afraid to stand up for what I believe and know to be true (those of you who were at the ASMFC meetings in both MA and RI can attest to this). I'm am not speaking out of school here.
Spawning recruitment the last couple years, according to ASMFC data, has been as low as it was back in the mid to late 80's, in spite of a much higher female spawning stock biomass. The ASMFC cannot say why. It is obvious to any objective observer that it is indicative of serious issues in the spawning grounds. The total coastal abundance has been dropping since 2004, and will only continue to decline if something is not done to 1. improve/protect the spawning grounds, 2. reduce the harvest of BOTH the recreational and commercial sectors, 3. protect the forage fish upon which striped bass feed and not allow them to continue to be plundered, 4. find a way to stop the spread of mycobacteriosis.
Too many people do not understand the severity of the threat mycobacteriosis poses to the striped bass fishery. Some studies have indicated that it is 100% fatal within 5 years of contraction. If this statistic is even close to being correct, we will be losing MORE THAN 50% of ALL striped bass, coastwide, within the next 5 years. Even if it is only fatal in 75% of cases, this WILL crash the spawning stock biomass below the ASMFC's threshold, even if all striped bass harvest was halted TODAY. If you think I'm crying wolf here, prove me wrong.
We need to be working together for the good of our beloved striped bass. We need to stop the bickering and in-fighting and look at this objectively. Put aside your selfishness and your own agendas, take a good hard look at the facts.