Quote:
Originally Posted by Fly Rod
My commercial striped bass fishing is included in my yearly income. It helps the local economy,it buys fuel, oil, dockage and some eateries around town.
That isn't a great argument for the justification of fishing stripers commercially. Rec's can say they take home stripers to supplement their food and ease grocery costs. Equally frivolous.
It is not the commercial end of the striped bass fishery that is detrimental to the fishery. The commercial fishery last only 17-25 days before the qouta is reached. recreational fishing goes for 8 months. If anything you the recreational fishermen do more harm to the fishery.
In those 17 to 25 days what is the quota? I assume it is significant. Fish traps can catch a lot more bass in a tide than me and a few of my buddies with some dead eels.
If we want stripers for ever maybe it is time to limit the number of recreational fishermen along the New England coast and up and down the Atlantic. A lottery for a recreational striped bass license like they do for moose.
I wouldn't be opposed to limiting the recreational take with tags. I am willing to bet a large portion of recreational anglers wouldn't even take their yearly limit.
There are just to many recreational fishermen for the species to maybe keep it sustainable. Recently along the Jersey coast there were a couple of hundred recs on the waters edge of the beach standing shoulder to shoulder fishing a striper blitz, reminds me of the groups of fishermen that once were able to snag for salmon.
I still say the impact isn't as significant. These blitz's you see that draw the huge crowds don't happen every day of the year. Of those hundreds of rec's did every guy take two fish? I highly doubt it.
|
Do you think recreational fishing killed the blue fin stocks too?