IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM MSBA PRES. DMF striped bass hearing

[Van]

This week there are hearings that will determine the Striped Bass Regs for this year. One of the main issues up for debate is whether or not to increase the daily Striped bassl imit to two fish per day and if so, should we have some sort of slot limit to protect the larger or smaller year classes. Another issue is how to extend the commercial Striped bass season. There is an onmgoing push by a commercial group to eliminate Sundays and in fact all weekend days from commercial fishing. The actual proposal is for a three day commercial week with fishing restricted from Mondays thru Wednesdays.

Thursday evening at 7pm MSBA will host the first DMF hearing held in our area in many years. The hearing will be held at the Viking Club in Braintree. you can get directions from the MSBA Web Site www.msba.net. Recreational Leaders have been complaining for years that the regular locations of Gloucester and Buzzards Bay are too far for most regular recreational fishermen & women to drive after a day of work. Recreational Leaders have often faced 10 to 1 those who want to take away the rights and change the rules to benefit interests in opposition to those of the recreational public. We can not complain if we do not show up and be heard. We can not say we have not been given the chance. Odds are the whole Comisssion will be there out of respect for the recreational public. What would happen if only 20 recreational fishermen show up

[JohnR]

Let's put a list together on who from here can go:

I'm in (well, 80% certain anyway if my wife is not working)
Van?

[Van]

Absolutely !!!!!

[flatts1]

I'll be there.

[Fly Rod]

We just had our meeting last nite [Monday] in gloucester, mass. About 30 people were there. We gave our opinon and thy wrote a few notes. You difinitly should go . If you do charters and also commercial fish you better speak up .One of the proposals was that you would not be able to fish on closed days if you hold a commercial striped bass liscense not even if you had a charter. A dozen of us voiced our opinon against that.

Good luck at the meeting!!!

[flatts1]

Fly Rod,

I thought that the Thursday meeting was set aside for Striped Bass discussion and that the other meetings were for other species.

Of the 30, what were you say the mix was rec/com/charter?

Thanks,
Mike

[TheSpecialist]

I WILL go.

[Fly Rod]

flats1
The meeting here in Gloucester started with the stripe bass discussion which lasted about 2hrs. The next discussion was about scup which most of us didn't stay to listen to since it dosen't concern us up here. We don't have scup.
The mix was pretty much even on the number of commercial and recreation but you have to remember that alot of us that commercial fish also recreational fish when the commercial part of it is closed before and after. There was one lobsterman that would love to see the stripers wiped out. He believes that the stripers are devastating the lobsters. And only a couple of charter people including me were there.
They are thinking of changing the commercial limit from 40 fish a day to 30; starting the season on the 27th of June instead of July. And discussed not being able to fish for or pocess any stripers on the closed days if you have a stripe bass endosement to discourage stockpileing.
Recreation: talked about keeping the one fish limit 28" +
Two fish limit 28" +
two fish limit with one 28" + and the second fish over 40" This is known as a slot limit.

[TheSpecialist]

Bump.......
Who's going?

[JohnR]

OK - what happend ? My wife had First Aid training last night so I missed 2 meetings....

[Fisherwoman]

Was Interesting, just people giving feedback so that the DMF can do their thing and change the quato's and regs if supported.

There were 3 options for Striped Bass regs for recreational.

1. Status quo 28 inches

2. 2 fish per day at 28 inches or greater.

3. 2 fish per day 1 at 28" and one over 40".

After hearing everybodies input last night, it looks to me like they are going to probably go with the 3rd option.
So time will tell.

As for commercial they raised the quota allotment for take of fish. Not sure of the exact amount but it defiatley went up a couple hundred thousand pounds, size limit 34 " and a bag limit of 40 fish per day. One of the biggest and heated discussions was the fact that some comm. want to close on Sunday as a day for them to take fish so there isn't such a glutten on the price of the fish from the market to hopefully get more money for the catch. But alot of every day joe's who get a liscence to make a little money on the side disagreed because they may only be able to fish on the weekends. So I am not sure how the commercial thing will turn out. Time will tell.

[Fly Rod]

Hello fisherwoman!! You are right the commercial qouta is going to be 1 million lbs. They are going to deduct the by catch of last year, so the catch is going to be a little under for this year.

rember that you heard it hear that they are going to go to a 3 day commercial week to satisfy only a few.

the bag limit I'm not sure of . I'd like to see it at the forty fish. A very small percentage of people would like to see it at 30 fish because they feel that the season would last longer. THAT IS ASSININE. Very few boats catch 40 fish a day.

I feel that the slot limit is a good idea.

[flatts1]

Just curious. Aside from Fisherwoman, who from this forum attended the meeting last Thursday.

I did.

Mike

[JohnR]

Originally posted by flatts1
Just curious. Aside from Fisherwoman, who from this forum attended the meeting last Thursday.

I did.

Mike

Sadly I wasn't able to go, sick wife & son in another state has priority.... Get any F2F documents for me yet??

Thanks,

John

[Van]