would you believe!

[saltydog]

I just heard today ,an read that the stripers size for 2001 is going to 28"!
"GOOD LUCK GOOD FISHIN"

[JohnR]

That's correct SaltyDog, and nobody seems to be too pleased with that. What is the real difference between having a 28" minimum and a 34" minimum? For the bulk of your competent shore people - nothing. For those fishing out of boats, again not much. A few friends of mine that flyfish aggressively would be impacted more by a higher 34 or 36 inch minimum but they would be willing to adhere to a higher size limit. Instead, we have taken 1 small step forward with several big steps back. Uncool >(

[Chunker of Death]

C'mon John, say it. You know you want it. It won't take long to love it. Sounds like your state is headed there anyway. YES folksssssss, it's the slot system! The word slot can be replaced by other 4 letter cuss words if desired.

[JohnR]

C'mon CoD! You don't love your wonderfull slot limit in Maine? Just think of all of those schoolies you can keep up there :P !! While I'm not sure if I'm a fan of slot limits, at least the slot limit in Maine does something to protect the bulk of the breeder sized fish. I think it is a poor interpretation to call NJ's plan a "slot limit". Maybe they Should call it a "sliding scale limit". I'll quote Mike P from an earlier post on Jersey's regs for 2001

If it's any consolation, things are worse in New Jersey. One fish 24"-28", one fish 28" and up, and with a so-called "trophy" tag, you can keep a third fish in either category.

That's a bit lax donchathink??

[Jenn]

OK.....I will be the first to admit that I aint no rocket scietist....but.....these are MIGRATORY fish right??? DUH! why do we even bother having regulations at all then? So I thow back the 26 incher so someone in New Jersey can catch it?????? And it is considered a keeper????? This is so stupid and I will never understand it.

[Jenn]

Sorry...sometimes I get a little carried away!!! It just makes me so MAD!!!! >(

[JohnR]

Jenn, it is a vicious cycle of what came first, the chicken or the egg. In general, the northern states push for the southern states to preserve the small fish so they'll grow and we'll have more bigger fish and the southern states say that we take too many bigger fish so that when they can't breed as many small fish, they have less available to them...

In New England, we get alot of our fish migrating from the Chessapeke/North Carolina areas and some from the Hudson River. When the Chessapeke fish get big enough to migrate (2-3 years or older) and the females old enough to spawn (typically 5-7 years and older) they tend to spend the late spring, summer, and early fall in our northern waters. The smaller fish tend to stay in the Maryland and Virginia bays. Those are the fish the people down there go for in the bulk of their season. The limits are usually broken down between the northern, coastal states, and the Del/Mar/Va area where a good percentage of stripers are born. Alot of the non-commercial fisherman up north have been pushing for higher minimum lengths so that theoretically, more females will be released, live, and spawn more baby bass to eventually grow and so-on-so-forth, yada-yada-yada.

Several years ago, after many years of strict limits the striped bass was considered recovered and the floodgates were opened on the harvest of these fish. After just a few years there were alot of warnings, some true and some false, that the fish were getting hit pretty hard. That time is now and that is why alot of us have been pushing for higher minimum limits and with slot limits in some states. Even if it is just better to be safe than sorry as fishery management is far more prone to screw up a resource than to protect it.

Understandably, we get a little tweaked when they drop the minimum size limits instead of the status quo of last year or raising the minimums like many anglers had hoped for. Alot of anglers are hoping that the minimums will stay on the high side to help protect the numbers of fish, so more and more will have a chance to spawn and that there will be no "collapse" of the striped bass stocks again...

This doesn't even touch the commercial -v- recreational debate or the food supply -v- size of fish and all the other "stock management" topics that get everyone all up in arms too... :P

[Mike P]

Here's why most of us learned from the 80s collapse of the bass, and what the managers should have learned:

1. A coastwide, uniform standard was needed to allow a recovery, for as Jenn has pointed out, the fish are highly migratory.

2. A minimum length should be one that allows all of the brood stock to spawn at least once.

Enactment of a 36" minimum coastwide worked.

I totally agree Mike. I wish the managers would make a move like that before it,s too late. Can't they see it coming? I guess they are only interested in Maximun Sustainable Yeild. I hope this turns out better than it looks like it's gonna.

I also would like to catch a cod from shore someday soon.

[JohnR]

Would anyone here be upset if the rolled back to the 36" minimum?? I for one would not be upset. I WILL be upset if this trend continues and the bass get even more seriously depleted. This debate continues to rears its ugly head because rarely is the problem ever resolved addequately. When it is resolved for a short period of time, fisheries management jumps for joy and shouts "Look what a wonderful job we've done" and then revert to the practices that got us in trouble in the first place...

[chris L]

Im a C&R guy so if they banned all taking of fish I wouldnt mind in all fairness going backwards doesnt work for anyone .
But realisticly 36in would probably work the best for getting the stocks back where they belong . Although there sre still to many people poaching and they should ban all commercial taking of stripers . This reagal fish needs to be protected . The management people are either stupid or have their hands out for some scratch or both .

[Marc Z]

I'm definately all for 36". I hated it when they started lowering it from there several years ago.

Mike P is right on the money, it makes all the sense in the world to let every single bass at least get the opportunity to spawn once. Duh! Are these jerks who make the laws dumb or something????? Iv'e said it a zillion times and I'll say it again, the bottom line here is that it comes down to the almighty dollar. If someone can make a buck on something........ see ya it's soaked right up until there's none left. They are doing it again with the bass.
I get pissed off just thinking about it!
MZ

[Chunker of Death]

John: Nope, I don't love Maine's slot system. Not any more. It wouldn't bother me one bit if they canned the low end of the slot (20" - 26") and kept the top end(raise that too). It's way too easy for folks to catch these smaller fish. And I saw many out of the slot fish go into buckets. I saw this happening throughout the season. What I'd like to see is a uniform set of rules applied to all the states. But I'm in the Maine minority. Lots of folks up here feel it's their God given right to be able to keep as many fish of any size as they can catch. Why some say the slot is OK because the majority of the fish taken are males. And didn't you know that it's the stripers that are destroying the Gulf Of maine ecosystem? The foolish things eat everything in sight. Uh John, could you please stick a sarcastic face right here? edited by John R :P

[saltydog]

JOHN,just speaking for me, I havent kept a striper in a number of years even the 40"+ fish
Ive sent back. Ive taken guys out an they will keep everything if they have it there way. if you fish w/ me it's my rules. 1.fish over 36+
evrything else goes BACK. Ive mabe a few guys unhappy BUT have explained to them if you want to come back an catch bigger fish next season. CATCH,RELEASE. I always have a camera.on board which helps keep guys happy.
"GOOD LUCK GOOD TYING"