The much-anticipated stock assessment.....

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by MikeToole

Makes it easier to write that check to Stripers Forever. They may not be perfect but at least they try.

Something I've been wrestling with... Like you said, they aren't perfect but they are better than the other options and the only group with enough political pull to actually get something accomplished.

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by numbskull

What fantasy world are you in? The plan is not final, it can be ammended. The very fact that they did indeed take a vote and that 6 states "on the commission" did indeed feel the plan should be ammended makes your statement above ridiculous. Clearly there WAS serious doubt (or more likely certainty) that the current plan was failing.....hence the need to vote whether to ammend it. The YOY class got those that wanted to keep the fishery going full speed off the hook. They can fairly claim the plan is working.....even though it will likely leave us with predominantly small fish for the next decade.

Do you have any idea of what is required to amend a FMP? Hint: it takes a lot more than one vote. Its a process that usually takes years.

[numbskull]

No it doesn't, although you may be hung up on semantics.

The current management plan establishes a threshold for SSB (spawning stock biomass) where fishing MUST be shut down. The plan allows for adjustment of fishing regulations to avoid that eventuality (in contrast to what your earlier posts suggest). The current SSB is dropping fast and without fish in the pipeline (until now there have been none to speak of) it was INEVITABLE that the SSB would reach the level of mandatory reduction in fishing pressure soon. Commercial interests wish to avoid this at all costs, since it costs them money (and without money their influence on fishery management, and hece their fishery itself, withers fast). Many on the ASMFC keep commercial interests paramount. If there was no good YOY class, the managers could easily see that the commercial (and recreational catch and kill) striped bass fishery was in danger soon of ending. To prolong that eventuality and buy more time for a year class to salvage the situation, they would have reduced fishing effort on the present SSB, PROBABLY UNANIMOUSLY.

The good YOY class made this unnecessary. So the states with strong commercial (or recreational C&K) bias felt safe opposing any change, knowing that in several years, likely before the SSB shut down level is met, a large number of juvenile fish will reach spawning age and ensure the continuation of a commercial fishery. Furthermore, voting that way is entirely consistent with the ASMFC's mandate of achieving maximal sustainable yield.

Believe what you want, but this seems plain as day and not anything unexpected or wrong to me. Just a fact of life.

[agroangler]

Originally Posted by JohnR

Stuff like this makes me think game fish may be the only way.



We'll see.

"Here Here"

[Fly Rod]

Save the striped bass fishery.

Reduce the recreational catch to one fish over 34 inchs per day per person. And only one in posession.