Why is The Striped Bass Conservation Bill so hush hush?

[The Dad Fisherman]

I believe its written somewhere....my argument is how did they arrive at these numbers....seriously, 1 in 10??? I just don't buy it....I want to know how they got these numbers, not some "Estimate" that they use to prove a point.

Originally Posted by inTHERAPY

Here is a excerpt from http://www.mass.gov/czm/oceanmanagem...rdemogecon.pdf

"Over the past ten years, the state's recreational fishing industry has expanded enormously, and is now ranked as the second most valuable in the United States. The striped bass recreational fishery is widely regarded as the finest in the country, and draws participants from all over the country. Marine recreational anglers in Massachusetts spent about $850 million pursuing their sport in 19985. Over 900,000 people participated in the marine recreational fishery in 2002, including 560,000 of the Commonwealth’s citizens"

That's 2002! I can't locate that 650 number but I'll come across it again. The actual number I saw was 665,000.



Found it, an excerpt from http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellfleet...d-bass-fishing

A study sponsored by Stripers Forever estimates recreational fishing added 1.16 billion to state economy versus 24.2 million from commercial fishing (in 2003) and created 10,986 jobs to 524 in commercial fishing. Only 23 fishermen caught 6,000 pounds ($18,000 worth) of bass.
“So it’s not a commercial fishery,” Caldwell opined. “In Massachusetts there are 665,000 (striped bass) recreational fishermen, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and only 1,207 commercial fishermen reporting a catch.”

Granted all of those folks did not catch fish. The commercial catch in MA amounts to a hill of beans in the overall picture. Art