|
We (recreational advocates) claim the recreational numbers are bogus and that is the heart and soul of what drove the registry/license move along the coast. The new system is not yet in place and I for one agree with Kenny that there are way more fish caught by our community than the numbers show.
IF this is true then the numbers are skewed and there are more fish than we think as well...I state this because the number of reported fish is a part of how the overall amount is calculated.
On a related note and a far more accurate (in many more educated than myself's) opinion, the young of the year index has been on a significant decline. There has been a prpediction for at least five years that there would be a lot less maller fish and that is absolutely true.
The same scientific modeling state there are more large available and all we all know the last few years have seen an almost unbelievable amount of supercows.
We also now KNOW that Mycobacteriosis is spreading and that a lack of quality forage is part of that problem...according to scientists not me or other fishermen.
We also know that as the numbers of fish skyrocketed the recreational catch went through the ceiling and the commercial catch got one small bump and it was small.
Now that the recreational catch is falling responsible management is not to just blame the commercial quota, or poaching or anything else that isn't staring us right in the mirror...it is to cut mortality.
We need to DEMAND that our State Directors reduce mortality NOW. We need to stop blaming anyone and reduce killing as many Stripers and then protect the chit out of our forage base.
LEt's get it right. We are still above stock targets on Striped Bass. There are problems but there are always problems.
Look at that chart again. In he years the catches were highest the bulk of those fish were small. Go back and check posts about the West wall, The Narrows in Buttermilk Bay, the bulk of the fly fishing boom. It was all fueled by little fish and high liners were complaining there were not enough large. Now there are a bunch of large but the small are hard to find.
You can only support so much life in a finite space. Especially when forage is in bad shape and water is warning and...and...and.
Stop Whining and call your State Director...Are you committed enough to force by way of numbers a change or are we going to blog and whine and never make the calls needed to stop the bleeding now.
Call your state Director.
There will be analysis that will help clarify what must be done to
|
Threaded Mode