ATLANTIC STRIPED BASS ASSESSMENT SUMMARY FOR 2013

[l.i.fish.in.vt]

numbskull,not sure what you mean by ''quality fishing'',but if you mean size,i would have to say the average recreational fisherman gives a rats ass about size.

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by l.i.fish.in.vt

numbskull,not sure what you mean by ''quality fishing'',but if you mean size,i would have to say the average recreational fisherman gives a rats ass about size.

By "quality" I mean fishery that is managed so the fish are available throughout their historic range in reasonable abundance and natural size distribution.

We are no where close to that presently. The large YOY class 2 years ago makes the population numbers work so that management can claim the species is not over fished.

"Not over fished" is a hell of a long way aways from a healthy fishery.
A healthy fishery is what we want, not a maximally exploited one, even if that exploitation is "sustainable".

[zacs]

Originally Posted by numbskull

A healthy fishery is what we want, not a maximally exploited one, even if that exploitation is "sustainable".

I think this sums it up best. Unfortunately, Mike is right, the managers' hands are tied due to federal law.

Apparently, according to Mike, MSA is "up"? next year, so I guess now is the chance to make a change.

Changing to gamefish status, or 1@36" are all great mantras for Striped Bass regulation, but striped bass are just a very small piece of a gigantic confusing puzzle which is managed by MSA, and MSA won't allow for anything except taking MSY.

The way we assess & manage fisheries needs to drastically change, and it sounds like the chance to do this is with the re-visiting of the MSA next year.

The first question is, what is the new management scheme that is better than what they do now?