Quote:
Originally Posted by numbskull
So the "science" now shows that we have been overfishing (even if the SSB is still not formally ruined) for 10 years and F was set too high, something that has been painfully apparent to the vast majority of serious recreational striped bass fishermen for years now, and you feel the ASMFC has done a "pretty good job" by ignoring it?
I am sure you are well intentioned and you sincerely believe what you have advocated is right, but I would be interested to understand how you rationalize what you have chosen to believe in the face of what has obviously occurred.
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We have a new stock assessment, which brings a new look at the situation. According to the previous stock assessment we were not overfishing and according to both stock assessments they are not overfished. Don't you understand that 1) you and the other guys on these discussions (me included) are not "science" and science is what is supposed to govern fishery management, and 2) things change, recruitment may be higher or lower in any given year than what was assumed in the stock assessment, that's why they do new assessment, to figure out if we are still on track in managing the species.
The board is reacting quickly to both adopt the new stock assessment (which they have to do before they can manage the fishery using the new reference points) and to take action which will bring the harvest down.
The sky is not falling.
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