John,
Like you said, there are a lot of unanswered questions. If the net off the middle wall is anchored to it, it will pose a problem for lots of boaters that work wire line through that area. It will also represent a problem for anglers that run the wall and plug the length of it.
There has been no mention of why we need yet another directed fishery for squid and scup. These are two already exploited species and they're darn important forage for every game fish out there. This is also the time of year that the squid (Loligo pealei)
spawn and lay their eggs along the south shore beaches. By July the bottom is covered with squid egg sacks that represent the next generation of squid. They only live a short time and if we disrupt their ability to spawn we may have a much bigger problem than one of uncluttered access to the walls.
Here's a quote from
http://www.mbl.edu/publications/Loli...id/eggs.0.html
"Increased fishing pressure on Loligo and other squid have caused a growing concern among biologists and conservationists. This concern has also revealed a lack of substantial information on the life histories of many of the exploited species of Loligo. The sort of information that fisheries managers and agencies need in order to adequately protect a species from over-fishing includes reproduction, behavior, fecundity and age."
Like so much of what happens in fisheries mgmt. the devil is in the details.
Mike
Threaded Mode