MSBA Action Alert--Stripers Forever Bill Could Pass- Only One Hearing--This Thursday

[CowHunter]

Numbskull... I have released 50lb fish... How many can say that???

Not directing this at you numbskull, but people think just because you commercial fish that you kill everything you catch everytime you fish... I happen to let go more than I kill in a season...

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by CowHunter

Numbskull... I have released 50lb fish... How many can say that???

Almost every person I fish with, multiple times... except for me unfortunately. Still hunting for my first.

[CowHunter]

JohnnyD, Please show me where I mentioned that Commercial fishing is bad for the stocks? I know I never did, Im defending the 10% commercial catch because its nothing compared to what the recs kill... I want people to open there eyes and see how much damage is being done recreationally. As recs we kill way to many fish, period... The charters do fall under recreational catches under recreational limits....

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by CowHunter

Numbskull... I have released 50lb fish... How many can say that???
.

And I think I've released a few, too..........only I never got to see them .

Hopefully someday releasing large SB will be the norm, just as in freshwater the norm is to release a 10 lb LMB.

That isn't happening, however, as long as large fish have monetary value when dead (be it for commercial sale or charter/recreational purpose).

I agree that the attitude of recreational fishermen causes more harm to SB population than commercial (obviously).......but I think that the commercial take is a major factor in setting the mindset of most fishermen (both recreational and commercial) that SB are something to be exploited. Until the monetary value of dead striped bass becomes insignificant, attitudes are unlikely to change. Eliminating commercial take is a necessary, but not sufficient in itself, step to getting there.

I don't expect you to agree, your perspective is different than mine and neither perspective is more right than the other. Those differences are settled by legislative actions and since professional fishermen are way more organized than amateur fishermen I don't expect to see a change until either the fishery collapses and/or the legal system (under environmental challenge) shuts us all down.

[MikeToole]

Originally Posted by numbskull

I agree that the attitude of recreational fishermen causes more harm to SB population than commercial (obviously).......but I think that the commercial take is a major factor in setting the mindset of most fishermen (both recreational and commercial) that SB are something to be exploited. Until the monetary value of dead striped bass becomes insignificant, attitudes are unlikely to change. Eliminating commercial take is a necessary, but not sufficient in itself, step to getting there. .

Exactly! How do you get the recreational fisherman to except a reduction in limit when for a hundred dollars someone else can get 30.

The Mass commercial license is just a partial return to the old days where recreational fisherman can sell fish. Plus a little bit of a money grab for the state. It's a Mass quota, why would they sell non-resident licenses if they weren't looking for the bucks.

[dannyplug1]

At the risk of offending, I am tired of the BS a fish killed by a rec, a commercial or by catch is dead and cannot contribute to the survival of the striped bass. I think we should all bite the bullet and have a moritorun on taking any bass until we can straighten out the problems they are having in the Chesapeake. As much sense as this seems to make I have doubts that it will ever happen. There is just too much money involved. We pushed the bass to the edge of of survival in the eighties and I think it is only a matter of time. Commercials and rec fisherman enjoy the bass while they last. Think it cant happen look at the passenger pigeon, think about the halibut fishery in the atlantic that was destroyed by 1900. I detest the weekend commercial fishermen- those who deplete an endangered public resource to line there pockets. I have some sympathy for full time fishermen. But the good do not always prevail. I just want to be able to look at my children when they ask daddy "Whats a striped bass?" I think some of the participants in this thread (who I prefer not to mention) will regret their greed when the bass go the way of other fisheries that were once prolific and thought to be inexhaustible.

[CowHunter]

DannyPlug, I think SB is far from extinct..... People have gotten spoiled the last few years.... We do Have an EEZ where the Bass are protected... I will say this about the Chesapeke, At Least they Shut it down to Harvesting from Jan 1 Til May - Catch And Release ONLY... Im suprised the SF Folks dont head down there from Maine and Enjoy a Fine Catch and Release Fishery.... You can catch all the little dinks you want, till your arms fall off....

[dannyplug1]

Look at the young of the year indexes for the chesapeake. Typically there are a series of off years then there is a year when every thing comes together. This has not happened in quite a few years. When the fish were evey where there was a correlation with the YOY indexes. The Chesapeake fish are in trouble! acres of the bay are dead the menhaden which provide the best ratio of nutrient to the bass are being whiped out. And from a personal perspective I know the ammount of small bass are going down. Fishermen up and down the coast are support the scientific reality that stripers are in trouble. For many reasons people do not want to see the truth. Are we supposed to wait till we are on the edge like the eighties. We should all bite the bullet and release all bass. I cant expect others to make sacrifices if I wont.

[CowHunter]

DannyPlug, I am aware of the YOY indexes, I believe 06 was the worst with .5 a sienne and 09 had like 3.5 or so... Think a 700% increase or so. In any case it is troublesome, but what is the cause?? I hear the biggest Blame is the run off from the farmlands and not overharvesting, even though Ive seen some impressive rec kils there in December and outside in Jan... In fact the Com guys Harvesting BlueCrabs are Blaming the Striped Bass for eating them... Finger Pointing Everywhere... And Yes the Menhaden is a huge factor....

Agian, correct me if I am wrong on the YOY, That was just off the top of my head...

[CowHunter]

Mike, First where can I get a comm license for a hundred??? Hook a Brother up Man!

30 fish is the limit, they shut it down when they hit 1.1 million pounds....

I think it would be a great Idea to have rec guys pay $100 for a saltwater fishing license, Give them to a quota of 1.1 million pounds and shut it down when the quota is hit..... 100 fishermen catching 30 fish a day is 3000 dead fish.... 1500 fishermen catching 2 a day up and down the coast is 3000 fish, the difference is the 1500 fishermen can fish every single day from when the fish arrive to when they leave, 7 months straight, seven days a week...

Why do people have a hard time grasping 30 fish? The quota is still 1.1 million pounds... Its hit and then shut down, so what if it is 10, 15, 20, 30 or 40 fish a day... I am so certain that everybody is getting theyre 30 fish Mike... If that was the case the season would last a week... Why is it that all the big wieght days come in on Sundays when its 5 Fish a man? Not the 30 fish a day... More people doing it, and its easier to catch 5. It doesnt take a genius to figure out how easy it is for the recs to kill more...

If it was that easy to get 30 fish every Single day we would not be having this debate because the Striped Bass Stock would be Healthier than it ever was... Guess anybody can get a license for $100 and catch 30 a day!!!

[MikeToole]

Originally Posted by CowHunter

Mike, First where can I get a comm license for a hundred??? Hook a Brother up Man!

30 fish is the limit, they shut it down when they hit 1.1 million pounds....

I think it would be a great Idea to have rec guys pay $100 for a saltwater fishing license, Give them to a quota of 1.1 million pounds and shut it down when the quota is hit..... 100 fishermen catching 30 fish a day is 3000 dead fish.... 1500 fishermen catching 2 a day up and down the coast is 3000 fish, the difference is the 1500 fishermen can fish every single day from when the fish arrive to when they leave, 7 months straight, seven days a week...

Why do people have a hard time grasping 30 fish? The quota is still 1.1 million pounds... Its hit and then shut down, so what if it is 10, 15, 20, 30 or 40 fish a day... I am so certain that everybody is getting theyre 30 fish Mike... If that was the case the season would last a week... Why is it that all the big wieght days come in on Sundays when its 5 Fish a man? Not the 30 fish a day... More people doing it, and its easier to catch 5. It doesnt take a genius to figure out how easy it is for the recs to kill more...

If it was that easy to get 30 fish every Single day we would not be having this debate because the Striped Bass Stock would be Healthier than it ever was... Guess anybody can get a license for $100 and catch 30 a day!!!

Rod and reel permit $35.00 and $30 for striper endorsement.

The difference is in one case 1500 people get to enjoy the fishery. In the other case 100 get to make money off the fishery.

Your right if it was easy to catch 30 fish a day there would be no reason for this discussion. But then, when you have to limit the general public to no more than two fish a day I think that is an indication that the stock can not support a commercial fishery.

Yes, there is about a 3 million mt quota for commercial, about 20% of the total catch. The number of recreational fisherman is continuing to increase. In this situation in my opinion the first place you cut is the commercial quota. You want to maintain a public resource in a manner that benefits the largest number of people.