Mass Striper decline numbers from NOAA

[stripermaineiac]

Gamefish status would work but the problem is too many greedy types that don't wanna work for the future it's just here n now for them.Like a few other old farts here I've been through the moratorium. Still fished but got real good at release methods.Tagged a load of fish for ALS an others. We still had some fish up here in Maine. I still had stripers to land during the Derby. Some very impressive-an over 50lb-that all got released. Now very few fish up here an the Derby striper numbers are only what they are as the size is down to 32 in.A size many of us would never keep unless dieing let alone weigh in.For 4 yrs it gets less n less. Some of you boat guys luck out from time to time but up here it's just plain close to done.Bait all over the place just enjoyin the day as nothing is there to feed on them. My point is is that it is what it is an are we gonna do something about it or just keep blamin an moanin an groanin about things.
Catch numbers need to go down,Gamfish would be nice to see but too much greed there. Bag an size limits need to be changed. Fewer fish caught. bigger penalties for violators to include loss of all gear. repeat offenders do time.
You wann see the real economic affect. check the value of all your gear and multipy it by 10,000.Double that number and do the same then cut the ist number in half an do the same. Add those figures an then multiply it by the states that have stripers. 1st number the middle ,second the hard cores an third the weekend types that only fish a few times.We spend huge on our passion.Those are lowball numbers. So lets spend some to fix the problem before all the gear just collects dust an our memories are all we have left of a passion we all share.