Good news for the future ?

[JLH]

Originally Posted by MakoMike

What you don't seem to understand is that the spawning success of the species in the Chessie is determined by the weather. Last I looked there was nothing we could do to control that. The point I was trying to make is that when we get the right weather even a very low SSB can produce huge YOY indexes.

While the weather does play an important part in spawning success it has no place in management discussions because it is entirely beyond our control. You obviously can't manage a species based on the weather so focus on the factors that an be influenced.

History does show that a low SSB can produce a big YOY index given ideal conditions but it doesn't mean that it will happen again.

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by JLH

While the weather does play an important part in spawning success it has no place in management discussions because it is entirely beyond our control. You obviously can't manage a species based on the weather so focus on the factors that an be influenced.

History does show that a low SSB can produce a big YOY index given ideal conditions but it doesn't mean that it will happen again.

Weather plays a huge role in lots of activities, which are all managed either by the government or privately. Ignoring the impact of weather on any given weather dependent activity is sure to bring a management failure. What the managers are trying to do right now is to keep the SSB high enough so when we do get the right weather there will be huge spawning success.

[JLH]

Originally Posted by MakoMike

Weather plays a huge role in lots of activities, which are all managed either by the government or privately. Ignoring the impact of weather on any given weather dependent activity is sure to bring a management failure. What the managers are trying to do right now is to keep the SSB high enough so when we do get the right weather there will be huge spawning success.

My point was that we can't comment on or discuss weather options for managing the species because it is completely out of our hands. We have no way of knowing if the right weather is going to come next year or in 20 years.

What we do know is that SSB is declining quickly and we also know that there are relatively few smaller fish in the pipeline to replace the big fish that are being killed off at an alarming rate under the current regulations.

[Clammer]

As A marine Bioligest [sp] stated last year ..................... &&& to me this really sums it up .

aside from the deadly electronics , the use of the internet & cell phones / which he said just made a guy/or gal a fisherman & a call away from the fish .

he put it very bluntly ........NOW there is waaaaaaaaaaay to many fisherman &&&& not enough bass

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by JLH

What we do know is that SSB is declining quickly and we also know that there are relatively few smaller fish in the pipeline to replace the big fish that are being killed off at an alarming rate under the current regulations.

Well, if you believe the stock assessment, the SSB is NOT declining quickly, in fact it will rise starting in 2016.

But, FWIW, I support the full reduction next year, not because I think its the best option, but because it is the most prudent move on the table. I would have much preferred any other option that had more than a 51% chance of reaching its goal.