Moratorium Blast from the past

[DZ]

The reason I posted this old column was to give historical perspective on how various states approached the issue and just how contentious it was. I remember going to this meeting and many, many, others. I spoke often with Dawson and Othote about the issue. Trap fisherman George Mendonsa was unapproachable, and at one point he and other commercial striped bass representatives on the council ran afoul of state “conflict of interest” laws but were later cleared. One of the major differences between then and now was that the entire rec community united for more conservative regs. For the record I don’t believe current striped bass fishing to be as bad as it was back then – yet. But I’m convinced that if fishermen back then had the benefit of today’s fish finding electronics technology and social media, then the bass would have taken even longer to recover or may not have recovered at all.

[zimmy]

Originally Posted by DZ

For the record I don’t believe current striped bass fishing to be as bad as it was back then – yet.

It isn't as bad, yet. That is why we need major action now. I was a kid during the moratorium days. I spent summers on the upper Chesapeake. My dad talked about how they used to catch stripers on the bay in the 50, 60's, and 70's. That was as foreign to me as the concept of elk being common in the east 250 years ago. The first stripers we saw on the bay post collapse was around 1987 and all of the adults were elated.

My uncle is still on the bay from May-Nov and he reports that the past fall was good. This is always pretty much exclusively a schoolie fishery and the 2011 class is strong. There is a chance to prevent a collapse and that is the point. Reactive management is almost universally ineffective. If that 2011 class gets hammered in a couple of years and the big fish continue to be picked off by the boats, it is over.