Viable Egg Answer from Ma. Div. of Marine Fisheries

[GBOUTDOORS]

I have asked the same question many times of MANY marine bio and the answer is always the same on either side of the issue the smaller fish will for sure be around alot longer than the larger fish all things being the same so will produce more over the years. The larger fish will put out more eggs but is limited in the number of years left. What I say is all the answers given here are the same I have seen not one study in wrighting but this marine bio said this and this one said that. As I stated in other posts I gave names and deg. of many that feel that the bigger fish is on its way down and again I think they may have a point as they have the deg. NOT me. I too gave the name of a marine bio prof. from UMASS for 30 years that feels that way but he too does not have a paper on it so you say your PHD is right and I will contniue to think mine is right till I see a study with facts and fig. that show them wrong. Two sides to every issue and way to many answers? I do not state this as a way to say I can or will kill a fish over 40# but as you should know the legal limit says you can and many do that is their right that we can not and should not take away from them and if that was the case then we should not fish at all I guess as that would be the answer to it all

[labrax]

Who is it at UMASS? - PM me if you like. That is where I went, my buddy went, and I know all of the professors up there. 30 years - that must be Mike Ross, very nice guy always did well in his classes and he was on my committee when I was going for grad degree.

Not saying that you shouldn't take a fish if it is legal. I love eating fish too and will keep a fish for food. What I see though is a lot of people saying that the older bigger fish are all washed up anyway, so might as well take them as the eggs are not going to be viable. What you are arguing, or rather debating - is that the fish has only so many years left to reproduce, so that it is better to take that one rather than a younger smaller fish that has 'X' number of years ahead of it to contribute to the reproduction effort. While that is true - who is to say it will make it there. The big fish already has and during the next spawning season may produce 10x the egg of that smaller female. If these eggs are larger and the resulting fish are in better condition after the absorbtion of the yolk sac - they stand a better chance of making it to juvenile fish and then into adulthood. I see what you are saying, but I do not agree with it either and while I can't speak for Bob - I believe he was just trying to debunk the myth that older larger females produce eggs that are not as viable, or of lesser quality than smaller fish.

[likwid]

The more fish spawning = more fish in the future years, period.

I don't know why you guys are so against this, is getting a fish to be mounted THAT important? And like a couple of us said, big fish just don't taste as good as the smaller fish.