Is It Time for Conservation

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by Mike P

There have been more 30 pounders and up landed and kept, from a single beach in any given week in NJ over the past month, than will be entered in the whole OTW.

What gets me is that if you go around to other websites, it's always the NJ guys trashing Mass because of the commercial season. They wield their "gamefish" status like a badge of honor. Yet, when they have a chance to walk off a beach with two cows over their shoulders, they grab the opportunity by the balls.

All Gamefish status does is give recs the exclusive opportunity to rape the resource.

One a day, 26" to 34" slot, and if you want to cow hunt, get 5 "trophy" tags a season you can put on 40" and above fish--and pick your 40"+ fish wisely 'cause that's all you get. You'll have bass up the arse for generations if you go that way.

Or just go back to one a day at 36"+. Seems to me that worked out pretty well.

One fish a day at 36 works fine, so does one at 34, 32, 30, or 28. I don't think you need all those confusing slots and additional regs in addition to a bag limit though. Conservation in its truest sense means protection of habitat. If fish are harvested in moderation, which I believe they currently are, it leaves the equally important part of the equation to fulfill, and that is protection of spawning habitat. The fish are where they are today because of these two principles. Still room for improvement too. Killing fewer of the fish doesn't guarantee us an unlimited lifetime supply of fish without protecting their reproductive capabilities/habitat. You need both, although I realize some people's idea of an ideal fishery would be a 40 or 50 on every cast, it isn't realistic or healthy. The last time it was like that was just prior to the collapse when it was all big fish, back when Clammer was young. Right now its better due to the wide range of size distribution, as well as the abundance of small fish IMO. To me this is the foundation for a continued healthy fishery.