This thread reminds me of a good barroom brawl and after 25 years in the business I've seen more than one New Bedford squaredance break out...
Now that the combatants have pretty much finished beating the Jehovah out of each other after Mike stepped in as bouncer, there are some obvious conclusions
To a man, there seems to be little disagreement that the inshore striped bass fishery is in trouble and I hear that opinion from a pretty broad range of veteran surfmen that I respect. These are men with 30, 40 and in some cases more than
50 years in the fishery, both recreationally and commercially, and there are few, if any, substitutes for that kind of historical perspective.
Ultimately, whether you like it or not, striped bass are a
shared resource and Stripers Forever is attempting an exclusive resource grab for the recreational sector. Period.
If - and this is really the fly in the ointment -
if the data gathered from recreational licensing goes as expected, I think the recreational side - of which I am a member - is going to be in denial for some time to come over the facts
No one is blameless. The regulations have to be tightened and
both sides have to take a hit and take the pain - the alternative is going to be a moritorium which will serve no one user group's best interests
And since I don't have a dog in the fight financially on either side, I don't have to "be careful" - I don't run a charter operation, don't manufacture or sell striped bass plugs, tackle, waders, bags, titanium pliers, books, flip-flops or any of the other accoutrements that mark your standing as a seasoned and knowledgeable sharpie
Nor do I have a commercial license, although I have many friends who do and that is their right regarding a
shared resource
Money, as we all know, is at the root of all evil - although at this point in my life I've come to realize that ego and a deep-seated need for external validation is a pretty frigging close second
Hybrid Mode
