Ban the Striper Cup now!!!

[piemma]

[Fly Rod]

Even tho female striped bass can reproduce at the age of four years, many do not spawn at that age. Normally they do not start to spawn till the age of six years and at this age they average a length of twenty eight inches and therefore you have the regs mostly set at a legal minimum catch size of 28 inches, giving the striper at least one spawning year before being caught. Maybe they should raise the keeper size limit so that the female can get two or three seasons to spawn. Remember that when they re-opened the catching of striped bass the size was about 34 inches to keep and the fish rebounded to great numbers which gave them six spawning years before going on the dinner table. Some striper's do not spawn every year.

And for anyone to blame the Striper Club for the reduction of the striped bass population is absurd. You have bait and tackle shops, clubs and bar rooms up and down the coast holding tournaments.

[JohnR]

The Striper Cup is but one minuscule cog in all of this discussion. You can come up with 100 more effective methods from the logical to the absurd.

We need to conserve more, we need to do better, but for anything of any substance to happen, fisheries REGULATIONS must change.

Maybe I saw you at some of the meetings, maybe I didn't, but there have not been mush by way of meetings that will have a real IMPACT. The only meeting in recent memories was the fall's coastal meeting schedule to further INCREASE the commercial take, which was fortunately well attended by people to thwart that effort. Discussing the Striper Cup doesn't even equate to any meaningful reductions. It might not be right, but its what we have to work with.

The significant majority here practice considerable C&R.

Conservation starts at home, well, if gas prices are any indication, practicing full C&R will have even less impact if factoring 8% C&R mortality against less trips due to $$