Are the fish really smaller?

[farquar]

The science seems valid, but do you think Stripers should be lumped in there too?

In "Cod" the author makes a point of describing from early settlement times until now the drastic decline, but also (been a couple years since reading) largers were targetted because there meat was consistent and salted was equivalent.

In "Stripers" Cole says that they would rather have the smaller fish because they would take top dollar. Of course there was no targetting with there nets.
Thinking of this, I realize that the stripers were so decimated that I don't know that you could say there was a steady shift, as any biological or physiological shift would be?
I believe it is justified with the Cod, but until studies are done on stripers, I don't know?