Paddling backwards in conservation efforts?

[Saltheart]

An interesting subject came up on another thread that I think is worth some discussion.

As we (and other sites) post about conservation and then post about promising results of past conservation efforts , like increase pogies and bass last year etc , are we rec ruiting more fishermanon the take side?

Talk about how banning pogie boats results in more pogies and how people hammered fish under and with them , do we drag in new pogie boats and hundreds of new fisherman who come for easy pickings with no regard for the sport or conservation efforts?

It seems like out of 100 people who read on a site , a handful talk about and try to work on the conservation side while 90 plus just swoop in for the kill. Overall , have internet fishing sites helped or hurt the striper and forage fish conservation efforts?

There was a time when you had to work to find fish. You either found them yourself or exchanged info face to face with others who had put in time and gave out info only to people they knew who also worked at it. Other than from a few loose lipped tackle shop owners , new fisherman or seldom fisherman would never hear about an area being hot , how and when to fish it , where the bait was or wasn't , etc. Now for example , every armchair fisherman from florida to NovaScotia can simply go online for 5 minutes and zero right in on where the fishing is good and where and when to head out for their infrequent and previously unproductive fishing trip. Right now , if you go to a fishing site , only and idiot would not know what's going on at the ditch. As the huge number of casual fisherman decide whether to go and where to go , they can just pop into a site and skim the cream off the top telling them when to go where and how to cash in.

Some will argue that information technology has increased the ranks of fisherman and therefore increased our clout with lawmakers and policy groups. I wonder how many of the hordes of fisherman who swooped down on the bay last year for easy take of big fish they heard about on the internet , attended a conservation or fisheries management meeting in the off season. Maybe none? How many even got past the where and when and how threads to read the threads about trying not to gut hook fish or fill their bellies with hardware by breakoffs do to light gear or even simply think about catch and release?

Just a bunch of provocative questions on whetehr the easy rapid spread of information is good or bad for the fisheries. I would have to say that on weighing the good with the bad , the fisheries are suffering do to the internet.

Other thoughts and opinions??

How could the internet be used more valuably on the conservation side to counter or overcome the negative side?

[BasicPatrick]

Interesting topic for sure...

Without taking a side...I found it very interesting this week that some were concerned with the NJ reports of lots of big fish harvested when at the same time a simiar situation (just not as big fish) was being celebrated at the canal.

[RIROCKHOUND]

Originally Posted by BasicPatrick

Interesting topic for sure...

Without taking a side...I found it very interesting this week that some were concerned with the NJ reports of lots of big fish harvested when at the same time a simiar situation (just not as big fish) was being celebrated at the canal.

I didn't post anything b/c I didn't want to get jumped on, but I had the same thought.... and I'm not a release all fish peta nut,
but I'd imagine the internet certainly changed the face of fishing at a place like the canal; even edited pictures still know what general area it is! How many lurkers who don't post headed there this week now....

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by BasicPatrick

Interesting topic for sure...

Without taking a side...I found it very interesting this week that some were concerned with the NJ reports of lots of big fish harvested when at the same time a simiar situation (just not as big fish) was being celebrated at the canal.

Yeh, noted.

I think if WE, the recreational public, that does all of this to "protect" more fish, than we also need to do more to protect the fish from the recreational public and commercial entities.

Unlike the SF people that want to cut off the commercial fishing, I think we need to have all groups take a third left. Few (no?) commercials make their living on Striped Bass, and few (no?) recreationals feed their family solely in striped bass.

But thats me...

As for the internet helping or hurting? I know lots of people have learned or increased their conservation mindset due to various internet sites and new information/media outlets. I think it has mostly been for the good, however, there certainly is a bad element to it as well.

And few people, internet or no internet, go to make their voice heard at a meeting in public. I know as I don't see many people. I know I don't go to these anywhere near as frequently as a Basic Patrick or Mike Bucko.

I do think that Internet sites get more people to call, write, or email their representatives to get voices heard but it still a pitifully small amount of the people we HOPE to get involved. One significant advantage to the tightly integrated groups that are fighting against us to close our beaches, or stop our fishing, or misinform kids in schools - they are organized and make a concerted effort against us.

[TheSpecialist]

Originally Posted by BasicPatrick
Interesting topic for sure...

Without taking a side...I found it very interesting this week that some were concerned with the NJ reports of lots of big fish harvested when at the same time a simiar situation (just not as big fish) was being celebrated at the canal.

Bingo...

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by JohnR

:One significant advantage to the tightly integrated groups that are fighting against us to close our beaches, or stop our fishing, or misinform kids in schools - they are organized and make a concerted effort against us.

And have multiple lobbyists on Beacon Hill while there is no one to represent fishermen.

Doesn't matter though. With the Plover Nests so close to the access roads, the Race will be closed in a matter of weeks.

[Saltheart]

The more people involved in the sport , the more organized the opposition gets and the less organized we get.

The newbie hordes bring with them all kinds of problems that create activism against the sport. Lifelong fisherman become aware and give back but easy come easy go fisherman just wreck a place and leave. For years I have seen Smokey carry out a bag of trash every trip left behind by a different bunch every day all week long. If you fish a spot a lot , you're not going to muck it up because its like crapping where you eat but the guys who will come only once or a few times could care less. I see big groups of guys taking up a big stretch of prime fishing areas and all they do is gab all night and leave behind a dozen DD coffee cups and all the packaging for their new lures and snack food.

Anyway , I'm getting off track.

Its inevitable that the spread of information will attract a lot of people. I'm wondering how people more dedicated to the sport can turn the influx of new people that the internet lures into a positive thing. How do you harness the enthusiastic report chasers to in some way do some good to improve the sport or at least prevent the damage they do? Its a question looking for opinions , I certainly don't know the magic answer. Maybe its wishful thinking.

One thing I thought of would be to rig the posts so that every post carries some short conservation minded quote. They have to read through the post to get to the parts that tell them the where , when and how. Or even some mechanism that sticks in some awareness message right smack in the middle of the posts that they can't just jump oever like they could if its at the beginning. Poeple who care could start a library of one or two line beneficial statements that somehow gets pasted into posts on a revolving basis. This library could also include announcements of fisheries meetings or fish friendly techniques etc. I admit its easy to be the idea man when someone else would have to impliment it but sorry , I'm an idea guy not an IT guru. But some sort of ideas along these lines may boost awareness in the report chasing hordes and matbe restore some balance between the good and bad aspects of the inevitable recruitment that easy access through the internet involves.

Anyway , somehow I'd like to see it lead to some good. Other ideas how to rein the masses for the side of truth justice and Striper Fishing Forever???

[numbskull]

Slot limit. Being forced to release most large fish would very quickly change the mindset of recreational fisherman.