Thank you for the report Patrick.
During the talks about granting SB gamefish status, I was lambasted for stating that ASMFC is an impotent group that ignores science and common sense. This meeting seems to more than re-enforce my opinion. How did life in the oceans possibly exist without humans managing its "carrying capacity"?
The commissioners of the principle regulating body for this region thought it was possible to take from the recreational quota (which doesn't exist) and transfer those numbers to the commercial quota? Who are these people? If they are "confused" by the very basic foundation of how the striped bass is managed, how can they possibly make informed decisions on more complex issues. No wonder these idiots think there are issues with bait due to the striped bass, as opposed to Omega and others completely wiping out entire schools of bait up and down the coast - or the pollution and dissolved-mineral plagued rivers and estuaries that these fish spawn in.
Some people hated that StripersForever bill and defended ASMFC, but it's these actions by ASMFC that demonstrate it as an ineffective governing body and give groups like SF ammo, along with setting the stage for another stock collapse.