Time to start supporting the Commercial fishermen

[DarkSkies]

I've been to the meetings, and seen the lack of Recreational participation.




However, increasing a commercial quota, at any time, is inherently bad. People should be keyed into this and the potential damage down the road.


Of course, most people don't care, they're more concerned about where the 40# bass are and how they can catch one. :huh:


It is what it is, but to anyone reading this, please keep yourself informed. Please try to help us to rally against any increases in commercial quotas for Striped Bass.


Thanks. :thumbsup:




I'm glad to hear that Ed. Because when I was up there for the hearing, that part seemed downplayed.
The Rec support was nowhere near what it could have been, and I left the room that day with the feeling that they really trounced us.

I'm still mad as hell that they allowed a small commercial allotment of bass for NY Comms as bycatch, and that more people weren't outraged by that. I thought the RFA-NY, NY-CRF and other NY groups would be all over that in protest. :don't know why:




I've seen the strong, organized participation from the Commercial side.

So I've decided what's the use, might as well go with the winning team.

I'm joining the commercial side as a lobbyist, who's with me? :kooky:

[DarkSkies]

Here's why:

1. Commercial fishermen are now gaining headway and getting more press.

2. They are finally getting more quota. Not many Recs seem to be angry about this. Why shouldn't we just give it all to them?

3. The Comms are infinitely more organized, with several well-paid lobbying groups. All we have as Recs is the RFA, and no one really cares about them anyway? :huh:

4. Comms are the "backbone of US fishing society"
They are steeped in a time honored tradition of family fishing.
What good things can we say about Recs?


I'm joining up with the Comms, who's with me? :rolleyes:

[rip316]

I am reserved to the fact that it no longer matters to what is going to happen. We are totally screwed. Fishing licenses, emergency closures. Pretty soon we wont even be able to fish at all.

[surfstix1963]

I know things look worse but we do need to stick together every rec we need to put our own plan together maybe we have been to rational and that may need to be bumped up a bit since we are not dealing with rational people.Everyone is so damn ramped up on 40 to 50 lb. fish and thats fine for the challenge of catching them but everyone that ends up on a cover for the glory of it is a major part of the problem yes it is a fish of a lifetime but theres nothing wrong w bringing a camera and get the glory shot and release the fish.We need more C&R fisherman and the stock will rebuild it did w/ the last moratorium and yes some may say the stocks are rebuilt but theres nothing wrong w/doubling that stock then you will start to see better and bigger fish instead of the schoolies that we catch non stop.These commercials stick together or they all stand the chance of being out of business and its the same w/ the recs we just need to get all together and fight the fight 1/2 the troop can't take out a whole troop.The problem is alot of people are giving in and thats exactly what they want and part of the reason the comms are walking right past us and getting what they want.I quite honestly can't say we are going to win the war but if we give in I can tell you we lost it.

[DarkSkies]

.Everyone is so damn ramped up on 40 to 50 lb. fish and thats fine for the challenge of catching them but everyone that ends up on a cover for the glory of it is a major part of the problem yes it is a fish of a lifetime but theres nothing wrong w bringing a camera and get the glory shot and release the fish.We need more C&R fisherman and the stock will rebuild it did w/ the last moratorium and yes some may say the stocks are rebuilt but theres nothing wrong w/doubling that stock then you will start to see better and bigger fish instead of the schoolies that we catch non stop.

That's a good point you made there Surfstix. Too many people focus on the mantra "the stocks are rebuilt, the stocks are sustainable".

They're not sustainable if there are more people entering into the sport of striped bass fishing every day. People can't fish for seabass or fluke yet this season. What do we expect them to fish for... striped bass. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.gif


The ASMFC studies have shown a slight decrease in the Striped bass biomass and YOY indices. People don't seem to be worried about that. :don't know why:

What they should concern themselves with is that there seem to be less of the biggest bass around. Sure you'll find them offshore concentrated on the largest bait balls, but on average I predict less 50's and 60's will be caught in our area this year. It's hard for scientists to get a handle on how many bass are actually left in this category.

I'm thinking that what we'll see this 2010 season is that for the surf guys who have a shot at them, most of the "big" bass will be in the 20-35# class. Boaters, covering more ground, will find a few larger ones.

The only way you can see any semblance of a pattern is to try to put together the stories of the captains at the end of the 2010 season.

As I said, several big bass will be caught. But overall, I have a feeling you will start to see even the most productive captains start to talk about how they are seeing less 50's and 60's.

Notwithstanding that hypothesis, if the bulk of the bass being harvested are now between 20-35#, that will affect the breeding stock for next year and the next 5 years out from that.

And if you try to explain or have a conversation with many anglers out there about this, it either becomes too complicated for them to wrap their heads around, or you get the feedback "Well, even if that's true, I'm going to get my big bass while they're still around"

The issue of how today, affects tomorrow, isn't of the slightest concern to many anglers. Even though an impressive number are starting to get involved and try to share their experience with others, there are no other fish to target now than striped bass and bluefish. They cannot withstand that sustained pressure without a permanent dent in the biomass.

That's one of the reasons I sarcastically said I would be a commercial lobbyist.

There doesn't seem to be any solution to address the rising commercial pressure for more quota. Most people have no interest in fighting against it, and talking about the striped bass biomass raises about as much interest as talking about advanced calculus theory. :rolleyes: