Originally Posted by
DarkSkies
Based on the testimony I heard from both sides, here are some of the key issues that need to be addressed:
2. Is it in the best interests of MA to prevent every Comm fisherman from fishing for striped bass?
This issue became confusing the more I heard the testimony from the Comm guys. In the previous post I slammed some of the things the Comm guys do. I also stated that there are abuses on the Rec side as well.
I think the real answer here to a workable solution lies somewhere in the middle:
a. They could immediately put a cap on all new commercial licenses, none permitted for the future.
b. Let guys know that the weekend warrior comm guys would be weeded out from the system. If you can't prove you fish commercially for a living, it might be a good idea to look into why that group has to be gven the privelege of a commercial permit. The commercial permit gives you the right to harvest and carry 30 fish/day. I respectfully submit that if there is abuse of this permit, it's more llikely to be by a guy who doesn't do it for a living. Of course, that's just my opinion.
I know of a few NJ guys who make the run to MA every year to fish commercially. Private intel came in that said some of them were finding ways to take more than their limits. I think it's important for abuses like that to be stopped. As some of those testifying said, when people do that they're stealing from all people in MA. I've also heard of instances of commercial guys living in MA who have sold to restaurants & small independent fish markets where they don't have to report it on their license. This underground industry needs to be looked at.