6. Representative Matthew Patrick: (Representing Recs) from Bourne, Mashpee, Barnstable

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"The overall biomass is not down, but breeding females are down as a % of this total number.

We have seen a decline in breeding females. Females are always the biggest fish when you are talking about bass larger than 30". That is why it's necessary to protect them.

During the Moratorium put in place by the lower states, the Chesapeake Bay stocks had crashed because large females were aggressively targeted by anglers.

I am a fisherman, and have some experience fishing for striped bass.

Striped bass represent a billion dollars yearly of revenue in MA, if you look at all the aggregate economic activity generated by Recreational anglers here and elsewhere coming to fish for them.

Commercial fishing represents about $24 million of yearly revenue based on the aggregate effect.

The business of fishing and its related industries is either the largest or 2nd largest revenue stream in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

This bill represents a "starting point" Don't leave it up to the DMF. They were the ones in charge many years ago when the stocks collapsed.

We cannot sustain a collapse of this magnitude again.

Some studies and results have shown - (documents available for the committee's review)
a. Consistently taking large fish changes the gene pool. Bigger fish are genetically superior, and there is some concern that eliminating them or reducing their numbers encourages less genetically fit fish to become a bigger part of the biomass.

b. 3000 Commercial permits were taken out in 2008, at a fee of $65. Of those 3000, only 1207 permit holders reported catching any fish. It is my understanding that they do this to ensure a consistent portion of quota is given to commercial fishermen.

c. Advisory warnings - several states now have advisory warnings against women and children eating too many striped bass because the larger ones have higher PCB concentrations.

I am not a man who wants to put these commercial fishermen out of work. I don't want to see their livelihood taken away. If there was a way to restrict fishing in some way by contacting the DMF and restricting commercial fishermen from harvesting big females and still allowing them to fish, I would be all for it.

I would also bring your attention to the Southwick study publicized by StripersForever. The goal of all of us should be to look at the breeding females and figure out how to protect them.

Here are my recommendations in addition to supporting this bill:
1. Figure out a way to save the spawning females.
2. Find a way to buy out commercial fishermen so they are not financially impacted if we pass this gamefish bill.
3. I would like to see a slot fish limit of 20-26", and the number of keeper bass reduced from 2 to 1. "