MRAC to allow Commercial striped bass catch?

[BassBuddah]

This came from Willy Young on another site. It doesn't look good -



MRAC is going ahead with a subcommittee to look into making trawlers a direct fishery for striped bass in New York. The vote was 7 in favor 1 opposed, and 1 absention.
This is from some people who are suppose to represent you , but it now seens only want to help the commercial fishery and rape the resource.
Willie

[BassBuddah]

He suggested that we send a letter of protest to the council. Here are the specifics. If we won at Brookhaven maybe we can make a difference here guys. I'm sending mine today.

Send to;
William Wise
Chairman Marine Resources Advisory Council
School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, N.Y. 11794-5000
Or e-mail
wwise@notes.cc.sunysb.edu.

[nitestrikes]

That sucks, I think if it becomes a reality it will be abused big time. Links in case anyone wants to read up on it.

http://www.somas.stonybrook.edu/comm...Bv19n1s05.html

[finchaser]

Say good bye to the Hudson River and Raritan Bay breeding stocks fish,this will hurt Montalk also

[gjb1969]

NO NO NO!!!!!BUNCH OF A$$HOLES RIGHT BACK TO SQUARE ONE

[buckethead]

Unbelievable that they would even consider something like this.

[DarkSkies]

Willy is President of the NY-CRF, and an icon in the NY surf and recreational fishing community.

I think this is appalling. More to come on this later when I get a chance to compose some letters and post them up here.

In the meantime, we need anglers reading this to make some noise and raise a stink. The way I read this it's not a done deal yet, though it sounds like they have their minds made up already.

Nonetheless, that doesn't mean people should give up.

Anyone who fishes recreationally in NY OR NJ should understand the implication of this. It's not an innocuous, harmless decision.

It's something that can affect all of us down the line.

Giving in to this, and accepting it as inevitable, sets the tone for Comm. fishermen all up and down the Coast to ask for equal treatment and demand the "same deal that NY got".

It also sets the tone for Comms to catch more than they have been catching as bycatch.

If Comms were realistic and all abided by the law, it would be OK, in theory.

However, the way I read it is that now there is a minimum they will be allowed to keep, which will (conveniently) now become the "accidental minimum" every time until the new minimum TAL is reached. This doesn't account for dead discards if someone wants to be dishonest and sets a dangerous precedent.

I want to reserve my comments until I have a chance to read further into this. I need to understand it better and study it.

But for now, I encourage all recreational anglers to learn more about this. Learn for yourselves. Even if you don't agree with my initial assessments, please keep yourself informed before it's too late.

Contact Willy at the NY-CRF and ask what you can do.
www.nycrf.org

Also contact some of the PACS, like the RFA and the StripersForever people, and ask them what their positions are on this. I'll be doing that, and reporting what they tell me.

It's only over if you people don't think it's worth it to fight.
I think it is worth it, I hope some of you do as well.

[finchaser]

I think the ICON and Stripers Forever should have reported this before the vote. Also could not believe Rochetta's comment. Looks like someone got to a lot of people when you consider all the Recreational people on the council voted for it. IMO this will really speed up the inevitible next collapse now that a breeding stock is being targeted.. Wonder how many states will try to follow this idiocy.

[hookedonbass]

This is going to have a devastating effort. How could they even begin to vote for this? If you ask me they must be bribed by commercials somehow.

[surferman]

If you ask me they must be bribed by commercials somehow.

or commercial lobbiers. This whole thing stinks worse than 3 day old fish left out in the sun.