So the North Carolina trawlers say it’s OK to discard because of the way the law is written. It’s OK to kill potential egg carriers from dropping those eggs that may produce the future stock, of which they may continue to harvest. They state that the Striped Bass has recovered fully, and their waste does not affect the population of the Bass, but I notice a decline in the YOY indices, that scares me. The rec’s play apart in this too (poaching/mis-treatment of shorts/keeping shorts/over limits). But, do comm’s have to shove it up my doopa, throw it up in my face, and kill more Bass than I’ve ever seen at one time.

They have to make a living, but c’mon, do they think the stocks are endless. Do they just live for today, screw tomorrow, make my money now attitude, in my opinion yes. I’m not condemning all comm’s, but I fear the majority have this feeling.

I’ve read and re-read most of the articles of what’s going on with theses trawlers. I read more people are appalled that the dead or over limit netted Bass are not given to food banks. I don’t read too many people stating that the stocks are being depleted, or about the fish itself. I read that their Commission closes it down for a few days, and then re-opens it, hoping that the protest will forget about it and go away. Just a show. Where money is involved, laws are bendable. I don’t care about what they do with the discarded Bass, I don’t want to see any discarded Bass. Just stop using these destructive nets altogether.

It’s crazy to have some states that are Game Fish states, then NC and I think two other states that allow trawling. The Striper belongs to all people and should not have different laws for individual states, let the fishers of all states decide for the benefit of the Bass, one status/one set limit.

You can create all the limits to benefit the Bass, but who’s gonna enforce them, there’s not enough people in authority or money to enforce them. It comes from within, a respect for law and the Bass.

I just get a little cranky when I read all these stories and nothing changes. Just because you don’t hear about, it doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been going on for years.