NYCRF Addendum III to Amendment 6 letter
July 1 2012
Ms. Kate Taylor
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
1050 North Highland Street
Suite 200A-N
Arlington, VA 22201
Dear Ms. Taylor;
The New York Coalition for Recreational Fishing is writing this letter to express our positions on the pending Addendum III to Amendment 6 to the Atlantic Striped Bass Interstate Fishery Management Plan.
Our overarching position is that the loopholes in the regulations managing the commercial harvest of striped bass should be closed, that more stringent measures should be taken to prevent overharvests, and more exacting penalties imposed for illegal harvest and sale of striped bass.
Specifically, the Coalition supports the second option in each category. Therefore, we support uniform tagging, tagging at the point of harvest, a biological tag allowance to prevent overage, the demand of the states to account for unused tags, that states provide catch per unit effort data, and that tags remain affixed to the fish until the fish reaches the consumer.
The Coalition has long been concerned about poaching (both recreational and commercial), illegal commercial harvests, and various means by which commercial anglers have been able to circumvent the intended management principles. Furthermore, the ongoing threat posed by Mycobacteriosis, poor recruitment in the last decade, and substantially increased fishing pressure in the last twenty years all threaten to undermine the proper and intended management of striped bass.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
William Young
President – New York Coalition for Recreational Fishing
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Originally Posted by Tom Farrell
