In a similar way, there are a lot of us who feel that the striped bass biomass figures (the end result calculations, extrapolated from small sample sizes..the catch data....which is mostly accurate for commercials because of the stringent reporting, but not that accurate for recreationals because of sloppy reporting)......

is shrinking......not because we don't like statistics, but because we are out there, more than most..and that is what we see.....because of the time we spend on the water...and the logs we keep year after year...




Many of the veteran saltwater fishermen, fishing for more than a few decades, have noticed a decline in the past 5 years or so.

Unfortunately, regulatory boards don't feel adding the perspective of veteran fishermen with no agenda, to the board, would help the fishery....so we have a disconnect between what regulatory boards claim, and what many of us are actually seeing, and what I am seeing...

1 Less fish per trip
2. Plenty of bait inshore, but less fish on them.
3. Greater gaps in different year classes of fish.

Many of the saltwater fishermen who have decades of experience are noticing the similarities between the conditions that exist now...and the moratorium in the 1980's.....

A. There seemed to be plenty of big fish back then,,,
B. There were many areas where the fish seemed to be less plentiful, as is the case now...
C. The other areas, the fish were stacked up so tightly, there were those who discounted that there was any trouble with the bass stocks.
D. Then, as now, the scientific findings, and regulatory board did not catch up with what what was happening with the fishery, until it was too late.....and the stocks collapsed, resulting in a long slow road back to being rebuilt.


Awareness of this, would then perhaps cause some members to see that history is repeating itself.




Food for thought......
I know talking about stats is boring, but the way some data is calculated, I thought some of the newer guys might not be aware of it...and it's important....
Thanks for reading....