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Originally Posted by loligo  B-Faithful- Nobody is trying to take away from the rec's, who is for the comm'l harvest, so what's your point sir? As far as the discard mortality percentages are concerned, you are missing the bigger picture. |
Actually we just had coms and charter capts alligned trying to get access to catch and release shut down during the "off season" here in Maryland recently in an attempt to protect other allocations where they profit most from the use of the resource. That is why I wanted to address the earlier c&r comments. There is far greater benefit to society than just "fun" for the anglers. To me c&r is also a the most basic and least harmful method of fishing to sustainability. Should the populations decline to a level where catch and keep needs to be greatly restricted, access and opportunity to the public resource can still be afforded through c&r practices. C&R should be the last form of fishing restricted unless it scientifically has been shown to cause a specific conservation issue. I am looking at the big picture. I am a freedom to fish advocate and recognize that fishing and use of a public natural resource should be regulated for access and opportunity to the public and the sector that benefits society as a whole the most first. Again, I am not an advocate of gamefish-only status but do believe in fishermens rights and management to benefit the owners of the resource first and foremost.
Personally, I dont believe gamefish only status works in NJ as it has at time created an unreported by-catch problem. Just ask my father who saw acres of dead floating bass off the coast of Avalon NJ the other year where a dragger accidentily hit a school of bass and was forced dump and waste them. (moratality of a striper drug in a net is much greater than that of a recreational c&r fisherman) Of course law enforcement is an issue in all fisheries management. Another topic, another day though.
