[Broad Bill]

Heart, great point. In 2021, NJ had 3 @ 18", season 5/22 - 9/19 or 121 days. How do any of these options result in a 28% reduction, especially Option 3 with the same daily bag and minimum size limit but having 24 more days in the season than 2021, or help the stock if commercial fishing practices aren't addressed and the spawn of this stock protected which these a$&#@?!s refuse to address?

No matter what option is picked, another will be chosen, commercial will continue slamming the stock year round, harvesting fish recs are releasing while killing younger age classes en masse. They haven't learned harvesting all breeders of older age classes is not how you sustain or grow a fishery and is not how you manage recruitment.

So choose what you want, no one in the rec sector will be unified, the final regs as always will piss most off and not address problems the fishery itself is having. The commercial sector will continue getting treated with kid gloves being given preferential treatment every year to support catch values. Same story, different chapter every year.