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Originally Posted by Reel Class
Just a point of correction on your post - when the minimum size was lowered to 28" (I believe in 90, 91, or 92) we still had a very limited stock of stripers.
It was when the SLOT limit was created in the late 90's that the charter boats/party boats started targeting the bass with regularity since most bass that were caught were under the minimum of 28". Even then, taking 1 bass home that was a "slot" fish plus the occasional over 28" er was what got the people on the boats since there was a better chance of going home with a couple of fillets.
And most of the people that were fishing in the mid-80's when the 36" size limit was in place were on the railed headboats targeting whiting/ling in November/December and in the spring. That fishery was a real conservational success eh??!?!  |
That really isn't a slot limit really, more like a hybrid slot.
As for the over harvest or local whiting stocks well you can blame NJ and the US government, US and Foreign commercial trawlers For the local collapse.
Now since you are in the know you should also add that the Whiting stock is fine the only problem is that they can not over flow and migrate inshore like they used to from the Hudson Canyon because as you know thats the stock that used to frequent our waters through the winter.
Now the mid-water trawlers that are Corporate Commercial fishing fleets are netting them before they can make their way inshore.
End the Mid -water boats and gain the epic whiting fishery there was once in our local waters.
Blackfish demise was not caused by hook and line but by roller gear and fish pots. Stop these two things and we will have again blackfishing like it once was.
