Quote:
Originally Posted by Broad Bill
My conclusions are based on many factors. I posted two charts, sex and length comparison, which if you've been on the water for the years you have, you know males are smaller, grow slower and live shorter lives. Or do you wish to dispute that as well? I also posted INDEPENDENT information from federal observers to information provided by commercial operators based on the honor system which shows a major disparity in discard rates reported. Do you dispute that? Reported commercial mortality rates in the SAW range between 10% - 26% of catch and 13% to 36% of landings. Independent Federal Observer data, not questionable science, indicates it could exceed 100% of catch and 200% of landings. Do you dispute that? If that data is remotely close to being true, it means the commercial fishery can kill twice if not more of their annual landings quota in the pursuit of culling the size fish they want to retain which bring the highest catch values. Do you dispute that?
I never said managing the resource from the charts will get any better, I've actually said the opposite which is managing the resource in the manner NMFS has over the last two decades will insure one thing, the ultimate failure of this fishery.
That's it, nothing more, nothing less. You can have the last word, I've said my piece and I'm done with this discussion. Just keep this exchange in mind when NJ's regulation are 2 fish daily at 22" with a 60 day season.
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So if you take your eyes off your data charts for 5 minutes , you would actually see that’s pretty much of what I wrote .
Basing charts off inaccurate data gets us no where .
IMO it makes no difference that recreational fisherman here are keeping fish above 18” because if we weren’t the commercial guys will .
IMO the small local commercial boats are also not the problem .
As they don’t get a ton of bycatch in their drags . , because their daily limit is so small .
The bigger 7 day fleet is absolutely the problem . Both sheer quantities being taken from every states resource . As well as much more discards due to longer drags because of high volume .
Making recreational fishing regs that actually closed the season will do nothing IF those larger fish quotas in NC aren’t changed .
With fluke down to 60 cents a pound last week , is even more proof the fluke were over fished through the spawn this winter . Commercially
So stop trying to make it a recreational fisherman’s problem .
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