Fluke Regulations - So now what

[Ttmako]

Now that we got hosed by most of our neighbors at the ASMFC, what do we need to do?

First and foremost, take a broader look at why we are in this situation. The Magnuson-Stevens act is how we are regulated. This law, while perhaps well intended, is having terrible unintended consequences. The law needs to be repealed.

Please don't be foolish and believe the fisheries managers. The regulations for any fishery will never be relaxed with our current regulatory framework.

Look at seabass. The SSB is 130% of what it needs to be. The council just cut the recreational harvest by another 8%, while increasing commercial harvest by 50%+.

The porgy SSB is 200%+ of what it needs to be. The council just cut the bag limit from 50 to 15 fish. When asked why, the response was "because 50 fish is too much". Now, I would rather have a root canal than clean hundreds of porgies, but having the government dictate what is too much is a very slippery slope.

The entire regulatory framework needs to be completely revamped. The people who have been and are fighting this is the RFA.
If you are outraged at the entire fisheries management process I urge you to join with them in repealing the MSA.