Striper Season Closures - Immediate Action Needed

[Duffman]

What if your in favor of the closure? As unpopular as it may be?

[Broad Bill]

The more relevant question is why is there a need for a closure of a fishery where one fish per angler per day between 28-31 inches can be kept. The fishery should be thriving. Years ago when there were no limits, the fishery was robust. If there is in fact a decline, what's caused it and how about we address the core problem as opposed to jumping to a moratorium. For starters, clean up the Chesapeake and kick Omega Protein / Cooke Inc out and stop the money grab by Virginia. If they do end up closing the fishery down, they had better close bunker netting in the bay down as well. Why pass legislations which will negatively impact all Mid-Atlantic states and so many small businesses when one state's greed and polluted spawning grounds is materially causing the problem. The young of the year indexes of both Maryland and Virginia are down alarmingly from historical numbers. A season closure won't improve the health of the stock if the big girls aren't spawning or the eggs not surviving in the stock's largest spawning ground due to pollution. All it'll do is push small businesses to the brink and place undue pressure on other stocks.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Originally Posted by Duffman

What if your in favor of the closure? As unpopular as it may be?

You could go to the meetings or write in comments or just hang out and hope the wind might push it your way...

[reelfitter]

Originally Posted by Broad Bill

I'm going to get shit for this post but at this stage I don't care. Just counted and between party and charter boat sponsors on this site, there's 30. Why hasn't every one posted they replied to the email request Gerry posted. If people whose livelihoods depend on these resources won't take the time, how can we expect members to. 9 members have replied! Captain Ron is the only sponsor as far as I can tell that submitted a response. WTF!

Gerry how many active Members are on NJF? 5 minutes to have your voice heard, maybe not acted on, but at least your voice heard and maybe matter. What's the problem? If people aren't going to stand up for themselves, no one's standing up for us. We've been losing and will continue to lose until attitudes change. No one is going to do the work for us, it needs to be done in any way possible but millions of recreational anglers appear to be wiling to let government, politicians and bureaucrats dictate your life's choices. Is that how people here want to live their lives as corrupt politician and federal agencies puppets? Personally I don't. We complain but at the same time accept losing every day by allowing these *******s to peel our God given rights away from us. What's it going to take to get people off their asses and take a stance. You can sum up the state of fisheries management and the reduction in access the recreational angler is faced with today based on the poor response to this thread.

We're &*%^&%# losers if all we do is complain while sitting on our ass waiting for someone else other than ourselves to protect our rights to a public resources. And everyone who doesn't try is depriving future generations from enjoying the same sport the generations before us, our generation and our children have. Truthfully, it's an embarrassment. If we don't start helping ourselves its sadly time to throw in the towel.

FYI….I did fill out the post and submitted my personal opinion.
Do I need to tell the world that I did? No, I don’t.
I also appreciate everything you do, and Im sure many others do as well.
Enjoy your day.

[togzilla]

Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski

If you do nothing else in the next few days, the one thing you need to do is read and sign this. I will just take a minute and could make a huge difference in our future Striper regulations. Let's all get behind this and share this link with as many people as you can.. DO IT NOW!

https://www.votervoice.net/mobile/KA...129953/Respond

Done, thanks Gerry!

[Broad Bill]

Originally Posted by reelfitter

FYI….I did fill out the post and submitted my personal opinion.
Do I need to tell the world that I did? No, I don’t.
I also appreciate everything you do, and Im sure many others do as well.
Enjoy your day.

Reelfitter, I wasn't singling any one person out. Appreciate you taking the time to submit a reply and voice your opinion. I'm frustrated on what's taken place in fisheries management overall over the last 20-25 years and the shit the recreational sector has had forced down our throats and the damage done to stocks by focusing regulations on what favors the commercial sector and not what favors the health of stocks. It's the 900 lb. gorilla in the room no one wants to talk about. We're going to somehow succeed or fail as a sector and need everyone's best efforts to move the needle in our favor if that's ever to be a reality. How we do that is the million dollar question but it needs to be done because we're all losing a god given resource all because politicians and the federal government are corrupt and don't recognize our rights to a shared resource. It was never that way years ago and there's no legitimate reason it needs to be that way today other than greed and corruption from top to bottom within the agencies which oversee fisheries management. Thanks again for your input.

[1captainron]

Originally Posted by Broad Bill

The more relevant question is why is there a need for a closure of a fishery where one fish per angler per day between 28-31 inches can be kept. The fishery should be thriving. Years ago when there were no limits, the fishery was robust. If there is in fact a decline, what's caused it and how about we address the core problem as opposed to jumping to a moratorium. For starters, clean up the Chesapeake and kick Omega Protein / Cooke Inc out and stop the money grab by Virginia. If they do end up closing the fishery down, they had better close bunker netting in the bay down as well. Why pass legislations which will negatively impact all Mid-Atlantic states and so many small businesses when one state's greed and polluted spawning grounds is materially causing the problem. The young of the year indexes of both Maryland and Virginia are down alarmingly from historical numbers. A season closure won't improve the health of the stock if the big girls aren't spawning or the eggs not surviving in the stock's largest spawning ground due to pollution. All it'll do is push small businesses to the brink and place undue pressure on other stocks.

Broad Bill, Stop it!! You make way too much sense. I'm not a scientist, don't have a PHD but I have eyes and half a brain. Anyone in this business who has at least those two things should know about everything you mention.

[WhaleFart]

I’m all for no harvest and trying to make a better future for this fishery. No targeting will be a huge gut punch. I’d support some additional restrictions like prohibiting bait fishing, or putting a no target on bass let’s say until 4/15 in breeding waters.

Hope they do something to firm things up, there are a good amount of bass today, no doubt, but there aren’t a lot of fish existing to support future generations of equal fishing per the reproduction data.

[Capt Sal]

Originally Posted by WhaleFart

I’m all for no harvest and trying to make a better future for this fishery. No targeting will be a huge gut punch. I’d support some additional restrictions like prohibiting bait fishing, or putting a no target on bass let’s say until 4/15 in breeding waters.

Hope they do something to firm things up, there are a good amount of bass today, no doubt, but there aren’t a lot of fish existing to support future generations of equal fishing per the reproduction data.

Wow! I guess it won't effect you.It might suck in the Chessy area but from what i see it looks like a healthy fishery here in N J.I been chasing strippers for over 60 years and what we have today is fabulous compared to the sixties and seventies.We never had fall runs like we have now. We all want a future for this fishery but at what price? Respecfully.

[Duffman]

Originally Posted by WhaleFart

I’m all for no harvest and trying to make a better future for this fishery. No targeting will be a huge gut punch. I’d support some additional restrictions like prohibiting bait fishing, or putting a no target on bass let’s say until 4/15 in breeding waters.

Hope they do something to firm things up, there are a good amount of bass today, no doubt, but there aren’t a lot of fish existing to support future generations of equal fishing per the reproduction data.

As unpopular as it sounds I agree. Although I’d like to see the for hire industry to still be able to fish for stripers.

What goes on in the Sandy Hook/Raritan area during the spring run is disgusting to say the least. Close it during the spawn can only help.

Here’s the question tho…..who will enforce it?