Stripers Forever - we recently received this column that appeared in The Washington Times. It certainly reflects the feelings of many of our members. Frankly, while I don't think that our fishery managers are all crooked or biased, I do think that they slant the management plans in the direction that they feel the political winds are blowing. It is our job to change that when it comes to striped bass. I want to give you this thought and comment too.
I read today in the National Fisherman Magazine, which for those of you not familiar with it, is the voice of record for the commercial fishing industry nationwide, about a NMFS conference held recently in D.C. Sen. Ted Stevens from Alaska, a long time cheerleader for the Alaskan commercial fishing industry, fended off negative comments attributed to the environmental movement, and spoke in defense of NMFS and the Council system. Here is the quote that I find most important, "And... when it comes right down to it, the final decision on an appeal is made here."
Clearly Sen. Stevens is saying that if people really don't like something about fisheries management, take it up with Congress. In my view, the various recreational fishery organizations have wasted huge amounts of energy and money on the ASMFC and Council processes, when far more effort should be put into influencing the marching orders that those managers receive from Washington. The same is true at the state level. The governor and key members of the state legislature should be our targets, not the state fisheries directors, who only carry out the existing, long-standing approach to management.
This is the reason for the current New England letter writing and e-mailing campaign. If you haven't already done so, please go to www.stripersforever.org, see our Action Alert, and download the appropriate Word document for your state as well as the contact list. Send both an e-mail and a snail mail. Do it today for the future of striped bass fishing.
Brad Burns
here is the article from the The Washington Times
Report skews rockfish harvest numbers
By Gene Mueller
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
I've never been a fan of the various federal and/or state
regulatory bodies and commissions that deal with our natural
resources — especially wild fish stocks — and what they refer to as
equitable ways to allocate such resources.
My dislike is rooted in the strong favoritism invariably shown
by such agencies and commissions toward commercial interests.
Meanwhile, the very people who pay most of the bills — in fishing's
case, recreational anglers — are viewed by the government types as a
pain in the neck.
I don't think this attitude will change in my lifetime. It's a
sad state of affairs.
Take for example the National Marine Fisheries Service that
plods on year after year in the firm belief that (a) certain heavily
depleted fish species are actually a lot better off than we believe
them to be or (b) they must be sure that commercial fish netters
make a living. (Wouldn't it be nice if private industry looked upon
its millions of employees with such devotion.)
Along the eastern United States, the majority of tidal water
activity is managed by fiat through the Atlantic States Marine
Fisheries Commission headquartered in the District.
A disturbing report that strongly favored commercial fishing
interests was recently issued by the ASMFC. In a recent issue of its
newsletter, Fisheries Focus, a species profile was presented under
the headline "Atlantic Striped Bass — The Challenges of Managing a
Restored Stock."
Of course, in these parts the striped bass — better known as
rockfish — isn't a mysterious creature. We know it can be found from
Nova Scotia to Florida, and we know that the majority of the coastal
stock originates in the Chesapeake Bay. We also know that the
species in general saw a collapse in the 1970s, and by 1985 a
moratorium was declared on the catching of stripers by recreational
or commercial sectors.
The fish rebounded quickly and by 1990 limited fishing was once
again permitted.
According to the ASMFC, the commercial harvest that peaked at 15
million pounds in 1973 declined to 3.5 million pounds in 1983, or a
77 percent decrease.
Nowadays, the ASMFC believes that the species is doing so well
that (under its Amendment 6) the coastal states can implement
commercial quotas equivalent to the average harvests during the
1972-79 period. Remember, in 1973, the netters removed 15 million
pounds of rockfish.
Get ready to see ever-increasing commercial rockfish netting,
especially by Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.
But if you ask the ASMFC who catches the majority of the
stripers, guess who's doing it?
It's the recreational anglers.
The ASMFC says the recreational harvest of rockfish grew from
3.1 million pounds in 1990 to a record high 19.6 million pounds in
2001. In other words, the sport anglers took more fish than the
commercials did during their super year of 1973, when 15 million
pounds of rockfish ended up on beds of ice in super markets and
restaurants.
Do you have any idea how the ASMFC got its numbers about the
recreational catch? I don't, and I'm a striper fisherman. I've never
been questioned, polled, phoned or otherwise asked how many rockfish
I catch, keep or release. No one in my large circle of fishing pals
has ever been asked. We know there is no legal requirement to report
recreational catches, but there is for commercial fishermen.
So how did the ASMFC come up with such numbers that at first
blush appear to be outlandish, making us look like ravenous jerks
while the commercials are seen as guys who are not doing any harm at
all. Sounds to me that this commission has some sort of an agenda,
and it doesn't look good for us.
Meanwhile, if you believe the ASMFC numbers, I have a piece of
Florida swampland I want to sell you.
•Look for Gene Mueller's Outdoors column every Sunday, Wednesday
and Thursday, only in The Washington Times. E-mail:
gmueller@washington-times.-com.
COME ON FOLKS, LET'S PUT AN END TO THIS STUFF. SEND THOSE LETTERS AND E-MAILS IN TODAY!
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