Stripers Forever members -
One of problems with a legal commercial striped bass fishery of any size is the cover that it provides for an illegal one. While commercial fishing cheerleaders on the ASMFC make zero allowance for the black market catch of striped bass, every regular bass angler knows that it exists, and in a big way. The following article is just more proof of the illegal activities.
A few months ago Stripers Forever commented negatively on Massachusetts proposal to allow the sale of small wild stripers in Massachusetts. It is certainly bad enough that small wild bass are legally taken commercially anywhere, but to allow their importation into a state like Massachusetts - where the minimum recreational fish is 28" - just makes it easier for restaurants or fish dealers to market stripers that were taken illegally from within their own state waters.
Stripers Forever is putting the finishing touches on a version of our now well-known and highly-regarded Southwick Study that will be specific to just the state of Massachusetts, the state with the largest coastal commercial quota. It will show that the continuing a commercial striper fishery in Massachusetts will cost that state many millions of dollars in unrealized economic activity, and several thousand year round jobs. It's a lot to give up to allow a comparative handful of guys to fuel up their boats and beach buggies with the proceeds from the bass they sell during a few weeks each summer.
The story follows. We found it on line, and it is attributed to James J. Allen, a staff writer for the Gloucester Daily News:
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