B2, I see some of your points quite clearly, and I can agree with some of them. However, I gotta point out a few
things.
The local families being placed out of work may be small to you, but pretty important to them......
Each and every time I read that article, I can't help but think about all the dollars they quote being spent on recreational fishing. The pogies sold at the 177 bait shops are part of that revenue. The pogies being used by the 153 charter businesses are also part of same revenue. The far reaching 470 jobs in the "hospitality" industry, gimme a break. The same waitresses and bartenders and hotel workers are not dependent on sportfishing.... Besides which, how much of that huge figuire actually represents only bait fishing for striped bass.....it goes way down from there.....but I can appreciate the sensationalism and rehtoric....as well as the projo normal bias.........Huge study group of 268 peopleand poached data from "previously published studies"....what a joke.....
How much of that revenue in the total figure goes towards hospitality and retail sales on LOBSTAHS
????...!!!!.....!!!!!!.....
Another point being that all these fisherman will need to use bait. That bait will more than likely be pogies.....which will be harvested.... by someone, somewhere.....Or it will place more pressure on other forage species.....
What do Stripers eat the other 10 months out of the year....And don't tell me eels.... Most of these same RISAA guys will use a live eel, even though it was seriously considred being placed on the endangered species list .... As long as its not in our backyards, is that what we got here.....
Will these same out of state guys still come here to fish if none of the bait shops carry pogies???? Or will they stop at their local shop and pick up everything there before coming, thus having the countereffect.....
My main issue with this fish grab by the recreational sector is that it has no science behind it. Never once does that article touch on the reverse side of the coin, or even mention the science behind the push for the ban. All it talks about is REVENUE.....
Next, please tell me where you got the idea that pogies were in short supply? You ever talk to the guys in NJ about pogies and bait boats and reduction....... If the federal science published in 2007 states the pogies are not being overfished then where is your science coming from?
How many pogies do you think will be saved just because they aren't taken in the Bay.... How many BIG striped bass you think are going to be picked off by googins who would never have the skill to catch them anywhere else except when they are crazed under a pod of huge pogies???? The questions go on and on from me....
Nobody who supports this bill will answer any of my questions or directly comment on any of my rather well thought out questions and points.......
Until some real world data on the Narry pogie fishery is conducted and published, then commented on publicly nothing should be done. We close this to pressures from special interest groups and it won't stop there....trust me on that one....
I still see it as a fish grab so the sporties, of which I derive 80% of my income from mind you(who else do you think I take fishing besides recreational charter customers),
can have them ALL to themselves......I am looking out for the recreational side on this, thats whats so frustrating.....
Too many dime store marine biologists out there if you ask me......again, wheres the science, the raw data, the years of study in and around the bay on a carefully monitored protocol????.....
Maybe ban the sale of pogies next......Or even better, what if they then say no harvesting at all of pogies by anyone...then how many sporties would be supporting this.....it doesn't end, see......
Knee jerk reactions and poorly planned bans never work...... Fish management is so bad already, do we want to set precedent with another poor move and further restriction where it may not be warranted.....