Mass. Striper Bill..no commercials

Just learned that Massachusetts still has a bill being pushed forward to make Striper a game fish Only. house bill 796. I thought that this was killed,but I guess it's not.I don't sell many stripers, but I also don't like this bill....will be e-mailing my state rep asap to kill this bill. How bout you? Tommy

was,nt there already a bill {to make striped bass a gamefish}that president bush signed a few years back?maybe that was for the chesapeake area?

This went to committee last month I believe and was postponed until this month and is still being pushed by a state rep. from Falmouth at the urging of Stripers Forever aka "Gripers Forever" aka "Stripers ForUs". I am unsure of the date of the continuation. There was a long "spirited" debate on this on SB.com.

Let's keep this thread civil!

Originally Posted by Bob & Mag

Let's keep this thread civil!

Sorry Bob, I deleted it! I just tried to inject some humor into a subject that has really gotten so many of us really up tight and angry. Sometimes when the whole shebang seems to be caving in on you, all you can really do is laugh about it and continue the best you can. For what it is worth, the delete key now seems to be working!

please,take know offense,its my opinion,but i can only hope that they make it a federally regulated species,banning commercial fishing along the east coast..

I've commercial fished for stripers since the 50's "pin hooking" with my dad...paid my way through school and now I'm paying my kids tuition all with the help of $$ from commercial bass fishing. I guess you know where I come down on this. My day gig for 31 yrs. is a salaried position...no OT, no bonus, no extra $$. If I bust my butt humping ice, catching bait, running to market and of course catching a few fish I can make a few extra bucks....it helps. So I do take offence, not to the fact that others have a differing opinion, but to the fact that despite stripers being highly regulated and studied we're seeing a private group try to push their agenda..an agenda contrary to all current MA fisheries management data and policy... through a political process. Just try to convince a few politicians...without regard for the opinion of the management professionals, without regard for those participating in the fishery. That is just plain wrong. Think how easy it is for a well funded group to influence a political process. These are the same tactics taken by the "animal rights" groups; dispute the science, paint the commercial guys as greedy, "show a picture of a pretty puppy", etc and the public or pols will by it. This is no more than a resource grab by a group I now group with the radical enviro's.

Decades ago, I fought here in CT to keep Striped Bass a commerical fish. Well you know where my efforts got me. I am bitter about it, although without proper regulation I would be the first to admit that keeping Striped Bass a commerical fish would probably be a disaster. The demise of the Striped Bass in the past was directly due to the pressures placed on them by the unregulated commerical sector. I have seen Striped Bass brought into CT from MA for distribution, with the MA tags protruding from their mouths indicating where they were caught. MA has a well regulated program! See the following link: State bill proposes to end commercial bass fishery | www.nantucketindependent.com | The Nantucket Independent Newspaper After reading about the situation up there, the pinhookers want to compromise with the recreational community. However, there is no compromise that recreational anglers will accept on this matter, they want it all. I do not fault any angler in declaring their preferences on this matter as it is hotbed of controversy. Here in CT, we have so many Bass wintering over, that they are showing signs of being stressed. To make Striped Bass a commerical fish here in CT comes up every once in a while but it always goes nowhere. My previous uncivil comments were not directed at any anglers but at our representatives. Using well a regulated commerical program for all species to keep all of our species in balance is a tool for which regulatory committees can use to advantage. I also believe the biggest fear the recreational anglers have of the commerical sector concerning Striped Bass, is the regulations could be bought. Whether or not this fear has merit is beyond me. I often wondered if CT went back to a commerical Striped Bass program, with a controlled amount of tags issued for a fee, what would happen to the number of tags issued if the fees were increased in price. What if the fees were $10 per tag, or $20 per tag, or even $30 per tag. I can understand the fears the CT anglers might have as the number of tags issued just might spiral out of control at the expense of the recreational sector, but that has not happened in MA. Bob, I know I am going to get the hell beat out of me on this one, but at least I kept it civil!

Appreciate it. Topic is an important one for everyone. I don't think any fish will get everyone going as much as striper fishing regs.

i would'nt put myself in the radical inviramos category,and i'm not blaming the commercial fisherman,but it does fall on nmrs for their inept management.i have many friends that are commercial fisherman.the groundfishing industry almost collapsed because of poor fisheries management.it is just starting to improve now.i feel the striper population is heading down the same road.maybe a smaller bag limit is the answer.what is your current limit now?