FISHERMEN/Letter concerning Striped Bass.....See Attached.

[1captainron]

Hopefully all will be able to open & read the attached file. I would appreciate your thoughts.

Thank you,
Capt. Ron

[RU fan]

Thank you for your efforts in trying to protect our right to fish. As I read your draft one thought came to mind. Is there any specific data with shows the reductions in mortality rates with the use of circle hooks? This might bolster your case. Without specifics, I fear they will likely need to study. Which will be their excuse just to do nothing.

I'm just a old time fisherman who's seen bag limits and size of fish we keep decline steadily over the years. The people making these decisions are not driven by science nor are they concerned with recreational fishermen nor the revenue our side generates.

[Togfather2530]

I think we should all be glad the striped bass fishery is thriving. Others are not doing so well. Flounder sucks actually. Believe me fisherman will annihilate a fishery. That’s been proven in the past with the weakfish and the blues in burlap sacks. I’m totally happy keeping striped bass. I go fishing to fish. Keeping a few fillets is just a bonus. Im glad the blues and sea bass regs are where they are.

[Togfather2530]

Keeping 1 striped bass I meant to say

[june181901]

Could not open probably due to my computer ineptitude.

[Broad Bill]

Captain Ron I applaud the effort. Unfortunately the more logic yours or anyone else's comments includes, the more likely it will fall on deaf ears with the bureaucrats who manage these resources. Second, whens the last time public commentary actually played a role in decisions fisheries management made. Exploitation and economics drive decisions, states work individually to grab as much of the resources they can for themselves and by the time it reaches the level of the recreational angler, their concerns and interests aren't even considered into the decision making process. The only time fisheries management actually focuses on the health of a stock is after it's already fallen on the balls of its ass. Otherwise they use the term maximum sustainable yield which is just another way of saying exploitation of the resource and money grab for the powers to be. Combine that with the term "best available science" which means every piece of data decisions are being based on can be completely misrepresentative of what's going on in any fishery and the bureaucrats running these commissions and councils as well as the federal government have carte blanche to make decisions based on that same flawed data. It's a CYA term. The biggest problem with fisheries management today is they have an agenda and a narrative they want to push and they twist and manipulate data that's already flawed to support an end result they want. Completely opposite of the spirit of the Magnuson Stevens Act which was to use data in support of decisions intended to promote the health and sustainability of fisheries.

[Lido-Gambler]

Thank you for your efforts in trying to protect our right to fish. As I read your draft one thought came to mind. Is there any specific data with shows the reductions in mortality rates with the use of circle hooks? This might bolster your case. Without specifics, I fear they will likely need to study. Which will be their excuse just to do nothing.

I'm just a old time fisherman who's seen bag limits and size of fish we keep decline steadily over the years. The people making these decisions are not driven by science nor are they concerned with recreational fishermen nor the revenue our side generates.

Very few studies and very little data. The two-year study in Mass. concluded that bass survival is related to three factors: hook location, water temperature, and handling time. Fish caught in 60° to 70° F water, hooked in the gills, and handled out of the water for two minutes had an 85-percent mortality rate. Fish hooked in the stomach in the same temperature range and handled similarly did a little better, with a 50-percent mortality rate. Fish hooked in the esophagus had better outcomes, with a 30-percent mortality rate. Fish hooked in the mouth (circle hooks)had the lowest mortality rate of 5 percent.

[Lido-Gambler]

This 9% figure seems to be derived from ONE study in Mass by Paul Diodati and unfortunately no other agency seems ready to conduct similar studies.

[FishingSinceIWasThree]

I think we should all be glad the striped bass fishery is thriving. Others are not doing so well. Flounder sucks actually. Believe me fisherman will annihilate a fishery. That’s been proven in the past with the weakfish and the blues in burlap sacks. I’m totally happy keeping striped bass. I go fishing to fish. Keeping a few fillets is just a bonus. Im glad the blues and sea bass regs are where they are.

Well, if you are a fisherman you better side with fishermen. You know for a fact that those creating these regulations don't care for fishermen. The goal is to eradicate us. Read history books on fisheries and ask people as well....weakfish are naturally cyclical in 20 year cycles...huge abundance to scarcity. Same with Bluefish in 50 year cycles. There was no one fishing for weakfish during the 1960s and there were still no weakfish.....every fisherman in our area was fishing for weakfish in the 70's (with no limit) and catching very many of them. Bluefish were similar...very few in the 50's and early sixties and went wild in the 70's and 80s. That is recorded in fishing books I've read...including McClain's which is the go to.

[tautog]

Also big fish and seals eat little fish. Worried about winter flounder, well stripers and seals do at least as much damage as warming water. Wondering about weakfish, cruise the mouth of the bay in October and see the young of the year being destroyed by doggies and other predators. You will never have optimal fishing for all species at one time.