Quote:
Originally Posted by Billfish715
Don't be too quick to dismiss the idea. There are six commercial "seasons" of approximately two month each. Seldom has a season been closed so prematurely as to severely affect the number of days on the water. Once the season is closed, there is always the provision for by-catch and then the anticipated opening for the next season which is usually a short time afterwards.
Ask the "for hire" captains if they would like to fish throughout the year for fluke. Ask if they would mind reporting their catches online or if their customers would like to take home some smaller fluke. Other states have regulations that require their commercial fishermen to report their catches. The striiped bass fishery in the states south of us is regulated to include hook and line fishermen who are considered commercial fishermen.
It seems to me that the people who are being hurt the most in all of the recreational regulatory management plans are the party and charter boat captains. They have more skin in the game than those of us who fish only a few days or less per week on our own boats. Their needs should be considered more urgently than the rest of us. They should be in a different category. Maybe they should be able to share the seasonal allotments differently than they do now. Their total catch affects our total catch quotas and none of our combined quotas affects the commercial draggers limits.
Give the small charter businessmen a better shot at making a living. Think outside the box. Don't be too quick to say that it doesn't make sense. True, it does have to be "fleshed out" but they stand the most to lose by maintaining the status quo. In fact, they are already losing. When you think about it, the fact that the party boats and small charters are lumped in with the rest of the recreational fishermen means that the "recs" are actually helping to over fish our seasonal quotas and visa versa. Perhaps it's time for the party and charter boats to have their own seasons and limits.
Consider it. A captain whose livelihood depends on fishing and catching should be given a voice and it should be heard. My idea might be a bit radical to some but I haven't heard it discussed before. I think it's an option that has some merit.
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Bravo Billie....someone thinking outside the box to "rescue" the poor and struggling for-hire captain's. How many more captain's have to go out of business to prove the system is broken? It's about time someone thought about "leveling" the playing field. It's an idea I talked about for a long time, only to fall on deaf ears.....sad. Thanks for bringing up the topic and putting forth a viable solution to a long standing problem.
I'm not trying to take anything away from the commercial's....they work very, very hard for what they do, BUT so does the for-hire fleet. Shouldn't they be afforded the same rights? The for-hire guys catch fish for a living...don't they?
You want to save the Jersey shore especially after Sandy.....save the party and charter fleet and ALL the businesses associated with fishing in New Jersey..$$$$$$$$. Thanks again Bill...spot on.
