Re: Bluefin Tuna Stock rebounds
It seems its just the way things are done, and its what a lot of fisherman want,,, After all, when is the ""hot bite"" for stripers these days in the NY Bight?.. Right when they are on the move to spawn in the Hudson... Lots of those fish are released I realize that, but I would wager that an awful lot of released fish don't make it, as guys like to fish "light tackle", and those hooked fish get badly exhausted/stressed.. Not so sure the season should start at the same time as the spawn, but whatever...
Here in NY state, Bass, Walleyes, Pike,Muskies,Trout protected at least to an extent during spawn.. Yet panfish historically were not.. Sooo, guess what populations are in trouble?... Panfish.. In some places Perch, Crappies, Sunfish, even Rock Bass have been fished into close to non existence.. Believe it or not, there are even "Rock Bass Tournaments" on Lake Ontario in some ports.. During the spawn of course,, The result?.. Decimated populations, and now in some huge lakes there is a 15 fish creel limit with an 8 inch minimum length on sunnies of all things in a bunch of lakes trying to undo the damage.. Crappies now have to be 10 inches as well.. All because of guys catching them up and eating them when they are most vulnerable- during the spawn.
It makes NO sense now, and has never made sense to target fish that are spawning... Let the fish reproduce, and THEN catch them, either recreationally, or commercially...
|
