Quote:
Originally Posted by hammer4reel
We just had 2 full seasons of keeping fish smaller than 18” not back to 2007.
This was 2022 and 2023. 17” fish were still all females when we cut them up .
While you are the analytical one you REFUSE to see why all your data isn’t viewed in entirety , as when you say commercials discard rate is as high as their landings and they know it isn’t, it’s clouds all the good you did in the rest of your research .
You have always tried to double or even quadruple those discards .
Just as you,never knew about larger fluke drawing more money .
Then automatically want to claim they throw even more discards back for a higher profit .
Thats not even close to how they go,about the fishery .
Do I believe anyone involved in the fisheries management will admit they did something wrong .
Hell no, and stated that at the meeting when I said their data showed their miss management .
I believe a certain sector of the commercials are crushing the stocks , but it’s not our local ones ,
It’s the larger 7 day boats .
If they didn’t allow them to land fish outside of NC to complete their landings there , we more than likely wouldn’t be having the issues we have today .
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My main argument is why should,recreational fisherman take the hit while those big cutting houses kill the resource ?
I think if they are allowing them to ruin that fishery , we should take every fish we can before they do .
Because if we don’t they made even more money on the fish we return .
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Now we have the foundation of an intellectual conversation. Your correct, I overlooked the '22 and '23 slot at 17" and yes I'm sure high 90 percent were females.
As far as commercial discard rates are concerned, I shouldn't generalize but that chart wasn't made by me, it was made by NMFS from on board federal observers. Do I think they fudged the numbers, no because the commercial sector would retaliate and sue so instead they buried the chart from future stock assessments because it hurts the narrative they want. I haven't tried to state anything regarding commercial discards other than what a published chart showed.
And here's what I believe based on your comment regarding local operators versus out of state. Smaller local multi generational operators will protect their local resources and are more prone to play by the rules. Out of state operators with ten times the quota or capacity will rape the ocean clean and North Carolina, Chris Batsavage specifically, has publicly said he will not give up one lb. of quota to any state and they will take as much of another states local resources without hesitation. Maryland and Virginia have damaged this fishery more than any other states and the fact they have 50% of the quota for a fishery which isn't in there local waters is a travesty and failure of the agencies managing this stock but that's a whole different conversation. Quotas based on statistic from 40 or 50 years ago is insane. I believe most operators understand if there's no resources there's no quotas but I also believe there's too many that could care less and will take everything they can at any cost and move on to the next resource if there is one. If people are offended by that truth, they should find another business or do something about the bad apples that place a black eye on their trade.
Do you honestly believe, I mean honestly believe, I haven't known for quite some time there's a small, medium, large and jumbo size category in this fishery and the larger sizes typically fetch higher wholesale prices and prices fluctuate daily based on supply and demand. I've been saying that for years. And then there's the sushi market or I think what they refer to as the bled market which has it's own set of values which I also believe are at the high end price spectrum. So please don't say I didn't know that as it simply isn't true.
The last three paragraphs of your reply, I agree with 100%. Some common ground, good lord
Dan my analysis was flawless and meticulously put together. I probably have 1,500 hours or more in building data tables and analyzing trends. No one that matters, to my knowledge, has ever said my findings are wrong. They simply won't acknowledge publicly that my conclusions might in fact be right. There's simply too much money and power involved in fisheries allocations and no one is going to break ranks and risk career suicide.
