I attended the meeting at Ches College last night with 3 friends. It was a full house in the 100 person theater. Most attendees were from the commercial sector and people came from Solomons, OC, KENT, QA, & Talbot counties. DNR & CCA was there as well. I didn't hear anyone claim to be a MSSA rep but I may have just missed it.
The bulk of the crowd seemed not pleased with CCA's call for 25% reduction call for 2015. The demand for
specific Bay numbers was high - don't base the Bay fishery on the coast's data. Many felt nothing should be done until this report from the Technical Committee is provided.
The general consensus from the commercial sector seemed to be IF something is to be done before the Bay numbers are reported, it should be Option D which calls for a 7% reduction each year for 3 years.
Some Recs spoke up and echoed the CCA call for 25% for next year. As you could expect, things heated up a little bit by the end of the night but to my knowledge the police, fire dept, National Guard, nor the rescue squad were needed.
There are lots of theories and ideas about how to solve the problem. If you are concerned about the future of the fishery, I suggest you attend these types of events and let your option/thoughts be heard. Personally, I don't know what the "right" answer is for right now. I am smarter on the subject today than I was 24 hours ago so I am glad I attended. Many thanks to those that organized last nights event!!