What's Next?

[5th Tuition]

OK; Lets assume the upcoming YOY index is not going to be a glowing affirmation on the restrictions placed on C/R spring fishing.

What do you think the next round of ineffective restrictions will contain?

I thought I would post this now so we could speculate on this before Maryland decides how it is going to vote on the question of increasing the quota for coastal netters this October.

5th (Marty)

[garlien]

I think they are going to do the following:

1> One Rod per two boats within the same "spot burned" area.

2> Only allowed to use lures with the hooks removed during trophy season.

3> Stinger hooks allowed, but only on land and you must be 100' from the nearest body of water.

4> The season will be renamed Catch and Kill, since every fish that is released back into the bay dies anyway.

5> Posting reports about "catching" on any and all fishing boards is prohibited with the exception of TidalFish during the period 3:15 to 3:16 AM and CB Angler the rest of the day...When posting reports about catching exact GPS coordinates will be required or your user id will be suspended along with any fishing and/or boating licenses you may have.

[5th Tuition]

How about; if using hooks, they must be grinded down as to be too dull to go through your finger or knuckle. Greg (bfaithful) will go for that one.

Greg, post a picture of your "accident" last spring.

5th (Marty)

[Skip]

Common sense thing would be to move the size up to 34 inches.
Perhaps require a trophy tag so an accurate count of fish killed could be had.

Hopefully - if YOY is low , ASMFC will move quickly and place a one fish limit per angler for the coastal fishery in winter.
Other thing that would help - enforce the 3 mile EEZ.

Reality - same old / same old - take them until few are left.

[Bug Guy]

Originally Posted by Skip

Common sense thing would be to move the size up to 34 inches.
Perhaps require a trophy tag so an accurate count of fish killed could be had....

Skip - the only problem is that all those who said they wanted to protect the fish have now argued, and convinced the DNR, that releasing any trolled caught fish will kill it, or at the very least there is a good chance it will die - charters will argue that raising the limit will result in too many undersized, released fish that die, and an overall increase in mortality as they "search" for the larger fish to keep. It's sad - but I'm betting that is what will be argued and the minimum size will not be increased. I think moving the season back may be considered.

[JigStix]

a trophy tag is a great idea.

How about 1 charter trip per day instead of 2

rather than just concentrating on trophy season, there are other things that can be done. Like worrying about the people that go out and kill 2 fish per person 5 days a week all summer and C&R (cull) until and after they get their limit when they know the mortality rate is astoundingly high?

[5th Tuition]

Originally Posted by Bug Guy

Skip - the only problem is that all those who said they wanted to protect the fish have now argued, and convinced the DNR, that releasing any trolled caught fish will kill it, or at the very least there is a good chance it will die - charters will argue that raising the limit will result in too many undersized, released fish that die, and an overall increase in mortality as they "search" for the larger fish to keep. It's sad - but I'm betting that is what will be argued and the minimum size will not be increased. I think moving the season back may be considered.

I too believe the MCBA has painted themselves in a corner on this one. Brian Keen? is on record as saying that "every one of those slot fish we threw back died". We were not allowed to challenge him when he made this statement; we had to wait until the "public comment" portion of the meeting was open at the end of the meeting. Evidently, DNR swallowed his comment "hook, line and sinker".
So if the slot fish die (or are stressed, or educated, or spill their eggs); as the MCBA contends, then some other kind of restriction is necessary. Many rec's suggested to leave C/R as it was and move the season just one weekend (open on Monday instead of the Fri. before) and you could save more fish then during all of C/R. Other rec's suggested moving the season to May 1st in order to allow more breeders to spawn.
Let's see if rec's take the largest hit this year. MCBA should share in the hit this time.
5th (Marty)

[crabby and son]

It's an election year!!...........Gary

[5th Tuition]

Originally Posted by crabby and son

It's an election year!!...........Gary

Sadly; that makes sense. If the DNR wasn't run so politically, maybe we would have more fish.

Every time there's an election, some crony gets appointed to head DNR as a reward for their efforts in helping win the election.

Additionally; I don't believe either Martin or Bob when they speak. They will do or say anything to get elected.

5th (Marty)

[B-Faithful]

I think the winter gillnet season is HUGE problem (particularly in VA in March and April) and the coastal angler creel of 2 spawners per angler is problem too. I would like to see them go to a smaller fish and larger fish. I also wouldnt be opposed to the Chesapeake Bay going to a one small and one large fish during the regular season.

As far as our trophy season goes, I am a firm believer in a no-take slot.....


Here are some things I have posted elsewhere:

I have a PDF of a presentation made by the dnr to the stake holders regarding last years trophy season. It is a rather good presentation. If someone wants a copy emailed to them, send me a pm

Here are a few key points to it though:
•The spawn typically lasts until mid June according to DNR.
•However May 16-June 15 typically shows less than 10% of MD's migratory harvest.
•Vast majority of migratory fish harvested in 2009 by far were between 34" and 40" long.

Other dymanics that we know:
•On average between 2002 and 2008, 85% of fish harvested during the spring trophy season are female.
•On average between 2002 and 2008, half of the females harvested during the spring trophy season have not yet spawned or are ‘pre-spawn’. The pre-spawn fraction is variable – ranging from 63% in 2005, to 30% in 2008
•Recreational fishing has a 1 Billion (according to ASA) to 1.3 Billion (according to DNR) dollar socio-economic impact to the Maryland economy
•While the breakdown of the seasons is not known it is estimated that the trophy season has the largest ecomomic impact to recreational fishing. (evidence through this is found in revenue and trips taken by with the charter industry over any given 2 week period - also visably evident through participation)
•Fish harvested through the late fall and winter are also carrying roe
•Coastal winter fishery has and estimated harvest of between 200,000-800,000 fish (fish arent accounted for caught in the EEZ)
•Other states harvest far more striped bass recreationally than Maryland. (in millions of lbs according to NOAA for 2008 - MD at 2.6, NY at 7.0, NJ at 4.7, Mass at 5.5)

Given that our managers are obligated to manage the resource to maximize its benefits, How can we manage for the future while maximizing today. While I certainly do not believe this should fall squarely on the shoulders of Maryland, we may have to address how reductions can be made by us in the future.

Personally, I dont believe in the concept of pre-spawn fish as they all are prespawn. Whether they are harvested off of Mass in the summer or NC in Jan, they are prespawn. Providing enough fish remain in the population to sustain itself, enough will get through for there will be a successful spawn. This includes Maryland. Given the harvest numbers, I am not sure the Maryland trophy season is doing the most damage, especially given the 1 per person creel not matched anywhere.

Should Maryland need to reduce its harvest numbers in order to allow more fish to spawn, I would like to see a no-take slot limit. Given the numbers shown above, I think a slot that targets where most fish are taken may reduce the chances one may keep a fish while still providing for a good opportunity to catch a fish. It is important to note that while I agree catch and release is a great tool in keeping access open, the opportunity to harvest a fish is attractive to many more anglers. This is evident in the participation levels after the trophy season opens. This is why a no-take slot would be beneficial in my opinion. It would greatly reduce the impact of the harvest while still providing for that opporuntity to keep a fish. I actually believe Maryland could extend the season length with an appropriate no take slot to preserve the spawn. This would have the potential to increase the economic benefit to our state from the use of the resource while protecting more for the future. I also think it would help in the catch and release mind-set amoungst anglers who dont full appreciate the sport without keeping a fish. In other words, I think anglers who still have the opportunity to catch and keep a fish would still find themselves enjoying their time on the water if they were able to catch fish in the hunt for a "keeper" or true "trophy". While the no-take slot may affect their opportunity to keep a fish, it has not reduced their opportunity to catch a fish.

Follow up post I made

Ok, I looked at the presentation that I have and here are some other key stats to consider.

2006 Maryland had a 33" min and harvested 63k fish
2007 Maryland had a no-take slot of 35"-40" and harvested 35k fish

The participation (angler trips) levels in 2007 where higher than the 2006 and we still had much lower harvest numbers.

Why? No take slot limit. Also, I think the no-take slot did not deter anglers from fishing. There still was the opportunity to keep a fish, our harvest was greatly reduced over the previous year despite more angler trips and our socio-economic benefit was still realized. I am assuming that the majority of migratory fish fell within that size range given that we reduced the harvest by nearly half despite the increase in angler trips.

I think the no-take slots of 2007 were an effective tool in reducing the impact on the striped bass harvest during our trophy season while also not creating a negative impact on the participation levels. I believe a no-take slot also fosters better catch and release practices by anglers realizing that recreational fish is not soley about the opportunity to keep a fish but the opportunity to catch it with less opporutunity to keep. It also recognizes that the opportunity to catch a fish is a large part of drawing participation and provides for it adequately.