New slot limits for Bass

[mikez2]

2 mins ago, pogie_boy said:

If the problem is really that there are too many recreational fishermen releasing too many fish that die... the only real solution is to reduce the number of fishermen fishing for stripers.
 

By that same token, you don't have to really worry about the poachers so much, they don't release anything anyhow.

But i believe what they are trying to do is to protect the 2015 year class of fish, which they effed up last year by instituting the slot they did, they essentially targeted the 2015 year class as they were right in the middle of that slot.   Those fish are now 32" long or more.   So reducing the slot to a 31" max should protect them, but at the same time allow folks to decimate the 2014 year class which is already sub-standard.

If they wanted to put a slot limit in place, it should have been 36 to 40" for everyone across the board.  

There are numerous socio-economic reasons there are so many rec anglers today.

The internet certainly played a huge role, obviously. 

 

In my opinion, one of the worst contributing factors was lowering the limit to 28.

Suddenly getting a "keeper" was not such a daunting task. The bazillion of anglers that didn't have the skills to land a 36 Suddenly could get their slabo' meat. They rushed to wally's and bought out the whole salt section. 

 

It was worse in Maine when they tried their slot limit. I bet there were more first time saltwater anglers in Maine that first year than any time in history. 

 

Make it easier to harvest, more anglers participate. 

It stands to reason, if you make it harder to harvest, some's gonna drop out.

In my opinion, the ones most likely to drop out are the ones were probably less conservation minded. The ones who's released shorts are at the high end of that 9%.

 

I guess loss of angler participation is seen as a bad thing by management. The loss to the economy is a real thing too.

Nevertheless, if the bass crash, the bass angler based economy crashes with it.

Hurt a little now ot hurt alot later. I choose the former. 

[Jighead75]

Just release everything. Also cod are in big trouble along with haddock.

[HugeDinghy]

On 5/2/2023 at 4:38 PM, fondew said:

I don't like it.

I like a 34" fish for the table

We’ll alert the press. 

[DEM Parking Lot]

Sea Robins taste better than Stripers anyway...

 

....  Maybe I shouldn't say that too loud...

[Richard_the_Aughth]

40 mins ago, DEM Parking Lot said:

Sea Robins taste better than Stripers anyway...

 

....  Maybe I shouldn't say that too loud...

Sea robins are not bad but a pita to clean. There is a method to remove the tails by cutting into the spine and pulling the body away from the meat which works pretty well but you better make sure you rinse throughly or you will end up with sandy meat. If I get a decent size one I usually keep it for food. 

Edited May 4 by Richard_the_Aughth

[Ditch Jigger]

On 5/3/2023 at 10:43 PM, MakoMike said:

Never should have gone lower than the old 36 inch size limit.

That limit was designed to protect one year class of fish, and it wasn't raised from 16" to 36" in one move. They raised it gradually as that year class grew in length. As I recall, it went 16" > 24" > 28" >34" and then 36". 

There was also a moratorium in many states, but not in MA. Rec or commercial.

[Ditch Jigger]

3 hours ago, pogie_boy said:

If the problem is really that there are too many recreational fishermen releasing too many fish that die... the only real solution is to reduce the number of fishermen fishing for stripers.

Can you imagine how many fish slightly under 28" or slightly over 31" are going to die after release due to having to be very precise with measuring? Trying to get an accurate length while you're fighting to keep your balance on the Canal rocks---yeah, that'll work. What happens if that fish you measure at 30" in the dark, on the rocks, turns out to be 32" on the off chance that you run into an EPO who's carrying a measuring board?

Personally, I would release them all.

[hotfishgirl]

and what about commercial size? still 35 inches?

[fondew]

Been a few years since I kept a striper.

Dont like this new rule.

I think a good one would be if you keep a striper then you are done. Once a fish is in your posession that's it go home.

Barbless hooks mandatory.

Cant take a striper out of the water

No more selfies for Facebook dumb prostaffers

 

That's my dream

 

[SteelheadJoe]

This is not the best plan they could have come up with as it neither addresses nor makes any attempt to make a plan to address the rampant poaching of striped bass that takes place.  How about one full year ban on all rec/comm fishing for striper?  If any are caught they must instantly be returned to the water and the best handling keeps the fish in the water the entire time the hook is removed.  Yes some fish will swallow the hook but which method kills more stripers - the recreational angler with a swallowed hook, or multiple trawling boats that catch stripers as by-catch and are forced to throw them over the side dead instead of bringing them into port as illegal by-catch?

[pogie_boy]

31 mins ago, Ditch Jigger said:

Can you imagine how many fish slightly under 28" or slightly over 31" are going to die after release due to having to be very precise with measuring? Trying to get an accurate length while you're fighting to keep your balance on the Canal rocks---yeah, that'll work. What happens if that fish you measure at 30" in the dark, on the rocks, turns out to be 32" on the off chance that you run into an EPO who's carrying a measuring board?

Personally, I would release them all.

That's only going to add to the % mortality rate.

Back in the day I had a piece of tape I'd put on my rods that was 36" from the butt of the rod so I could tell at a glance if it was even close and worth measuring.    Then what?  32 for a couple years?   Last year I tried to do that with two pieces of tape.  One at 28 and the other at 34.     Then I don't think I caught a fish from the surf worth putting near the tape anyhow.

I'm afraid only Thanos can the us  the stripers now.

Edited May 4 by pogie_boy

[MakoMike]

35 mins ago, Ditch Jigger said:

Can you imagine how many fish slightly under 28" or slightly over 31" are going to die after release due to having to be very precise with measuring? Trying to get an accurate length while you're fighting to keep your balance on the Canal rocks---yeah, that'll work. What happens if that fish you measure at 30" in the dark, on the rocks, turns out to be 32" on the off chance that you run into an EPO who's carrying a measuring board?

Personally, I would release them all.

I solved the problem for me personally years ago, I just don’t fish for stripers anymore.

[CWitek]

On 5/4/2023 at 4:30 PM, hotfishgirl said:

and what about commercial size? still 35 inches?

In the emergency action, yes.

 

But the motion that initiated the Addendum II process contemplated capping the maximum size for commercial landings, too.

[CWitek]

On 5/4/2023 at 4:40 PM, fondew said:

Been a few years since I kept a striper.

Dont like this new rule.

I think a good one would be if you keep a striper then you are done. Once a fish is in your posession that's it go home.

Barbless hooks mandatory.

Cant take a striper out of the water

No more selfies for Facebook dumb prostaffers

 

That's my dream

 

I like the idea of one-and-done and in-water release, too.  But theyt won't do enough to reduce landings to a sustainable level.  Remember that rec landings increased 91%, when measured in number of fish, and 123%, when measured by weight, in 2022.  That's a big spike.

 

Remember that the new, narrow slot is an interim measure, a quick-and-dirty effort to reduce mortality until the more calculated Addendum II can be adopted for next year.  It's not perfect, but it was something that could be passed quickly to take some of the pressure off the bass this season

[Gwiz]

If things are really this bad why not just close everything down? Make it catch and release with single barbless hooks.