MAY. 26

[bob_G]

On 5/22/2023 at 1:45 PM, Running Ape said:

I’m all for Pacific salmon type tags along with rigorous enforcement. 5 fish 24-30 for a year. Each fish must be released or tagged for harvest immediately.  1000$ fine per poached fish no excuses. 

 

 

I'm all for this.   There's simply no reason for a recreational angler to keep 20-30 (or more) fish yearly.   A tag system as you described would be perfect.

However enforcement would be difficult.  Difficult, but not impossible. But when the folks you depend on to enforce environmental laws rarely get out the their truck, I could never see this bring a viable solution in Ma.

[Intrepid95]

On 5/21/2023 at 4:23 PM, mikez2 said:

I just wish they went to 36 instead. There's SO many of those 30 - 34 inchers right now, I wish we could protect them all.

 

100%. Should have never gone to 28 to begin with.

 

36" was fine and should have never been changed.

[bob_G]

On 5/22/2023 at 10:42 PM, Intrepid95 said:

 

100%. Should have never gone to 28 to begin with.

 

36" was fine and should have never been changed.

Well there's one possible advantage to a smaller minimum size, say 28" or even less.  By harvesting fish less than 28" you'd be harvesting a certain amount of males.  It's always more important to protect breeding females over males.

[MakoMike]

On 5/22/2023 at 11:03 PM, bob_G said:

Well there's one possible advantage to a smaller minimum size, say 28" or even less.  By harvesting fish less than 28" you'd be harvesting a certain amount of males.  It's always more important to protect breeding females over males.

Only if they are from the Hudson River stock,  which don’t roam as widely as the Chessie stock, the Chessie males either don’t migrate at all lot only migrate when they get to 28 inches, depending on which study you believe.

[bob_G]

On 5/23/2023 at 9:34 AM, MakoMike said:

Only if they are from the Hudson River stock,  which don’t roam as widely as the Chessie stock, the Chessie males either don’t migrate at all lot only migrate when they get to 28 inches, depending on which study you believe.

Well scratch that idea.

[albacized]

I still don’t understand how authorities know how many stripers I catch or that 9% of my released fish die. I’ve been interviewed twice by fisheries management folks in my whole life. There’s no way they have a good handle on those figures…and no, this is not an argument against stricter rules as I see the evidence of declining stocks as many other do. I just think they’re not looking at all possible causes

[jmei]

On 5/23/2023 at 6:30 PM, albacized said:

I still don’t understand how authorities know how many stripers I catch or that 9% of my released fish die. I’ve been interviewed twice by fisheries management folks in my whole life. There’s no way they have a good handle on those figures…and no, this is not an argument against stricter rules as I see the evidence of declining stocks as many other do. I just think they’re not looking at all possible causes

They’re not omnipotent, nor do they have an infinite budget. Yeah, the models are rough estimates at best, but what’s the alternative?

[albacized]

On 5/23/2023 at 10:21 PM, jmei said:

They’re not omnipotent, nor do they have an infinite budget. Yeah, the models are rough estimates at best, but what’s the alternative?

To ensure they’re looking at the problem holistically, and not economically driven 

[C. Regalis]

On 5/21/2023 at 2:45 PM, stifftip said:

Mass striped bass size will change .  To keep is one bass from 28” to 31” Only as a keeper  beginning may 26 

28" to Less Than 31".

 

31" will be an "overslot".

[jmei]

On 5/24/2023 at 8:53 AM, albacized said:

To ensure they’re looking at the problem holistically, and not economically driven 

I think that’s a fair concern, but if it’s something that matters to you, would be worth familiarizing yourself with the research they do use. For instance, the research that backs up the 9% release mortality figure. On the Water had a good podcast a few weeks ago with a few folks at DMF that went through some of their past and present research priorities. 

[Intrepid95]

On 5/22/2023 at 6:28 PM, bob_G said:

I'm all for this.   There's simply no reason for a recreational angler to keep 20-30 (or more) fish yearly.   A tag system as you described would be perfect.

However enforcement would be difficult.  Difficult, but not impossible. But when the folks you depend on to enforce environmental laws rarely get out the their truck, I could never see this bring a viable solution in Ma.

 

At least we can dream...

[BrianBM]

Speaking of spawning fish, Do we know the status of spawners in Canadian rivers, and are they known to swim as far south as Massachusetts at all?

[Pickerel92]

On 5/24/2023 at 8:53 PM, BrianBM said:

Speaking of spawning fish, Do we know the status of spawners in Canadian rivers, and are they known to swim as far south as Massachusetts at all?

This is a myth that needs to be busted. They don’t swim south. They stay up in Canada. Maybe they bleed into downeast ME a little. Canada is a lot bigger than people think and to get from the spawning grounds in the miramichi to MA is pretty much a 1,000 mile swim. Chessy is like 400 miles to MA. I don’t see them trekking 1,000 miles through Canadian seas.

[MakoMike]

On 5/24/2023 at 8:53 PM, BrianBM said:

Speaking of spawning fish, Do we know the status of spawners in Canadian rivers, and are they known to swim as far south as Massachusetts at all?

Status doesn’t make a difference to us. There is very little mixing of Canadian and US fish.

[BrianBM]

On 5/25/2023 at 7:25 AM, Pickerel92 said:

This is a myth that needs to be busted. They don’t swim south. They stay up in Canada. Maybe they bleed into downeast ME a little. Canada is a lot bigger than people think and to get from the spawning grounds in the miramichi to MA is pretty much a 1,000 mile swim. Chessy is like 400 miles to MA. I don’t see them trekking 1,000 miles through Canadian seas.

Ah, well. It was a thought.  Where do Canadian stripers winter over, if we know?