future of the stripers?

[macojoe]

So..
if you 'Gladly give up all my Lic and buy a rec lic if they would close all inshore commercial fishing!!'

what would you do?

I can't afford 4x a week in the boat. when I was fishing 4x a week in a boat, it was a much smaller boat. So I boat fish ~1x a week and surf fish the rest. I enjoy it all, fish caught or not.

This off topic anyways.

My original point was we need to look at ourselves (rec anglers) just as much as we need to point fingers at Comm. guys.

If they stopped all commercial fishing inshore, the fish would return, quotes would increase, and there would be no need to have to go 4 times a week for food on the table. There would be plenty for everyone!

[Mike P]

I would venture to guess that 75% of the guys who hold a Mass commercial license don't fish for anything else, commercially. The 25% who do, I feel for them, because they're being aced out by guys fishing to defray the cost of their fun.

It's a joke--$65 for a license and bass endorsement for in-staters, $160 for out of staters. It's a system designed for recs to defray their fishing costs. It's unfair to guys who make a living from fishing, and DMF should start by requiring documentation from license holders that at least 50% of their income is derived from the sale of fin and shellfish.

Wouldn't it be nice for the guys who fish for a living to be able to sell bass in June and September, maybe even into October? Eliminate the recs from selling fish, and you'd be able to actually make money from selling bass.

[riverrat2]

Originally Posted by Mike P

I would venture to guess that 75% of the guys who hold a Mass commercial license don't fish for anything else, commercially. The 25% who do, I feel for them, because they're being aced out by guys fishing to defray the cost of their fun.

It's a joke--$65 for a license and bass endorsement for in-staters, $160 for out of staters. It's a system designed for recs to defray their fishing costs. It's unfair to guys who make a living from fishing, and DMF should start by requiring documentation from license holders that at least 50% of their income is derived from the sale of fin and shellfish.

Wouldn't it be nice for the guys who fish for a living to be able to sell bass in June and September, maybe even into October? Eliminate the recs from selling fish, and you'd be able to actually make money from selling bass.

Voice of reason. Macojoe you don't seem to be making much since in one post you say you sell fish in order to pay for gas but then you say you get a comm license so that you can keep enough fish for your family. ??? Its the people that sell bass just to cover gas for the season that are ruining it for everyone else

[Slipknot]

Originally Posted by riverrat2

Its the people that sell bass just to cover gas for the season that are ruining it for everyone else

why is that?

Originally Posted by Mike P

It's unfair to guys who make a living from fishing, and DMF should start by requiring documentation from license holders that at least 50% of their income is derived from the sale of fin and shellfish.


.

I've never understood this, why is it unfair Mike.
That will never happen as long as America is a free country.
I see no reason why a person should not be able to have more than one way to make a living.

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by Mike P

Wouldn't it be nice for the guys who fish for a living to be able to sell bass in June and September, maybe even into October? Eliminate the recs from selling fish, and you'd be able to actually make money from selling bass.

I think it is more complicated than people realize. The commericial value of striped bass actually diminishes as the price goes up, even while the "value" of the landings goes up. The lower the price, the greater the value to the economy. When striped bass is cheaper than alternative food sources, people can spend less of their income on food and more on other economic goods. When striped bass is expensive, buying it reduces spending in other areas of the economy. It gets pretty complex, but suffice it to say that as far as the nonfishing public is concerned, their interests are best served by glutting the market and driving prices low (which is why abundant stocks are a priority). Whether current fishery managers consider this when establishing fishing regulations, I'm unsure.

While on the topic, as I understand it the recreational argument that the value of the sport fishery is the sum of angler expenditures is also bogus. Most of us spend a lot on our hobby, but if that hobby didn't exist we would spend the same on something else. The money spent on fishing tackle does create some additional jobs, taxes, and multiplier effects....and that is where the actual value of recreational fishing lies, but it is nowhere near as large as we like to think.

[Raider Ronnie]

What a surprise !

1st day commercial season and one of these bull%$%$%$%$ treads comes up !
Ever year the same thing !!!

[Raider Ronnie]

The " YO YO " tread will be coming up any day now !!!