(I'm not sure you folks are familiar with this issue yet. There should be a public comment period IF (!) things go further than this "Board Revue Draft."
www.webspawner.com/users/jmann)
I was mysteriously faxed a ?Draft for Board Review? copy of action being taken on the federal Weakfish Management Plan. There?s seemingly bad stuff within including a one-fish-a-day bag limit for next year.
First, a tad of background.
Since an initial weakfish management plan in November of 2002 ? a long-term recovery arrangement for the species -- the weakfish fishery has seen a pretty steady drop in the landings, commercially and recreationally, which is split 70 percent commercial and 30 percent recreational.
The weakfish biomass is below a threshold that requires the Weakfish Management Board to adjust the current management program to rebuild the spawning stock biomass. I?ve studied the data and there is indeed some sort of problem out there.
Interestingly, it appears that ?natural mortality? is the culprit. This could arise from a degradation of the spawning environment; a couple bad recruiting years (for whatever reasons); predation by abundant species, including striped bass; meteorite strikes.
OK, I guess that last one is a little too Cretaceous but it shows the realm of natural causes can be pretty broad.
Whatever the reason, a technical committee has been instructed to develop recovery projections based on varying reductions in mortality, i.e. reductions in fishing pressure. In other words: What percentage of fishing should be removed to assure a healthy fishery.
There are five options, as with most fishing projections. Zero percent reduction is status quo, followed by 25, 50, 75 reductions. Then there?s the biggie, a 100 reduction, or a full-blown moratorium.
It appears in this draft (which I hear is running pretty close to what might actually be presented) that the technical committee is recommending the option that achieves a 50 percent reduction in fishing mortality.
I won?t make you struggle through all the technical didgeridoo concerning this bag limit and related data. What I will offer is the first chart seen in the ?Draft for Board Review.? It clearly indicates that achieving a 50 percent reduction in weakfishing mortality would require a 1-fish bag limit for a year-round open season.
A more important (and realistic) chart deals with that all too familiar demon, known as closed seasons.
One of the only practical options to keep our current bag and size limits would be to have an open season limited to Mid-July to early-October.
Ouch.
I, like so many local anglers, have totally gotten into the very early-season arrival of spawning tiderunner weakfish, some arriving as early as April. The night fishing near the **** has attracted a veritable legion of serious anglers. Obviously, the Middle? season option would squelch the spring weakfishing right out of existence.
I should note that there is also an ?early? season option for consideration. That option would allow weakfishing from January 1 to the end of August. However, I have an inkling that particular option won?t make the cut under further scientific scrutiny. Plus, it would mean our Holgate fall weakfishing would be no more.
Oh, there is also a ?late? option of an open season from the end of August to December 31. That would serve no purpose here in Jersey.
I?m gonna end this right here. I just wanted to be one of the first writers to present it to you guys. There are, of course, huge implications for the commercial sector, which would see a hugely decreased fishing season but not necessarily a dropping in total landings, since the commercial guys would simply throw everything they have into the smaller open season ? taking, quite likely, as many fish as they are landing now.
Edited for Barn Spots Policy, Thx
[ 08-30-2005, 07:23 PM: Message edited by: NIGHTSTRIKES ]
www.webspawner.com/users/jmann)
I was mysteriously faxed a ?Draft for Board Review? copy of action being taken on the federal Weakfish Management Plan. There?s seemingly bad stuff within including a one-fish-a-day bag limit for next year.
First, a tad of background.
Since an initial weakfish management plan in November of 2002 ? a long-term recovery arrangement for the species -- the weakfish fishery has seen a pretty steady drop in the landings, commercially and recreationally, which is split 70 percent commercial and 30 percent recreational.
The weakfish biomass is below a threshold that requires the Weakfish Management Board to adjust the current management program to rebuild the spawning stock biomass. I?ve studied the data and there is indeed some sort of problem out there.
Interestingly, it appears that ?natural mortality? is the culprit. This could arise from a degradation of the spawning environment; a couple bad recruiting years (for whatever reasons); predation by abundant species, including striped bass; meteorite strikes.
OK, I guess that last one is a little too Cretaceous but it shows the realm of natural causes can be pretty broad.
Whatever the reason, a technical committee has been instructed to develop recovery projections based on varying reductions in mortality, i.e. reductions in fishing pressure. In other words: What percentage of fishing should be removed to assure a healthy fishery.
There are five options, as with most fishing projections. Zero percent reduction is status quo, followed by 25, 50, 75 reductions. Then there?s the biggie, a 100 reduction, or a full-blown moratorium.
It appears in this draft (which I hear is running pretty close to what might actually be presented) that the technical committee is recommending the option that achieves a 50 percent reduction in fishing mortality.
I won?t make you struggle through all the technical didgeridoo concerning this bag limit and related data. What I will offer is the first chart seen in the ?Draft for Board Review.? It clearly indicates that achieving a 50 percent reduction in weakfishing mortality would require a 1-fish bag limit for a year-round open season.
A more important (and realistic) chart deals with that all too familiar demon, known as closed seasons.
One of the only practical options to keep our current bag and size limits would be to have an open season limited to Mid-July to early-October.
Ouch.
I, like so many local anglers, have totally gotten into the very early-season arrival of spawning tiderunner weakfish, some arriving as early as April. The night fishing near the **** has attracted a veritable legion of serious anglers. Obviously, the Middle? season option would squelch the spring weakfishing right out of existence.
I should note that there is also an ?early? season option for consideration. That option would allow weakfishing from January 1 to the end of August. However, I have an inkling that particular option won?t make the cut under further scientific scrutiny. Plus, it would mean our Holgate fall weakfishing would be no more.
Oh, there is also a ?late? option of an open season from the end of August to December 31. That would serve no purpose here in Jersey.
I?m gonna end this right here. I just wanted to be one of the first writers to present it to you guys. There are, of course, huge implications for the commercial sector, which would see a hugely decreased fishing season but not necessarily a dropping in total landings, since the commercial guys would simply throw everything they have into the smaller open season ? taking, quite likely, as many fish as they are landing now.
Edited for Barn Spots Policy, Thx
[ 08-30-2005, 07:23 PM: Message edited by: NIGHTSTRIKES ]
