Who owns the rights to the fish/shellfish ?

[scotty80]

Perch, menhaden, stripped bass, oysters, etc. Are they a public resource ? Some suggest that they are a public resource and belong to the citizens of America. They say that the public maintains access to them through the Commercial fishermen. Since approx 10% of the public fish then 90% of the fish should go to the comm's, correct ?

DNR wants to open up the yellow perch fishery to the comms. I believe the numbers are that comms get 90% of the fish and recs get 10%. Right on target.

How long can the Ches Bay, EEZ, ocean, support the needs of citizens ? How long did the buffalo, deer, beavers, etc... support the needs of citizens ? Do we apply the same 90/10 ratio to any land based management plan ? Is it time to face the facts that the Ches Bay can no longer handle comm fishing pressure?

I wonder what DNR's allocation plan is ? How much goes to who? Is there any plan or is it based on political pressure. I'm interested in opinions...

[Ele]

Scotty, are you going to Annapolis on the 25th?

Ele

[Megabyte]

I'll be there Ele.
Scotty has a lot of good questions. I hope he gets a chance to ask them.

[Matt]

Scotty's questions are good ones. Unfortuantely the resource still belongs to whoever has the most jobs at stake, and thats why we call "stakeholder" management. Thats the answer.

I think its good for everybody to go to Annapolis for the yellow perch party, but I recommend not to expect much. The resource is still "managed" by the stakeholders, and that isn't likely to change anytime soon. Recs are not able to influence public policy by lobbying the executive branch. Not in this state. Md DNR is highly influenced by legislators from commercial fishing districts.

Real change must come from the legislature. These elected officials are the ones who either keep protecting their commercial harvesting jobs, or run their constituents out of business. When recs get wise to this political reality, we will stop squandering our resources lobbying the executive branch.

If you're a rec, talking to DNR is a waste of time. First of all, they are run by political wannabees who surround themselves with people who think like they do. In the big picture, DNR does not make the decisions. The public hearing is a check in the political box, to show the "best available science" was used and all constituent needs were heard. As a constituent, if you don't present a defensible economic hardship, or some kind of overwhelming privately funded research, nine times out of ten the DNR will do the deal as advertised.

Count on it.

[Sea Gristle]

Comms get 90%, recs get 10%. Fine, but what's the total size of the harvestable stock? Better we should ask "how much can we risk taking now that can be replaced by the remaining breed stock?" I worry less about how the pie is sliced and more about whether there will be any such thing called "pie" in the future.

[Capt Frank]

Here's a good question Scotty if striper mgt comes up-

Why is mycobacteria being politically protected as a non player in fisheries mgt?

[Matt]

the question is why don't they use science

[scotty80]

I had planned to attend on the 25 th. But, DNR has made it clear that only their proposals to open the two rivers will be discussed. In my limited time in MD, I am beginning to see more and more as to what Matt states. The only change seems to come from higher ups. I feel my efforts would be better spent addressing the real issue, How are our Fisheries managed ?

[Ele]

Scotty, by your last statement, I get the feeling that you are not planning on going to Annapolis on the 25th. Is that right?

Ele

[scotty80]

Ele, I'll go in a heartbeat if it will make a difference. I guess I'm not sure if it will ? Undecided at the moment. Do you plan to bring up the North East river issues ?