Kensdock report 2-8-10 {Feb.2 ASMFC weakfish board meeting}

———–More indecision by the Asmfc weakfish board——–
The weakfish are in the most depleted condition in history with the real possibility of extinction!  98% of the letters received were pleading for a moratorium for weakfish. The data clearly indicated a moratorium would offer the best chance for recovery. Yet, the weakfish board made one more bad decision,in allowing 100 pound by catch per trip” for ever commercial net on the east coast and to allow recreational fishermen to kill the last of the breeders. obviously, this decision was made in complete disregard to the majority and the science. It is time for some new council members!
Tom Fote quote—–
How do you keep an industry going?
You know, we also talk about we’re supposed to
build a sustainable fishery for a sustainable industry.
If you start closing down both those industries, it
takes a long time for that industry to recover. end——-
                                                            
MR. RICHEN BRAME —–quote
 
 

 

I think this stock is in such a state that you need to
tell the public that it’s in real trouble. It’s near
collapse.
Even with a moratorium, it won’t recover in 20 years.

Your goal should be to maintain as much SSB as

possible in order to allow a quicker recovery

whenever the conditions allow it to recover. The

good news is this is not a red snapper or a goliath

grouper. It doesn’t have a 40-year recovery time. It

can recover in two or three or four years, so we’re not

looking at a long moratorium. I think that this is a

time when this commission needs to stand up and say

this fishery is real trouble and we need to stop fishing

for them. It’s pretty much that simple. Thank you.  

Quote——-                   MR. MARK GIBSON     ——————quote:

 Even if that’s all I got, it’s better to

have twice as much than zero and put the stock

precariously close to extinction as far as I can see

from this. I think the peer review panel said much

the same thing, that F is still a limiting – is

exacerbating the problem and it’s unsustainable.

That’s what you have to manage. A lot of managers

don’t like to accept the fact that what you have to

manage is F and that sometimes sustainable Fs

declines with externalities that happen to fish stocks.

It’s a lot like the serenity prayer if you’re familiar

with it. You know, you have the wisdom to know the

difference between the things you can change and

those that you can’t and have the courage to change

the ones you do. I think that’s what we’re faced with

here.


 

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