New Grouper/ Snapper Regs

[Tarpon4me]

I just wanted to take a second to rant about the new Grouper/ Snapper regulations the Feds put into effect. More and more i've noticed that the recreational anglers are being limited, and the commercial fisherman are not. I think it's bull that we take the hit for the over fishing that commercial anglers impose, just so they can continue making money. I mean, seriously. 5 Vermillion Snapper per person? 3 Grouper in a combined complex? How many do the commercial boats kill? They can continue business as usual while our generation and our children have to suffer. Pretty soon, we won't be able to keep anything, and fishing itself would soon die out. I turn a lot of fish loose, but I also keep some for the table. I turn females loose if I can identify them, and I turn loose all undersized AND oversized fish. I keep enough to eat, and maybe some to freeze if the meat is so inclined. I wish there were a way to turn the tables on commercial anglers so the species can make a true rebound, and we as anglers still have a benefit in regards to spending a couple hundred bucks in fuel to go fishing. I'm sick of everything this country does being money driven. For a change, i'd like to see some changes in the fishing industry that isn't money driven, but motivated by wanting to make a change and doing so the best way possible.
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[fishfinder401]

i know exactly where you are coming from with this, in Rhode island a fluke for a recreational fisherman has to be 21 inches and for the commercial fisherman..............14 stuff like this makes me so most commercial fishermen are destroying or fishing waters and making us suffer for an industry that is already suffering

any commercial fisherman who read this i don't mean all of you i am more just aggravated with the restriction unfairness i have met many commercial fishermen who are not destroying the fisheries........ i blame the government more than you guys
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[Tarpon4me]

The increase in minimal size should go accross the board. It's going to help commercial fishing in the long run anyhow. Figure this................

Lets say a 14" flounder weighs 1 pound.
Lets say a 21" flounder weighs 1.5 pounds. (average)

If no one can keep fish under 21 inches, it's going to hurt the commercial anglers for the first season of the change, but come next season, all those fish are going to be mature and they still reach their weight quoto, but they'll do it faster because they'll be handling less fish because they'll all be larger fish.
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[fishfinder401]

do you know if there is any way you could change this, there is always changes in the

size limits but its always to us the recreational fishermen, i really dot mind a 21 inch size

limit if it helps the population because i keep few fish anyway but it irritates me when

the people doing the real damage get to keep them when they are only 2/3 the size we

can.
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[Basser119]

I agree the regulations are not "cool". [:/] They should be the other way around instead.


Tight lines! [fishin]
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[BLubo]

thanks for the great info ill be sure to try this[]
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