heres the deal. the fish taken commercially are just a FRACTION of what is taken by recreational fisherman. here are some numbers for you. in 2006 (2007 statistics aren't published yet) the North Carolina commercial striper harvest was 270,932 pounds. that same year the estimated recreational harvest was 2,112,024 pounds! about 9 times as much as commercial. it is the recreational fishermen who are the doom for the fish. the fish are just too stupid and taste too good. I think they should cut the recreational limit in half, and still they would take more than the commercial guys. just remember any fish you buy in a store, market, or restaurant is caught commercially. no matter how much you bitch about commercial fishing, whenever you buy those crabs or striped bass or eat that flounder dish at your favorite restaurant, you are supporting the commercial fishermen.
the season isn't over, it has just begun
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