he may not have checked for undersized fish but then again he may have, you just can't tell from the video. there is no slot limit to adhere to. the fish just have to be over 28" which most are this time of year. in the ocean they are pretty much all BIG fish, averaging 25-30 lbs. each. I don't think the recreational estimate is right, but I don't think it is too far off either. It is almost impossible to do an estimate since every year the variables are different but I think everyone underestimates the recs. I have personally seen EVERY charter boat booked in OI with trailers lined up for a mile and a half up to the fishing center with the parking lot full of trailers, plus the boats at the other marinas and fishing centers around there I would guess that there was probably around 150 recreational boats fishing that day. almost everyone got there limit. 2 fish per person doesn't sound like a lot but 25 pound average, 2 fish per person, maybe 5 person average on boat, roughly 150 boats = around 37,500 pounds... in one day! not counting the boats that had their limit came in and went back out, and not counting the boats from
VA that cam south that day, nor does that count the fish taken off the beach. that was just a quick little estimate for one day a few years ago. I wish I could pull up some of those reports. it is very hard for people to look at the big picture.