Dam! .. First post since joining in 2005?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jerryg
One may argue that MPLAs represent only a small percent of the overall marine environment but there is a lot of truth to the old saying that 90% of the fish live in 10% of the water. It's a fact that 100% of MPLAs exist within that 10% of the water. MPLAs impact the distribution of fishing pressure that once existed. Anglers are left with fewer options the areas that remain open are receiving more angling pressure..As fishing declines in these areas due to increased pressure fishing will be blamed for over fishing the open areas which will fuel the argument that more closures are necessary.. Closures may have very well led to the decline in marine life but we will stand to lose more ground.
Thus far any significant benefit to the fisheries that exist outside of protected zones remains to be proven... Instead of enforcing a conservation initiative that restricts the rights of the people to fish public waters we should be focusing on conservation initiatives that been successfully proven. We need to protect fish when they are most vulnerable (when they are spawning). This has helped improve our WSB and rockfish fisheries. Reduce limits and impose special restrictions for fisheries that are at higher risk. No one wants to see our fish stocks rebound more than recreational anglers. The fishing community should have more say in how our fisheries are managed.
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