Changes in Water Quality Standards

[Norm Bartlett]

Todays Sunpaper has a front page story about Ehrlich 's administration proposal to lower water quality standards in certains areas. The striper population is suffering from an mycobacteria epedemic thats infected 70 % of the fish and they want to lower water quality standards for certain areas. Surely lowering standards in any area has to effect the health of the entire bay.

The article says " The state would set pollution discharge limits for businesses or sewage treatment plants beside these waterways at a more relaxed level to reflect the state dosen't expect aquatic life there or people to play in the water, Erskin said"

This move by the Ehrlich administration should feel like a swift kick right in the grion by all waterman, commercial or otherwise

As FLUSH TAX paying citizens aren't we trying harder? Why should business try less?

Because the state has not enforced the Clean Water Act in the past the seafood industry is almost totally out of business.

Norm

[Kirk Grasssett]

Purdue1,
I hear what you are saying and you are correct. Everyone who lives in the Chesapeake drainage has an impact on water quality and thus the species that live in these waters. However, there are decision that each of us make which further impact the fishery. For example, taking a large cow striper full of roe during the trophy season. It's perfectly legal to kill this fish, but clearly one has a larger impact on the fishery by doing so in comparison to someone who releases the fish. I view this decision as- should you? as opposed to-could you?

Let me illustrate my point with a simple calculation. A 40 pound female striper is capable of producing about 4,000,000 eggs. Let's assume that when she spawns only 50% of the eggs are ferterilized and sucessfully hatch and these fry experience a 95% mortality the first year and an 80% mortality the 2nd year. After 2 years, this single female could potentially produce 20,000 fish; enough for a massive school of breaking fish. I've clearly made several assumption for this calculation but it still gives you a rough order of magnitude estimate on the potential of just on large female striper. This simple calculation also shows that we, as recreational anglers, have a much larger impact on the fishery than we realize.



Kirk

[stanleybros]

Kirk, your arguement turned south when you said "let's assume."

I was with you until you said that. Try again.

[Kirk Grasssett]

Stanley Bros,
I didn't just pull these numbers out of the air. I've done considerable research and these numbers are realistic. The best solution for the stripers is to have a slot limit to protect the large cow stripers similar to that done for other species (i.e., redfish). If we continue to take stripers at the current rate up and down the coast in combination with netting the crap out of their preferred forage plus pollution, I believe this fishery is on course for another collapse. Hope I'm wrong but that's how I see it.


Kirk

[stanleybros]

I could not agree more Kirk. I have always been for a slot limit. But when arguing a point, the word assume just turns me off. Assume IMHO, means, lets guess or lets pretend. That's all I was referring to.