[bigshrimpin]

MJ is right on . . . those draggers are raping the ocean.

I've fished the same area as MJ for 10 years. Nearly everyday you could catch 200lbs of fluke rod and reel. Before the quota went to 200lb there were days where I caught 300lbs by myself rod and reel. Draggers lobbied the DMF to open the area. The did in 2003? and you're lucky if you catch 8 legal fish there now. In less than 3 years that area got wiped out.

Just like MJ said . . . Because the daily limit is 200lbs . . . Draggers would ride that area until they caught 200lb of JUMBOS (4+lb fluke). Jumbo's bring the highest per/LB market value. Anything short of a jumbo is dumped on the hot metal deck of the trawler, while the fisherman cull trough their catch. By the time the fisherman are done cherry picking all the jumbos . . . Nearly all the bycatch is DEAD. Some are crispy from sitting out in the sun, some are beaten to death in the nets, Some are killed from the fisherman stepping all over them, Some are fck'd up because of being dropped on the deck. Everything that isn't a Jumbo Fluke is shoveled back over and 99% of it is DEAD.

In any given day I will venture to guess that several thousand pounds of fluke come aboard one trawler. 200lb of fish is kept and the other three thousand pounds of fluke is now crab meat.
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Draggers are the #1 problem and no one at DMF has the balls to deal with it. When they do it will be a complete economic disaster for the industry. Even if DMF address the problem it will take years for stocks to return.

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