"Joe" wrote in message
...
On Dec 9, 11:45 am, "mmc" wrote:
Face it the shrimpers, and fishermen and pleasure sportsmen support
the protection of the stock more than any other group at all.

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Joe,
Protection of fish stocks is more in the above group's interest than
anyone
else's but the above are the people that make government conservation
measurements necessary.

IIRC you also mentioned that the Japs were the problem. If the govt
wanted to fine the people that caused the mullet problems than a 1000%
export tax on mullet would have been more fair, and targeted to the
cause. That 1000% tax could have been used to restock and conserve.

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The Japanese market was part of the proble in that instance but a much
bigger problem was the irresponsible attitude of the fishermen. If left to
take care of thier own industry, they'd have wiped out this important link
in the food chain and caused a much greater negative impact.
I also appreciate the traditional generations of professional fisher folk
but there are so many more sharing a much smaller harvest and the only real
choice is to either let them fish out the stock or step in before that
happens. To me the second is the only option.

They may support the protection but many do so with a bunch of hot air
only.

I agree.
But I've also seen and been part of re-stocking the Redfish population
here along with many others that never fish. In any group you will
find people just just take and never give back. But to be willing to
watch a fleet of mariners just die off due to Chinese farm shrimp
flooding the market, and not caring.... I find very offensive.

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I think this is where a "co-op" between the industry and Gov't would make
sense - come up with a plan to manage and restock before it becomes a
crisis. I watched Port Canaveral go from about 70% working port to 70%
cruise liner port and I hate it. I rather be downwind of a pile of scallop
shells than a bus load of tourists any day.
I salute you for helping with the restock! That's great.

-------------.

Not to mention that a single shrimp farms inability to control a
shrimp virus and desease could wipe out the whole natural shrimp stock
here. Gulf and white shrimp do not do well in farms and imported stock
for the farms is like rolling the dice. One discharce problem or even
one seagull dropping an infected shrimp in the Gulf could kill off a
whole species of shrimp.

We are already seeing massive blooms of asian snakehead fish, carp,
ect that are wiping out local species.

Here on Floridas Space Coast we've seen scallops, white shrimp, clams just
about wiped out.

Got news for you MMC, the whole of the worlds oceans have just about
been wiped out. So who's going to fix it? Most likely the people who
depend on it, starting with the people that make a direct living at
sea IMO.

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I've been in on on the water for a lot of years and have seen a lot of
change-not much of it for the good except for the Gov't stopping dumping of
trash and waste and trying to regulate the take- but usually in reaction to
problems rather than proactively to avoid them.
About who will fix it? I don't think it will happen at all. When the mullet
netters lost that livelihood? they took up crabbing and clamming and help to
screw those up too.

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Someone's got to do it, and I doubt someone that could care
less about a disappearing fleet is going to be the one.

I saw something that was a direct result of over fishing returning
from Belize. For a hundred + miles a bloom of huge jelly fish. I'm
talking about everywhere you looked the water was stuffed with them
for a hundred + miles, no telling how wide the bloom was. I've never
seen anything like it before and have crossed the gulf many times
starting in the early 80's.

As I said previously, netters were working hard to decimate
mullet before the goverment stepped in.

As the goverment should have. But who paid for the boats to do the
research that determined the netting needed to stop? Most likely same
as here, the money came from fishery permits.

Lot's of hot air.

Is it?

Joe
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Thanks for a reasonable discussion Joe.