SavingSeaFood - Ed Killer: Sea bass rule an example of how NOAA needs to be turned around

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Ed Killer: Sea bass rule an example of how NOAA needs to be turned around

In case you missed it, and if you did you are not alone, you can no longer keep a black sea bass this fishing season. As of Oct. 17, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service has shut down the black sea bass fishery for all recreational anglers fishing the waters of the South Atlantic.

The reason is overfishing, of course. You see, the government number-crunchers have determined that you and I and all of our hook-and-line offshore fishing brethren from North Carolina to Key West have been hauling out black sea bass to the tune of some 341,747 pounds (gutted weight) since June 1.

Even though the new bag limit in place since then has been five black sea bass per angler, somehow fishing was so robust for black sea bass, we all just jammed up our freezers full of them.

As a result, we must now stop fishing for them, and cannot take one home until June 1, 2012.

Anyone who has ever reeled in a sea bass knows they may average 3 pounds. A 6-pounder is huge and rare. That means that some 110,000 sea bass have been taken off the reefs in the past 4.5 months or roughly 22,000 bag limits have gone to the fish cleaning tables.

Read the complete opinion piece from TCPalm.com

HASTINGS: Time to improve the Endangered Species Act

May 18, 2012 - When the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was signed into law in 1973 by President Nixon, he spoke about the importance of preserving “the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed.” I believe that goal is as important today as it was back then. However, after nearly 40 years, it’s time to take a fresh, honest look at the law and consider whether there are ways it could be improved to do a better job of protecting and recovering species.

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