Each state has the option of conservation equivelent. You need to work on something that allows you to keep some fish and gets approved by asmfc.
Yeah, we did that years ago, and tried again when the 28" came up, but ASMFC made us go with a 24-26" slot. Not much of a slot and Maine DMR decided it would be impossible to enforce, so they accepted the 28".
At least nobody here is talking about doing anything on the state level in 2019. We'll see what the "Nobel Laureates (NOT)" at ASFMC decide. I'm thinking we won't see anything until spring 2020 at the earliest, but if proposals are very Draconian, I'm thinking states like MD and NJ will raise such a stink we won't see anything until 2021.
I do hope that ASFMC does take the Myco data seriously. If you think about it from an epidemiological perspective, larger fish SHOULD NOT be harvested if the proposed infection rate is as high as people say. These larger fish would probably be Myco resistant and might be passing along to the next generation that resistance if it is a genetic trait. They should NOT be the target of the harvest. Better to have younger fish targeted, that may or may not be resistant, if you're trying to promote reproduction of resistant fish.
