Accurate numbers rely on accurate sampling. Assuming every boat in a given area had the same results is highly inaccurate.
The discussion can begin once the season ends and we can assess several criteria: Days fished, fish kept, fish released, etc, etc
Can't jump to conclusions......yet.
Interesting take. I'm thinking my numbers are more accurate than anything they can every come up with. Are there certain assumptions? Yes. But considering the reports I read from a group of over 140 anglers that fish that region about what happened that day, we were pretty average. There were boats that did better and boats that did worse I can guarantee it's much better than anything ASMFC could ever come up with. Their numbers are 50/50 at best and that's by their own admission.
We always complain about the "bean counters behind the desk" making decisions. Now I'm giving you the actual catch data for that small region, and we don't want to accept it? And honestly, I don't think they do any sampling. They take a much smaller number than what I've provided and multiply by who knows what.
As the ASMFC rec representative for weakfish, I can tell you first hand that there was a year where asmfc recorded the entire state of New York as catching 150 pounds of weakfish for the entire year. This was at a time when party boats were targeting and catching good numbers of them. I went to the meeting and was told those were the numbers and no sense in discussing it. Another year they based the entire scup season on a sampling of 76 intercepts. Now you want to talk about "Days fished, fish kept, fish released, etc, etc" Sorry but there is none of that. We may like to think there is but there isn't.
Fisheries management is an abject failure in every sense of the word. Most if not all plans have a 50% chance of success by their own numbers.
