In Reply to: Re: Attitude? posted by XOX on September 17, 2005 at 10:49:06:

It is self-interest (selfishness) that is responsible for the steady decline in the life in our waters.. Every consumptive user group blames the other one, or uses some other specious argument like the other guy takes more so what i am taking makes no difference. i'm pretty much sick of it..

but in this democracy, the majority is allowed to have their way even to their own detriment as well as everyone elses...

i saw the writing on the wall in the late 70's. there was no way our legal fishing practices were going to protect our waters from becoming more and more depleted over time. I fault the sportfishing community for abetting the vast majority of the decline. First by FAILING to use their political clout to curb the more damaging commercial practices such as trawling and serving the live fish restaurant trade.. Second by their utter FAILURE to curb their own averice. Two instinces immediately come to mind; in the summer and fall of '97, we had a massive influx of juvinile yellowtail come up from mexico.. That 30 year event was nature's way of replentishing the channel islands with homegard fish. that summer and fall the sport boat operators took full loads of meat fishermen out and anhiliated over 600,000 yellowtail under 4 lbs! Without the slightest inhibition! the second massive kill-off happened in the spring of '00 when thousands of so-called sportfishermen decented on Palos Verdes and worked around the clock for 6 weeks to wipe out one of 3 WSB populations left in the bight! Without the slightest inhibition!

my best seafaring friend is an avid spearfisherman, but he is among the elite that never takes a resident specie. i can live with that...

it is sad that so many so-called ocean lovers can't simply enjoy their time on or in the water without the need to PROFIT from it.