Hopefully this will be an interesting thread.
What scientific evidence is there for/against the current legislation?
size limitsUnsure of actual scientific papers but it seems a general opinion that Bass are a slow growing species taking some 15+ years to hit the 10lb mark. I have read ,and heard it said the the species do not spawn until the 3rd year. This put spawning size at about or just under the legal size limit depending on growth rate. It is possible that if you take a fish at exactly the 40cm size it may not have spawned at all.
Bag LimitsPersonally I think the current daily bag limit of 2 per day is fair and honest. I can honestly not think of any scientific evidence why this should be so.
Should the legislation be changed (e.g. reduce/increase bag limit? reduce/increase minimum size? introduce maximum size?)
I honestly don't think that the legislation needs to be changed at the moment. I think it needs to be in-forced totally. Legislation is hard enough to get though the Dail without changing something that in my opinion is adequate. Let's just collectively enforce what legislation we have.
What comparisons are there with legislation in other countries or for other species?
:?: I would be really interested in knowing if Sea Bass are protected in any way anywhere else
I know the Striped Bass has a minimum size limit and a daily bag limit in the US although I am not sure what that is.
Are there any sources of good information on these issues?
:?:
I think one thing to point out to our Fisheries boards and TD's is how protection of the Striped Bass in the US has brought the species back from the brink and has also created a HUGE local tourism industry valued at over 100 fold greater that any commercial fishing was in the past. I think the local tourism value is at around the $2 billion mark across the east coast.
Kev