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Originally Posted by Speckmeister
...therefore never ever answering the questions regarding relatively and seemingly poorer catches in the Calcasieu Lake Estuary from 2011-2013.
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I don't think there is any solid evidence for poorer catches in that time frame. The fish were skinnier and more slowly growing, but that is more related to too little forage for the specks trying to eat a lot and grow quickly rather than low speck population.
I think anglers have also learned some lessons about posting pics with big trout hauls. Pics of big hauls leads to jealousy, pot licking, and pushes from Texans for more restrictive regulations.
And as fall 2014 proved, failure to catch many fish in the summer does not mean the fish aren't there, just that you aren't catching them.
We spent more time doing creel surveys on Calcasieu in 2011, 2012, and 2013. There were no hints of a shortage of specks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Speckmeister
I am happy that at least we're looking toward regional measurement,
something other states have been doing for some time now. Unless . . . of course the fund is raided.
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My biggest hope is that any management actions are data driven rather than driven by politics or socio-economic reasons. If the data shows larger harvest numbers would be sustainable, will they raise the limit back to 25 specks per day in Calcasieu? Probably not if CCA continues to yield their current level of political power. CCA only wants to see limits lowered.