liberals at it again trying to hurt shrimpers

[capt coonassty]

Originally Posted by MathGeek

It was hypothesized that commercial shrimping was damaging red snapper stocks, but that hypothesis was soundly refuted by the data after increases in fuel costs and price drops (due to imported shrimp) reduced the Gulf shrimping efforts that were supposedly harming the age zero snapper.

If commercial shrimping efforts are harming fish stocks, then they should be curtailed on that basis (rather than turtles) after sound science demonstrates which species are being harmed and the time and locations of commercial shrimping efforts which are causing the harm.

As far as I can tell the present assertion that current levels of commercial shrimping effort are causing "unimaginable" harm to fisheries stocks is completely unsupported by the data. The stocks of red snapper, triple tail, speckled trout, red drum, and most other important species are very healthy in Louisiana waters and in federal waters adjacent to Louisiana. To which stocks has "unimaginable" harm been caused, and where is the supporting data piblished?

While I have nothing to back this up. I would imagine that without by catch mortality it would open up more forage for the fish mentioned. I'm sure most people have seen the thousands of fish washing up on the beaches after inshore season opens up.