I can accept that. But wouldn’t restricting harvest of bass help things?
Remember: the section of the river that seems to be the area of greatest concern (Sunbury downstream to Maryland) is already managed under very conservative “Big Bass” regulations and angling is not believed to be a significant influence. No harvest is allowed for a two-month period that covers the bulk of the spawn and only two fish that are 18 inches or larger are allowed to be creeled for the majority of the year. Up to four fish of 15 inches or greater may be taken three and a half months of the year at a time when other waters allow up to six bass 12 inches or greater to be harvested. The angler use study being conducted throughout 2007 on the lower Susquehanna and the Juniata River will give us much better data on the overall angler use and harvest, but preliminary returns don’t come close to suggesting angler harvest as being problematic. So to further regulations may only serve to unnecessarily restrict fishing while producing no meaningful improvements to the fishery itself.
