Silflay Hraka

Something we all need to know more about. Maybe you already do, if not read on. If so, read on anyway. On the surface, MSY sounds like a great thing for us, the “recreationals”. However, once you fully understand MSY, one should realize it’s not in this recs best interest. Here’s my take: MSY seeks to maximize the number of fish to a level that will allow for maximum harvest for all interested parties (comms and recs). Sounds good, right?? NO!! Here’s why: if we achieve a true MSY, then the result would be nothing but fish that meet the MINIMUM size requirements. Basic biology and science dictate that a given area (land, ocean, etc) can only support X animals, people, fish, etc…Therefore, in a true state of MSY, we would have ONLY minimum sized fish and very few big “citation” size fish. Now, what you may want to catch is your choice. I’d prefer to catch a few good sized flounder than 10 minimum sized fish. If we use MSY as the ONLY management tool, we will NEVER see fish stocks recover to the historical SIZES of the past. Sure, we might have more fish for everyone to catch but no one will be talking about the big one that got away. MSY is a management tool that benefits the commercial more than this rec!! Here’s some more info via NOAA. Take a look!