Comment from Anthony Austin

Measures for Black Sea Bass have not gone far enough, nor have they been implemented to guarantee the most good for the most people. Considering that the stocks of these fish are completely rebuilt in the Mid-Atlantic and in New England where the fish are caught not only recreationally and with traps but with otter trawls, who is responsible for and accountable for the failure to rebuild the stocks in the South Atlantic? Why was the stock assessment not delayed enough to allow inclusion of the 2011 data? Divers with years of experience in the South Atlantic are seeing more Black Sea Bass than they ever have. Statistics, even without the 2011 data, indicate that rebuilding could continue with a constant f rather than with constant catch; yet the RA demanded a constant catch, reducing the ability of those who depend on this fishery to make a living. The SAFMC had initially voted to make an average annual catch of 3500 pounds the criterion for inclusion in the fishery but changed that figure to 2500 pounds at a subsequent meeting, allowing an additional 10 commercial trappers in the commercial fishery, ensuring that none could have adequate income. The elephant in the room is recreational catch. Increasingly obvious is the necessity for a federal recreational license with enforced mandated catch reporting. The government should be spending its money on enforcement in the South Atlantic rather than on advisory panels peopled by fishermen primarily more concerned with their own self-interest and aggrandizement than with the health of the fish stocks. The council process is broken. States should have quotas based on their historical landings and should administer their own fisheries. Obviously Florida and North Carolina cannot be fairly administered with identical rules. It's time for professional managers to take over the fisheries and for the council system to be junked. Too long has the fox been ruling the hen house. Politics and science don't mix.