Not sure I want to wade into this right now.
All I can say is that I watched cut after cut to rod and reels in the saltwater. And not one single cut has resulted in anything improving. Why? Cause rod and reels aren’t the problem.
I am not even certain there is a problem to be honest with you. But, when you have a fleet that likes to set on the rocks to target bigger halibut, you tend to catch a few yellow eye in the process. So, cuts to the rods will make a more target rich environment for the “other” guys, who to the best of my knowledge still get 10% bycatch allowance. Something that has been conveniently left out of the news articles I have read. They did away with a directed rockfish fishery that never should have been happening in the first place.
And yes, this effects me in more than one way, and I also have a lot of skin in the game.
I assume personal use in the area includes the use of longlines?
