Interesting fisheries experiment from the Mass. Govt.

[jsquare]

First saw this on Tidalfish a couple of days ago. Can't remember the name of the gent who posted it, but I thought it was worth sharing here as well.

Some interesting and possibly unsettling developments happening up there in Massachusetts:

http://articles.boston.com/2012-03-0...dustry-anglers

So, how much is your license worth?

[Southerly]

maybe they just want to know how much they could charge?

[HJS]

I see nothing good in this initiative. All I see is a giant red flag popping up. Somebody in MA, as they say, is up to sumpthin.

[chex]

How very odd...

Got a chuckle out of this: "Volunteers are not accepted - earlier this week, a woman tried to exchange her husband’s permit for money."

Haha, he woulda been pissed!!

[DOGFISH]

How strange. They can keep their check and put where the Sun don't shine.

[Yak Fish]

I told my wife about this article and said that no way would $500 be enough for me not to fish for the year. I said my number is no less than $10K to which my wife forced me to take $9K if offered.

[jffoley]

Our federal tax dollars at work?!? This is bogus!

"...officials say the purpose is not to actually reduce fishing. Instead, they say, the survey is intended to measure the worth of recreational saltwater fishing..."

Why?

"...results could be used in variety of ways, officials say, such as to calculate the potential loss to anglers if an oil spill or other environmental disaster halted recreational ocean fishing."

Calculate the loss to anglers? Really? To me, it's priceless. I can understand the commercial boat buyback program due to unsustainable fish stocks but I don't get this at all.

[mcveyr]

My thoughts about this crazy story!

In the article; Dan Arieli, a Duke University professor of behavioral economics and author of the book “Predictably Irrational, was quoted as saying:
“I think it will be a really expensive intervention if you want to take fishing away from them,’’ Arieli said. “You will have to pry it from their cold hands.’’
What I would clarify in that statement is similar to the ideal that if the government tries to take either my favorite hunting rifle or fishing pole from me, then they will need to pull if from my cold stiff hands because I will fight to the end for my right to hunt & fish in our great country to the bitter end of my life.

[mmanolis2001]

They are gauging how much they can raise the fishing licence fees. If they offer $500 dollars to not fish and 99% of the people decline then raising the licence fees 200% over a couple years is a sure win.

[jkrahl]

sounds like the good old government is up to something fishy....