JohnDeep,

How many dive shops in this area still have big fish derbies for lings? I know some still do. I would say that pretty much encourages the harvest of large fish. Any ling over 20 lbs is a female.

Why would you want to eat a 40 year old spawner female anyway? The younger 8lb barely legal fish are much tastier, and have much fewer worms. A biologist showed my partner and I how to tell male from female based on the vent. We now try to only keep smaller males.

Let the big girls live to spawn again please.

I know you can tell the difference between and 8 pounder and a 30, even in 50ft of water. The slot limit should pertain to divers as well as anglers.

Ike