i have to agree with larry on this point. if you and your family enjoys a fresh bass for dinner, then keeping a fish or two a week certainly causes no harm. i object to the guy who consistantly fills his freezer year after year, and then gives away freeze r burnt bass as gifts to all his unsuspecting friends. i have no qualms about keeping any size legal bass, since i know we'll eat every bit of it. but, i prefer fish in the 28''-30'' range. must be eaten fresh, and none of it frozen. now the kicker. i also fish commercially. i've fished through the peaks of the 60's and early 70's. the valleys, and ultimate chasms of the early 80's, to the present state of prosperity. the fish are back! they'll be back for some ti me. the predetermined quota is our only assurance against overharvesting. when the quota is filled, wheather it be in august or september, the fishery is closed. besides, recreational fishermen take and consume far more bass than does the commercial fishe ry. in my opinion, the food source needed by the bass is the next pressing issue we must face. since the pogies and squid have disappeareed from the inshore fishery, i believe the bass are spending more time offshore in search of a more a bundant food supply. we must all be more cognisant of our spring herring runs. they are being extremely stressed due to the herring being a prime springrtime bait. as i've stated before, the annual "bourne chamber of commerce derby" puts a huge burden on an already stressed herring run. if the inshore bait situation improves, then i'm convinced we'll all see a marked increase in the amount of large fish we'll all catch.