Stripes

Dan Rodricks ' column "Nobody asked me, but . . . " (Nov. 12) is dead on, at least about the Owings Mills Mall. I agree that the mall doesn't need to be redeveloped and that, as Mr. Rodricks says, "the whole thing was a big mistake" from the start. I remember when the site was zoned as a watershed and wetlands area. But then it was rezoned to permit the mall's construction, and eventually came housing, roads, grocery stores, fast food chains and gas stations. Is it possible that a pro-jobs, pro-business guy like me could agree with a liberal, anti-business, anti-capitalist journalist like Mr. Rodricks?

Two important decisions emerged from the recent meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission that should have a positive impact on the Chesapeake Bay's striped bass (rockfish) industry. The first was a decision not to restrict the harvest of striped bass, the other to significantly curb the Atlantic menhaden catch. How could a decision to leave alone rockfish, a species highly prized by commercial fishermen and recreational anglers alike, while restricting the harvest of the lowly menhaden, an oily little fish that no self-respecting hook-and-line fisherman would use for anything other than bait, be a win for conservationists and the fishing industry?

The interstate panel that oversees fishing along the Eastern Seaboard voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to cut the menhaden catch by up to 37 percent next year in an effort to protect the species and, by extension, striped bass. The 14-3 vote by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission was hailed by environmentalists and criticized by commercial fishermen who make their living catching menhaden for processing into animal feed and dietary supplements and for bait. "This is historic," said Ken Hinman of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation.

— A proposal that could have slashed Maryland's annual striped bass catch by more than 50 percent in 2012 was shelved Tuesday morning by the commission that oversees East Coast fisheries. The 9-6 vote by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's striped bass board will most likely postpone any further discussion of a harvest reduction until 2013, when a new population assessment is due. "I think it was appropriate," said Ed O'Brien, an official with the Maryland Charter Boat Association and the National Association of Charterboat Operators.

After several years of discouraging results, Maryland fisheries officials say the number of juvenile striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay this summer was the fourth highest in the 58-year history of their annual census. The abundance of palm-sized newborns bodes well for those who catch — and those who eat — the official state fish, also known as rockfish. "We had a widespread good spawn in the bay. … In three to four years that will translate into excellent fishing," said Tom O'Connell, director of the Fisheries Service for the Department of Natural Resources.

After tons more striped bass were found to be caught illegally on Maryland's waterways this year — and 60 recreational fishermen were recently contacted by officials of the Department of Natural Resources informing them they could face the prospect of losing their licenses — two open houses have been scheduled for this week so the public and other interested parties can learn of new regulations being considered. Gina Hunt, deputy director of the Fisheries Service for the DNR, said Friday that the open houses are a more relaxed setting "similar to a show at an art gallery" than a public hearing, at which officials take questions and hear comments from interested parties.

Ryne Sandberg has done it again. Cast aside by the Cubs a year ago, he has turned in another highly successful season as a minor league manager. Sandberg guided the Lehigh Valley IronPigsto the Governor's Cup championship series in the International League, completely turning around the culture of a losing situation. One of the minor leagues' worst teams the last three years, the Phillies' Triple-A team won 22 more games in 2011 than '10 and then beat the Pawtucket Red Sox in the first round of the playoffs before the Columbus Clippers eliminated Lehigh Valley Friday night.

Someday, perhaps as early as March, Maryland's striped bass may join the main ingredients of Europe's Filet-O-Fish sandwich on the list of fish known worldwide as abundant, well-managed and caught in environmentally friendly ways. The state has spent more than $131,000 and countless hours of study in a bid for the Marine Stewardship Council's seal of approval, a symbol of sustainability held by about 10 percent of the world's fish species and fish products — including the cod, haddock, hoki and pollock sold by 7,000 McDonald's restaurants in Europe.

During last week's Cal Ripken Major/70 World Series at the Ripken Academy in Aberdeen, a few dozen disabled children were afforded the opportunity to play ball, a chance that might not have been there were it not for the League of Dreams program. Convening on the turf practice field on Saturday afternoon, the local children were treated to a baseball clinic, during which they were instructed on the hitting, fielding and throwing aspects of the game, and were supposed to take part in a scrimmage game, but that was canceled when a heavy rainstorm cut short the proceedings.

Let's say you have a product that people automatically associate with you. Except for one hiccup in the timeline, it's been on the market since before Capt. John Smith rowed a boat around the Chesapeake. And it's so popular that people will do crazy things to get it, like sneak around at night and break the law. There's even a black market supplied by crooks willing to risk going to jail to feed the beast. But instead of treating this treasure like, well, a treasure, you keep it in a filthy hovel.