[Strategerist]

Lower catches result in both higher prices and fewer fishing businesses able to sustain themselves. And if they fish most of the fish gone, then most of the businesses will go out of business.

Demand remains the same, and higher prices for the catch motivate fishermen to continue to overfish a declining resource.

Unregulated commercial fisheries have repeatedly destroyed stocks of numerous fish species around the world. It's a "Tragedy of the Commons."

This is NOT a case where a free market takes care of itself.

So explain to me why I've never caught a Sturgeon in Chesapeake or Delaware Bay, despite fishing in both bodies of water all of my life?

[xzins]

Demand remains the same, and higher prices for the catch

You don't charge more AND have demand stay the same. Demand will go down with higher prices.

I don't know enough about sturgeon to even comment on sturgeon and anyplace.