Jer, the moratorium on a few larger y.o.y classes of bass were followed well into the spawning size and beyond by manipulating the number and size of fish that could be taken. Once the population stabilized, the size was reduced and quota increased to allow the pressure to be spread over multiple larger year classes. There are/ were other factors involved, but it really comes down to the the size of the year class and its survival (fecundity) and the outside factors such as environmental conditions and harvest levels reduce their numbers until they successfully spawn.