ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board Initiates Development of Draft Addendum V to Consider Liberalizing Management Measures
In response to complaints raised by Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions regarding economic hardship since the implementation of harvest reductions for the 2015 season, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board has initiated the development of a Draft Addendum to consider liberalizing coastwide commercial and recreational regulations.
Addendum IV, implemented for the 2015 fishing season, required measures to reduce coastal harvest by 25% compared to 2013 levels, and Chesapeake Bay fisheries to reduce harvest by 20.5% compared to 2012 levels. Additionally, an objective of Addendum IV is to protect the 2011 year class.
According to the results of the 2016 stock assessment update, the Atlantic striped bass stock is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring. Furthermore, Addendum IV successfully reduced fishing mortality to a level below the target, and length-frequency data from the catch in 2015 indicates a strong presence of the 2011 year class which is anticipated to join the coastal spawning population this year.
A draft of the addendum will be presented for Board review in May. For more information, please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mappelman@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
No. Its a stupid idea.
No
No keep it like it is so we have fish for the futher I remember when there were no stripes around
Absolutely NO! There has not been a good class of bass for a long time. I caught hundreds of bass last year and all were less than 15 lbs. Not a good sign. We need to practice catch and release not catch and kill.
No do not increase limit and declare them a game fish. No more commercial sale.
Stupid idea. The numbers are crap and their so called science is crap. How is striped bass as a by catch measured? It’s not. It’s discarded for the crabs to pick at and not applied towards any quota.
No , let the 2011 class spawn a few years. Rebuild a stronger base.
No small fish in ny nj area in spring are down at least 70%
And summer fishing is also very weak
Once again the fisheries managers put the end user first rather than the fishery. I would like to know what fishery has been successfully managed by these intellectually challenged individuals.
No. Striper fishing has been great the past few years. Alot of guys, myself included, throw fish back, and are in it more for the sport anyway. One 28+ inch fish is fine, it can feed a family for two days.
No. Do not cave in to the commercial cry’s of poverty. This is about improving the quickly decimated striper population and its survival. I have fished Mass for many years. Either stripers’ have gotten smarter and go some where else during the season or there are a lot less than there were just 6 to 7 yrs ago. Why has there been a change from taking 2 fish daily to 1 daily? Why was there a change in the amount of stripers’ taken commercially if not for the fact that there are less stripers’ now then there were just a few yrs ago? I have fished many rivers, the cape cod canal and estuaries here in Mass only to see huge schools of bait fish not bothered by any predatory fish. Where are they?? Part of the problem is the by-catch from commercial fishing (there was a video on you tube showing thousands of stripers dead thrown from a trawler) and the pollutants in the Chesapeake along with low amounts of rain. Another is the taking of the cows that do the breeding and the taking of small stripers. There needs to be better management in catch and release of the these breeding fish. What really needs to happen is to establish a hatchery like we do for trout here in Massachusetts. Just a thought.
Excellent response. I hope they read it.
When are we all going to learn.
There should be catch and release.
Marko said it perfectly. No.
NO – bad idea. As soon as a fishery begins to recover, comm. fisherman and managers want to pull back the very measures making that recovery possible. These fish are worth more “recreationally” than they are as restaurant food. Case in point, I have been putting off spending
$ 15-20K on a new boat because of uncertainties in how healthy the striper population will be in the next 5 years. Every time I go fishing, I spend money in the local economy for gas, food, launch fees, ice, gear upgrades, etc. When the fishing sucks, I just stay home.
Should make it 36 in again. One fish per day. The last few years fishing not good. People spend a lot of money fishing for stripers if they gone a lot of bait shops and little places will go out of business if people don’t come to fish.
NO NO NO.
I agree. Leave it as it is. NO to a change. Let’s let the fish stay in the water. Let’s no give in to the commercial pressure only to have NO fish around in a few years and have to try this all over again.
How can any reasonable person come to this conclusion that stripers are not overfished?. Up in coastal Maine, the harvest has been plummeting for 10 years in a row. There are very few fish ever caught over 30″. Last year there was a big influx of 2 year olds, but that hardly describes a healthy fishery. Let’s not do this to another species.
I agree keep recreational regs at 1 fish 28″ and discontinue commercial fishing.
Anyone who thinks we should increase the bass allowance is doing it because of self interest… (i.e. money). I know that the charter guys want it raised but anyone who fishes regularly can see that the bass population has plummeted. Personal gain should not be a motivator in raising the take limit, but unfortunately, as in all things, greed IS a factor. I know, i know, it’s a business and they need to keep the customers coming but greed is the reason that global warming is being ignored by politicians and lobbyists. The oceans ARE warming. And we ARE making it worse. I stand with the fishermen who see the big picture. Let’s not them them do this. Let’s be part of the solution!
There should be a slot limit . 20 to 30 inches, 2 fish a day. this would protect the breeding stock and everyone would be happy. Only the smaller fish should be table fare. Commercial fishing would soon threaten the species all over again.
Although the report indicates that the “…striped bass stock is not overfished…”, it is a very low bar that is being measured. Based on the report, the spawning stock biomass (SSB) is being managed to the lowest possibl e threshold of 57,626 mt, rather than the target threshold of 72,032 mt. The measured stock, 58,853 mt, is no where near the target threshold and projecting out, would take years to recover to the target threshold. It is just amazingly short sighted to revisit the reductions which were only just recently implemented in 2015. It appears there is very little spine in the agency meant to properly manage the striped bass stock.
The only way to protect the bass stock is to manage the harvesting. It’s as simple as that. I get that the regulations set in 2015 may have hit the commercial guys hard but these regs are also put into place to protect their lively hood as well. As a surfcaster, I don’t keep bass…it’s important for me to know that the cows I catch will have an opportunity to reproduce in the future.
RHT where can I find a copy of the ” report” and it’s title? I agree that the economic hardship card is always played. Who cares if we wipe out the species that has enough pressure already; reduced spawning grounds, illegal poaching in the Chesapeake, failure to accurately count for the poaching, gill netters in New York placing nets right against the shore, impact of mycobateriosis, evidence of lots of thin 28 and 29 inch fish. We do not need additional quota for recreational fishing. Charter head boats slaughter quality breeding females every day in season at least NY reduced the carnage to 1 per person per trip. Most dedicated surfcasters I know do not keep any bass and practice careful catch and release.
The report can be found at website page – http://www.asmfc.org/species/atlantic-striped-bass, near the bottom of the page look for Stock Assessment Reports where you will see the Oct 2016 Stock Assessment Update.
The only way to protect the bass stock is to manage the harvesting. It’s as simple as that. I get that the regulations set in 2015 may have hit the commercial guys hard but these regs are also put into place to protect their lively hood as well. As a surfcaster, I don’t keep bass…it’s important for me to know that the cows I catch will have an opportunity to reproduce in the future.
Stupid idea. Leave it as it is. Between the millions of people fishing and the stupid poachers they are overfished. Leave it at 1 and let the fishery flourish. In a few years the fishery will be even better
You’re absolutely right
No, bad idea.
Recreational fisherman can practice catch and release. If you need to fish to eat then porgy clams eels and blues are more plentiful and a much more cost effective catch if economics is the issue.
If recreational industry can’t sustain itself while at the same time sustaining the fisheries driving their industry than this wouldn’t really help in the long run. If the fishery collapses what happens to the industry? If the industry collapses what happens to the fishery?
As for commercial fisherman, allowances should be made for bicatch, but targeting bass worries me. There Is a rich diversity of finish in north atlantic waters. if you give people variety, variety sells. I know this personally as I have been a fish monger of 15 years.
I agree with Chris above…don’t increase the striped bass catch limits…..allow for the mandatory harvesting and sale of the bicatch….it’s a joke that this would go to waste. If anything, decrease the commercial bass catch and set smarter slot limits for them for recreational anglers…ie, 1 fish between 24-28 inches (the tastiest ones) and 1 fish between 28″-42″ to allow for the largest and healthiest breeders to live and to replenish the stock. There has been a very large commercial catch of egg laden striped bass in the Cape Cod fishery in recent years and this is troubling..this is out future!
No to increases in commercial fishing. Slot limits from 1 at 28-32″…no larger fish and no captain or crew fish on charters. Open fishing season later for keeping a fish to support fish spawning. Ridiculous that in NY, for example, you can keep the spawners on Hudson carrying millions of eggs in April and May. Common sense. If florida can manage their huge fishery, so can we if we try.
No no no
I believe that the regulations should be more strictly to the commercial fishermen why are they allowed to keep and sell stripe bass that are smaller than the limit let implement the rules to all not just some, they also are allowed to keep more than the limit.
I am a commercial striped bass fisherman it’s 15 fish that you can take 34in long buddy
There not to be takeing fish that are under 34in or they go to jail
These guys are out of their minds. So much of the breeder stock is killed off illegally yearly. Out of touch.
Increase the catch and in 5 years we will have another moratorium on the catch.
Also I think we could better regulate the recreational take on bass as well…
Commercial fisherman are regulated by tags that are placed on the bottom jaw of the bass. They can’t be replaced once removed, at least without it being evident they have need tampered with.
If instead of a daily catch limit we used a tagging system there could be a bit more flexibility to what a fisherman could bring home. At the beginning of the season each registered fisherman is issued a set amount of tags, this is the maximum take for that year. Tags can be size specific as well, allot so many for 28-42 size, only a few for larger fish, etc.
Fisherman would be able to use more than one tag a day if the fishing is really on, or the season is nearly over.
This could help curb the disgusting process of throwing back the smaller dead fish a fisherman was going to keep until they caught the larger one.
I really agree with Chris. Tags sound like the way to go. Striper is my favorite fish to eat. If I eat 3 a year I’ve had a good year.
No.
No don’t increase the catch. It’s stupid and short sighted especially considering the significant economic boom that will come with a stable fishery if they hold the current regs. Furthermore the forthcoming destruction of the EPA will hurt the spawning abilities within a few years. Or fishery needs to survive the Trump adminstration.
Tell them to find alternate employment. I’m from CT, and allowing a larger quota south affects our population here. Do NOT increase the quota.
Absolutely not. Terrible idea. Can’t even believe they are suggesting this.
I’m confused. For the last few years, striper fishing has seemed to be difficult has it not? From South Jersey to Maine, I see different reports than from just a few short years ago. I commented on a past article about the difference a day made in the number of boats fishing for bass up Cape Cod. Noncommercial day….no boats. Commercial day…hundreds. I also knew fisherman from Provincetown to Hyannis were coming to fish the same area off Chatham. When I first started striper fishing there was a 1 fish 36″ limit. Striper numbers went through the roof and fishing was good. Then as I got older and travelling from South Jersey to Maine, I have experienced poor striper fishing. In South Jersey to Maryland, I see stripers for sale in a fish markets that don’t exceed 20″ for less than $5 a pound, up the Cape I see striped bass filets over $20 a pound and few to catch from the surf. I wish I had more knowledge about this, but I am just stating the obvious. Most of all, I have a friend who is a commercial fisherman up the Cape. He still drives hours weekly to fish commercially. So there is still money in it. BUT, he backs it up with another livelihood. Times are changing and maybe we need to also. I can’t see the recreational guy taking a hit like in our cod fishery. I think commercial fishing is a way of life that can’t be denied either but maybe managed and/or supplemented. Tight Lines!
If you see Stripedbass for sale in South Jersey its Farm Raised
I thought that exact same thing until a couple of years ago I saw clearly larger striped bass filets on sale in a large supermarket chain. I took pics and sent to fish and game who said, “They cannot sell what was caught in our state, what you are seeing are SB caught from somewhere else”. I replied that this makes no sense in the spirit of the law, and received no additional response.
Laziness, politics, and apathy are our biggest enemy…and the fact that the ASMFC is a group of shills for the commercial industry doesn’t help. That is FACT, not opinion. Anyone who has been striped bass fishing as long as I have has seen the crash, the rebuild, and the FACT that the fishing and stock levels are not what they were even 5 years ago. How they can suggest this after only a season is ludicrous
Agreed. We were all deeply concerned about the stock only two years ago. Let’s just let this species rebound for more than 24 months.
The industry can’t have it both ways. If the bass quota is raised, there should be a significant decrease in the menhaden quota. Either increase the prey biomass or leave the bass quota alone. All bass fishing should be more restricted on the Susquehanna flats in particular and the upper Chesapeake in general during the pre-spawn, spawn, and immediate post spawn periods. If the industry wants more fish, improve spawning and forage conditions first. Lets get that 24-28″ slot limit. The big ones are cancer bombs anyway.
Do not increase limits. There have been huge declines and spikes of populations recorded since the 1800’s. Human factors such as polluted spawning grounds, fishing pressure and availability of food and nutrients account (depleted by pollution and over fishing other species) for most of these highs and lows. It takes years to recover each time there is a dip on populations. Fish spawned this year won’t reach spawning age for up to 6 years.
Reducing the number of viable spawning aged fish by over fishing has clear and long lasting effects on population all on it’s own. Throw in other factors and it could be devastating.
The Striped Bass is a sport fish and thus accounts for a huge amount of revenue for businesses and agencies in the states where anglers flock to each year to catch them. Why would anyone support an addendum that would ultimately reduce that revenue just to increase the commercial and recreational take?
Ever been on a Striper fishing party boat? Everyone takes home their limit and it’s sickening to watch and most of that fish goes uneaten. Increasing limits is a very bad idea.
No, it should not be changed. The MD Charter Boat & MD Watermen’s Associations argued about the economic hardships, due to the change in the Chesapeake Bay, from 18″ to 20″. They stated that it to catch a “keeper”, they would catch 20-30 fish before they would catch a 20″ , with a mortality rate, I believe of 9%. They also stated that this was hard for charterboats and recreational anglers. First, The MD Charter Boat Association, does not represent the recreational angler’s interests, at all. Second, addressing the economic hardship, since Maryland implemented a limited entry program for commercial fishing licenses in the late 1980’s, which includes a Fishing Guide License, the Maryland Charter Boat Association lobbied hard to keep it that way, they did not want any competition, as a result, with the changing economy, and changing customer demographics, Maryland has created an unsustainable charter boat fleet, large boats 40-50 that cost $250K on average, and operators who bought an unlimited commercial Tidal Fish License, from another holder for on average $15K. The fact is most people do not want to pay $600 to $800 for a fishing trip to catch a striped bass. As for me, I had to wait 18 years to get a Resident Fishing Guide License, a $100 license, without buying one from another holder.
Clarification: 40 to 50 ft size boats, not the number of charter boats.
Not a good idea. Wiping out any gains in recovering fishery to satisfy short term commercial pressure is what got us in this mess to start with.
I wonder if any striper will ever die of old age. Fishery “managers” would cry a river.
No. Not yet. The stocks are only beginning to recoup. Rethink it in 2019.
No, leave it as is so we can enjoy the upcoming years with bigger and better stock. Hire more ep0’s and get the poachers
As a charter captain I have seen a steady decline in striper catches. It’s hard to book charters for one fish per person, with that limit here in Ma., but the liberalizing the striper catch is not the answer. One good class year does not make up for the six bad previous ones. The commercial guys are crying as always they need more fish, but what about the charter boats. We are not considered commercial. we are recreational and yes we would like more fish too, but not at the expense of the striped bass. I would like to do away with the commercial end of it. I gave up my commercial license years ago for charter fishing. To me it’s more conservative to do two trips a day at 6 people per trip for a daily total of 24 fish, verses one person taking up to 40 fish a night, commercial fishing. And who can afford striper at $12 a pound in the store anyway?
No, leave it as it is. From my Maine fishing grounds I can tell you the fishery has a long way to go before it returns to what we once thought was ‘normal’ fishing. In Maine, the northern edge of the Striped Bass migration, we were the first to see the drop in the number and size distribution of fish. At public hearings going back several years there was a big push to lower the overall quota. It took several years for the ASMFC to finally see the light. It would be plain dumb and shortsighted to reverse these changes.
Awesome!! I love 2 sell stripers……The more I sell the happier I am……..I can see my banker smiling as I type this! Work hard! and enjoy the american dream!
NO! Keep them the Same for now! it will not stop over harvest and Poaching in the area
The report states that “the Atlantic striped bass is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring”. The reason these rules were implemented was DUE to overfishing and reduction in stock. We have an opportunity here to better the stock for ALL by NOT loosening the rules. If they do, we will be back to square one again in a few short years. Wrong more. AND go after the poachers.
No. Leave as is.
What nonsense – There should be NO INCREASE in the Striper harvest. Conserve and preserve. Lining someones pockets should not even be part of the equation.
What we need to do is get Canada to make stricter bass laws, they consider them invasive. And their is no limit size or quantity, it’s sickening.
No!
Please don’t try to micromanage the Bass population. Let the 2011 class mature and spawn a few times.
I agree, leave it alone for at least another 2 yrs then revise if necessary. I know there’s a lot of restrictions on the commercial guys but tags on fish doesn’t really solve the limit size.
Caught my quota but now have to many so let’s just dump them overboard. ( Absolutely sickening ) Witnessed this 1st hand 2yrs ago. I’m limited to 1 because I’m a recreational fisherman who 9/10 times lets my fish swim another day. Punish the rec fishermen because the commercial guys need more $$$. Leave it alone, what’s the worst that will happen?? “OH NO” more stripers are swimming in our coastal waters….hey look we did something right for our oceans…finally
I’m so FT hearing ” not over fished and over fishing is not occurring” that I want to puke.
It is and has been and the ASMFC need to grow a pair of balls and shut the Comms and charters up.
NO!
Leave it as is!
I witnessed that huge fish kill about 7 years ago on the Outer Banks. They predicted a million fish a day back then, were being killed, and just left floating to rot. All pre- spawn. I think that commercial industry down there is the number one offender. I am fine with the one fish regs. I pretty much release everything anyway. But I think a 28″ fish is small. I would like them to take it to 32″ or 36″. And leave it there for good
Seems to me that the harvest over past two years has declined, at least that is my observation based on many days fishing ( I am retired) from one end of New Jersey to the other. I fish both Surf, Boat and Back Bay. My observation is based not only on personal catch, but on the overall catch of my fellow anglers. Just can’t be that we I fished on all the wrong days! Yes, there have been some good days, but the consistency is declining once again. The Fishery needs to be protected and a number of commenters to this article apparently agree.
Bad idea. The fishery is far from thriving. Last year was the worst year in the last decade. Not sure how increasing the harvest will help that.
are you kidding me they are gonna wipe out the entire population by doing this and we are already headed toward a stock crisis. These idiots haven’t learned and they have been forewarned by the top fisherman and people in the industry this will happen. The right policy going forward for the next 10 yrs at least is 100% catch and release to rebuild the striper stock along the east coast.
I say “NO” to those Commercial guys who just want more money in their pocket and don’t care about the future of our once great striper fishery.
Looking at the Maryland Juvenile Striped Bass Spawn chart, 2011 was a very good year for baby stripers. I suppose they are considering that in wanting to raise the limit? 2012 though was really really bad.2013-14-15 got sequentially better, but 2016 was not good, but better than 2012. So even though 2011 was very good, 2012 was terrible. Probably should not raise the limit now based on one year (2011) of strong spawning, when the class of 2012 was awful. Better to possibly raise the limit in 2 years, when the broods of 2013-14-15 get sequentially bigger. Personally. I like the 2 fish limit. I live 60 miles from the ocean and its quite an investment for me to got to the fishing spots. One fish seems hardly worth it but 2 fish its decent for the effort and outlay in money. So with 1 fish, I don’t go striper fishing, no one gets my money. You are all probably applauding that. That’s OK. I eat everything I catch. Nothing goes to waste when I get fish. I use the bones, head and tail to make fish stock for fish chowder. As for the commercial catch, the amount of fish legally kept was just cut in half for the commercial anglers. 50% reduction already. So the recreational and commercial catch has been cut by 50%. It would be interesting to see some figures on the catch numbers now that the catch rate has been reduced by 50% in Mass. Any impact – Yes? No? Perhaps this has made a positive impact on the stripers population? I would like to see some data on the yearly catch rate. Maybe OTW could do an article on that? Then we would have some data besides antidotal data. So if we are suffering a 50% reduction here in Mass, I think it is only fair that they take a 50% reduction rate in Maryland. In Maryland you whine about business hurting. Take a lesson from the cod fishermen. Commercial cod fishermen kept whining about catch reduction for years – then the stock collapsed so bad that the Gulf of Maine is closed to cod fishing now. You can have 1 cod, used to be 10, recreational. That’s a 90% catch reduction. If I were a commercial striper fisherman in Maryland, I wouldn’t complain about a 11% reduction, or even a 50% reduction. Try a 90% reduction. Then you’ll have something to whine about.
“Leave Those Fish Alone”
It just goes to show you how the Fisheries are run by stupid people. The ASMFC must have flunk kindergarten because they have no common sense. The commercial sector must be bribing them. There was data that was recently printed on how bad this years spawning class is. Now the people that slaughter these are complaining they are falling on hard times. Does anyone remember acouple of years ago the video showing the commercial boat off Carolina dumping the 30 pound stripers that were floating dead in order to keep large fish and they said that this was not against the law. Who do you think accounted for these dead fish? No one. At a meeting with the DEEP in Connecticut, we were told that for every 10 fish released by a recreational angler 2 will not survive. For every 10 fish released by a commercial fishing boat, 8 will not survive. Who is doing the most damage? Tell the commercial guys and gals that they brought this on themselves. And one of my favorite lines from Caddy Shack, tell them that “the world needs ditch diggers too.” And also if you attend any of the fishing shows this year and ASMFC or NOAA are there, let them know what kind of idiots they are!!!!
I fish NJ and have not seen one great day like regularly would happen prior to Sandy, the run may be good but only for a few short days and then just a pick here and there. Lets leave this fishery get caught up and rebound.
Liberalizing would be an awful thing to do. There are so many hacks out there that already that would see this as an opportunity to plunder. In my opinion they should raise the limit to 32 inches and focus more on preservation still instead of appeasing the complainers. These fish need to be protected and respected. More environmental police presence I feel is a must everywhere as well.
No! All I know is Boston area spots that used to consistently be money in the bank just do not produce fish like they used to. That’s been the trend for the past 6 or so years. I strictly fish catch and release hoping the stripers will return. It’s a relative ghost town out there now.
Pretty sure 95% of the people here are on the same page, sad news is that posting on this website alone isn’t going to be enough to change anyone’s mind…commercial fishing has a stronger lobby than anyone supporting recreational fishing. If you really want to help, don’t just post here; if know state & local reps then talk to them & if you don’t, then write to them. Even when these decisions have open forums for the public, a phone call from the right rep to the the fisheries board can do more. Who knows, maybe 1 of the thousand people posting here knows a rep through a degree of separation and he/she is owed a favor by someone on the right board. Logical arguments won’t work here unfortunately, facing off against a well supported lobby, need to play the game (agree with the thoughts on slotting for rec anglers too).
The ASMFC got it wrong. The stocks are far too low. Cut back on the commercial harvest and keep a slot for recreational. This fishery is nowhere near what it should be.
Do not change the regulations to allow more slaughter of this prized fish. Continue to protect them from those whose only motivation is profit, not conservation as it should be.
All,
You have to write to contact provided in the article. He has to hear from the public, not lobbyists and government representatives whose pockets are lined with commercial $’s. “…please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mappelman@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740…” Call him! Write him! Our voices need to be louder, or this measure will be put into effect.
LET THE COMMERCIAL GUYS MEASURE THEIR CATCH AND THROW BACK THE UNDERSIZED BASS. THEY DO IT IN ALASKA FOR KING CRAB THIS SHOULD BE NO DIFFERENT. SAME GOES FOR THE FLUKE!
Hey Shotgun. By the time they do that they are throwing dead fish back. Do you remember the boat off North Carolina with the 30 pound bass floating behind it. Do some research crab fisherman.
There is way to much pressure on these poor fish now and taking more fish will just make it a lot worse. It will end up like the early eighties when it was down to nothing and do you remember how it came back, YOU TOOK LESS FISH. There shouldn’t be any commercial fishing at all it should be sport fishing only.
I agree with you Steve 100%. The 80’s was terrible and if I remember many on the commercial side went bankrupt.
I agree with every body on this issue, keep the limits and let the fish continue to rebound. That said I haven’t heard much about North Carolina’s commercial fishery lately, are they still killing fish by drowning them in nets? Only taking big fish to fill their catch. Now that’s some thing that should really be looked at and stopped.
NO. They’re out of touch with the fishery. This is F-ing madness. It will exploit the resource for the few at a severe cost to majority. Make them game fish…
NE and Mid-Atlantic management is insane.
NO way, to many large fish are still being killed. We need several more years of restricted limits for the Bass to recover.
HELL NO! They’ve ruined the cod fishing now they want to ruin the striper fishing too!!!!!
This is typically shortsighted. There has not been a recovery. Maybe the biomass has stabilized but that should just indicate that if given enough time a true recovery will occur. We had a good spawning year recently and last fall saw large bodies of schoolie bass. – Keep up the commercial limits and protect the young fish so they can become productive breeders. Create recreational/charter slot limits that will protect the older super breeders. If you’re on your own boat practice catch and release.
I say NO NO NO. Best thing that could happen is Striped Bass becomes a game fish.
Yes but not accross the board. The small migratory fish that showed this year in the millions are not getting the food they need. First year fish in NE have never been this small and that points to overpopulation. If this continues they will not be a healthy year class and vulnerable to many problems. Many years ago (late 50s and 60s) the size limit was 16″ and it was very rare when we would catch a fish under 16″. This year there were millions. In October I waqs out doing marsh surveys with Woods Hole Marine Biological Lab, And while they were on shore getting samples I was casting a small spoon on freshwater gear and caught over 50 fish on over 50 casts. If a fish threw the hook another would grab it before it got to the boat. And most everyone was under 16 inches. And this was in October after they’ve been here all season. There are those that say these are locally hatched fish. Bull…..If bass spawned up here in the NE except for the Hudson it would be no secret, Where are the male fish that would be necessary? Why is there no fry ever seen? Where are the “rock fights” that occurr at night that keep people awake at night on the eastern shore ? There is more bullshit flooding the net to do with stripers than politics !
If commercial fisherman were fisherman who did this for a living as in there job i would have no issues. But the people i see on the cape are basically recreational fisherman who want to make some $$.
great cod, fluke, now striper. WTF is wrong with policy makers? I understand people have to make money, but at what cost? then itll be winter flounder soon.. watch. were are the post about what MA striped bass association is doing? what about what OTW is doing? why isnt this all over the news?
Maryland fishers need to be reminded that the Bay is not their private pool and expand their concern beyond themselves!
No no no no no no no, wery stupid idea! Leave it as it is.
The bass do spawn in New England especially pines River Merrimack and mystic River. Keep the bass protected there are alot shorts taken by unlicensed and ignorant people.
I forgot to say NO!
NO! We know from the reports that striped bass, especially the breeders are in decline and that managers wait until there is a crisis before acting. At a sports show one of the managers told me they don’t want to upset anyone, so they wait until the decision become obvious.
No. The tip off was “in response to economic hardship”. Anyone can make data tell any story you want it to. If no economic hardship, then no one knew the stock was healthy and no one would have ever “studied” the situation? Come on. Seen it all before with the other species. Not saying economic hardship doesn’t exist, but when talking about the fish stocks, everyone who fishes know that the stocks are not great or at least not consistently great from year to year. The health of the fish long term should be the primary consideration.
no, to many large fish are still being killed.
hell no. we are talking about securing the future of bass fishing. no brainer!
Do the politicians making this policy have any idea what they are doing. Why is it so difficult to leave things alone, they should be reducing the catch limit. Do they realize the fish have a higher economic value alive.
There are so many comments of people disliking this idea. We should write letters and let them know what the community thinks about this.
forget an increase, how about no quota period!!! declare striped bass a game fish – no commercial harvest. only way to protect the species for the general population which is largely recreational fisherman and much more important to the economy overall. commercial fisherman directly as well as bycatch are destroying the fishery. As far as I’m concerned, there should be stricter recreational limits / seasons/ slots etc.
In my opinion the biggest threat to the SB is the commercial dragger. The draggers should be prohibited from dragging in migration areas. The discard of dead wasted bass from draggers is beyond what any of you rec fisherman would believe. Anyone who tuna fishes has seen it. Also, if u prohibited pogie and herring fishing from inshore areas you would see a big spike in the SB. They need to eat.
the only problem in the world is human beings
I’m a recreational surf caster. When I catch a striper I take a picture and back it goes. I’d just like to be able to take more pictures. Good fishing to you all.
No changes! Leave current laws
No…period.
No changes needed. No need to freezer burn more fish. Keep the fishery strong.
Absolutely NO!
No, Do not change anything.
No, no way can that happen!
No, I always believed that years ending in 5 and 0 should be catch and release only.
i just read all these replys and no one has even mentioned the 30 thousand seals that have made cape cod their new home, they are eating stripers all day long, in any given year the bass that are hatched , half are males with a life expectancy of 8 years, that is if nothing eats them first, these fish have disapeared for 30 years at a time with out the help comm or rec fisherman helping in the decline, read some of frank woolner and hal lyman books, these fish need game fish status with a slot limit like red drum have to protect them. boys they need our help in the worst way, if we let them disappear they are gonna be gone for a long time. our voices need to be heard
No changes are necessary for the commercial fisherman who nets these fish. As for the sportsmen who value these fish, allowing a small increase in bag limits, especially on the Hudson River in New York, will bring many fisherman back to the river that they gave up due to restrictions. Let common sense prevail.
No…if the commercial side can’t not maintain a plentiful living…time for a career change. Short term appeasement can only lead to a long term depletion.
Where is the sign-up to eliminate the very thought of this nonsense…starting with the reassessment level adjustment is like adding pepples to a half full gas tank to adjust the fuel gage level to full all the while you ran out of gas. Come on and get a grip! [This stinks right out of the wrapper].
no and put a slot limit let the big cows breed
NO I think the length limit should be at least 32 in all states ,commercial fishing for stripers should be banned ,better laws are needed to protect forage species like menhaden ,squid and herring.
most, if not all commercial striped bass licenses sold are being used to subsidize an already exsisting income. i personally know several license holders and the money gained from stripers is used to procure new boat electronics and other toys. in addition , the taking of that many females which produce well over 850k eggs yearly makes no sense. There where seasons when i took beginner fisherman on outtings and they would easily catch 20-30 schoolies per outting, what a great way to introduce new comers to our passion. i havent seen those days in years. Give the fish a break , let them grow and breed. I dont believe the fish stocks were meant to profit from, to feed a family yes , but not to subsidize restaurants so they can line there pockets while decimating the stocks. Smarten up managers!! I say NO
It should become more stringent, not less so!
NO-!!!!!
FYI. In MD Charter boats are not considered commercial. I see no real harm in allowing them to change their (MD rec) regs accommodate the charter guys a little during the summer months. Those 19″ fish are not from the 2011 class fish. 2011 fish have started migrating and are now in the SSB. From what I understand from the ASMFC meeting those fish have already left the Bay. Also I’d like to see every state’s offshore quota be 1 per person including MD as those fish ARE the SSB stock.
Be sure to share your comments with Max Appelman, the Fishery Management Plan Coordinator (mappelman@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740). He will provide them to the board at the next meeting.
No on the increase. My guess this is being pushed by the commercial end.
Are you kidding me this is a terrible idea- make stripers a gamefish before its too late
NO We should leave it alone not enough big fish —- one a day is good enough
I just went thru the article what word do you not Understand no no no
As an avid striper fisherman I always find it ironic that each an every year this same subject is talked about with such intensity but nothing changes! What if we had a system in place that allowed year class fish to go unrestrained and become the breading fish stock we all strive to see?
Food for thought? 1) Closed spawning season. 2) Circle hooks only. 3) A 3 year rotation by size limit that starts with the 1st year at the larger size fish say 34 to 38″. The 2nd year size 29-33″ 3rd year 24-28″ 4th yr rotates back to 1st yr size, 5th yr 2nd yr size, and 6th yr 3rd yr size. The yr prior moves ahead 2 yrs unrestrained to grow to breading fish before the 3rd year rotation. That means for TWO years fish get to move forward in size without being retained. Mandatory circle hooks to decrease mortality rate, Gut hooked fish supersedes daily size/bag limit in catch. 2 trophy tags a year for fish over 40 “. By having a rotation based on a specific size each year the science becomes more manageable for that year and the 3 yr rotation. Just think if we could catch our stripers and know that in two years, prior year fish will become next years trophy!!! Just food for thought.
No, really bad idea! Leave it as it is. We should go for the most conservative target in favor of maximizing the biomass, to leave wiggle room to protect the stock against unforeseen disasters . Have we learn nothing from the collapse of the Cod stock? I don’t believe these biologists and regulators are morons so it must be short sighted political/lobbyist pressure. We’re suppose to be the stewards of the earth. Grow a pair for the sake of future generations.
NO!!!!! Personally I hate to take away someone’s way of paying bills but I think commercial Striped Bass fishing needs to end. I also think recreational limits should be set at 1 fish over 36″. I caught over 200 Bass last year and only 4 were over 36″. Granted I mainly fish artificial’s and most fish were in the 24 to 28″ range still I used to average 5 to 10 fish over 40″ which I haven’t accomplished in quite awhile. Too many 28″ fish end up in the bottom fish boxes at a rate where they aren’t allowed to grow. I see local chapter boats stack um up every time I fish. That along with commercial fishery is hurting stocks. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT !
YES… Let’s make fishing great AGAIN. These tree hugging liberals don’t know how to fish. I’ve caught and killed many 50lbs bass on a yearly basis. There’s plenty of fish out there!
Terrible idea! When are we going to learn already. 2016 was one of my worst years.
I suggest going on record and emailing Max Appelman your concerns. I know I am.
ABSOLUTELY NOT. The fish are being “overfished” and the harvest should be reduced. The definition of “overfished” is outdated and should be changed to reflect the fact that the biomass and spawning stock IS shrinking. The profitability of fishing for a species should have ABSOLUTELY no bearing on weather or not a species is being over fished. The same arguement should hold true to the Atlantic Menhaden.
I strongly feel that the size limit should be increased so we do not decimate the Class of 2011 as they grow to be the breeders of the future. PLEASE DO NOT INCREASE THE HARVEST of the Striped Bass.
Absolutely not, if anything they should make the limits stricter, make it a slot from 28-35 inches and leave the cows alone and let them spawn
I’ve fished these waters since the 80s as a kid. I remember the first time I caught a striped bass. I was an adult. This idea needs to die a quick death. Keep the limits as they are, please.
NO!! Horrible idea. Push for more catch and release and impose slot limits. The big girls need to be let go, not harvested. No no no no no!!!!!! It will ruin an already compromised fishery.
Reduce to gradually eliminate the commercial harvesting of striped bass. Striped bass numbers are low and the species needs less pressure at this time. Maintain recreational regulations that are consistent from state to state. Circle hooks…..single hook live bait and artificial lure set-ups are another step that would help. Take steps to reduce mortality.