Do You Fish For Black Sea Bass? NY Anglers face a huge reduction in this healthy fishery.

[george]

TAKE A FEW MINUTES AND SEND YOUR LETTER NOW

While trying to keep this in laymen's terms, The Council and Board recommended a 20.7% reduction from last year. This is in line with recommendations but represents a significant reduction in harvest for a fishery that was reported to be 2.4 times the biomass target in 2018.


- Reducing BSB harvest by 20.7% when the biomass is 2.4 the target is outrageous, and can only increase the public's distrust of and frustration with the management process.

Comment for the scup and sea bass rules is open until Tuesday, May 3rd. Everyone that has the slightest interest in BSB should write an email based on the above points in their own words, or at the very least send the basic comment listed below, before that date. They should also be encouraging everyone they know to submit a comment along these lines. Add or change a few features to personalize your comment. Use the following link for comment:

Regulations.gov

Congressional representatives should also be contacted and urged to pressure the Secretary of Commerce to ease this action. Political pressure on elected officials is the best avenue available to get this changed. Take the time to write to your state senators, and your congressional representatives to urge them to lean on the Secretary of Commerce.

Sample Letter:

I am writing to encourage NMFS to reconsider setting BSB measures for 2022 at status quo. With the biomass at 2.4 times the target, there is no need for any reduction. Such action will only serve to further degrade my confidence in the management process, especially after the drastic change in the MRIP process that has wildly increased recreational harvest estimates, but the biomass remains well over what we are expected to maintain.

 

[MakoMike]

IMHO, it's tilting at windmills. Commercial quota is filled every year and the Recreational harvest limit has been exceeded every year for the last 3-4 years. NMFS is required by law to prevent overfishing and that's exactly what they are doing.

 

[george]

@MakoMike if they are admitting the target Biomass is 2.4 times what the plan calls for it makes no sense to cut.

This is one of the many reasons we get nothing done. We can’t get on the same page.

 

[Roccus7]

@MakoMike if they are admitting the target Biomass is 2.4 times what the plan calls for it makes no sense to cut.

This is one of the many reasons we get nothing done. We can’t get on the same page.

Problem George is that biomass is based on a 4 year old survey, right? If they run the harvest numbers, both rec & com over the 18 - 21 seasons, I'm thinking they're showing a downward trend that is signaling overfishing or they wouldn't be calling for the severe reductions.

People love to quote that 2018 biomass, but what is it now?? The folks who point to 2018 should be showing what the current value is estimated to be. The absence of that estimate is troublesome...

 

[george]

Problem George is that biomass is based on a 4 year old survey, right? If they run the harvest numbers, both rec & com over the 18 - 21 seasons, I'm thinking they're showing a downward trend that is signaling overfishing or they wouldn't be calling for the severe reductions.

People love to quote that 2018 biomass, but what is it now?? The folks who point to 2018 should be showing what the current value is estimated to be. The absence of that estimate is troublesome...

If that were true I think they would show us? As a recreational angler that has fished these waters for 45 years, there is no doubt that there are more Black Sea Bass around than I have ever seen. It's the reason we're over.

Anyone disagree?

 

[hartattack]

ASMFC mandates got all us Atlantic staters .
At their March 2022 meeting, the ASMFC approved the State of New Jersey’s conservation equivalency proposal methodology for the 2022 black sea bass season. Under this proposal, New Jersey is required to reduce harvest by 20.7 percent as required by the ASMFC’s accountability measures since New Jersey has exceeded its harvest allocation 3 out of the last 4 years.

 

[Roccus7]

If that were true I think they would show us? As a recreational angler that has fished these waters for 45 years, there is no doubt that there are more Black Sea Bass around than I have ever seen. It's the reason we're over.

Anyone disagree?

I'm just curious as to what data they are using to justify the "Threat of Overfishing"? Surely they must have shown something. Regrettably, I've spent most of my free time lately on the striped bass draft Amendment 7 issues so I'm not familiar with the BSB and Scup data.

If everyone has been exceeding their allocations for most of the past 4 years in the large numbers presented, there could be a threat of overfishing. Once again, what data are being used to justify the proposed reductions. It can't be the Obi Wan Kenobi "I got a bad feeling about this" Gambit, at least I hope it isn't...

 

[captmike28]

With the Sea Bass stocks growing at the rate, they have been for the last several years and the amount of attention being paid by all fishing sectors there is no doubt that quotas will be exceeded.

Maybe it's time to redefine the term "overfishing"!!!

 

[HP12Sea]

If that were true I think they would show us? As a recreational angler that has fished these waters for 45 years, there is no doubt that there are more Black Sea Bass around than I have ever seen. It's the reason we're over.

Anyone disagree?

For fun, I'll disagree. Short, after short, after short.

I know I suck as a fisherman though so maybe it's me.

 

[BoatGuy]

For fun, I'll disagree. Short, after short, after short.

I know I suck as a fisherman though so maybe it's me.

Just out of curiosity, where do you fish? South shore? Long Island sound?

 

[HP12Sea]

South Shore, offshore, Sandy Hook, Raritan...would kill to fish LIS further out East but a bit too much of a run to get into sound and out that way. :-(

 

[BennyV]

When I was a kid seeing a BSB in the western LIS was equivalent to seeing Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. There was a handful of spots that held fish on the North Shore and out east. Now we catch them consistently on almost every porgy trip. This change occurred about 7-8 years ago.

 

[BoatGuy]

Super Storm Sandy was in Nov 2012.

Coincidence that fluke changed for the worse and we got an influx of BSB? I think not.

 

[MakoMike]

I'm just curious as to what data they are using to justify the "Threat of Overfishing"? Surely they must have shown something. Regrettably, I've spent most of my free time lately on the striped bass draft Amendment 7 issues so I'm not familiar with the BSB and Scup data.

If everyone has been exceeding their allocations for most of the past 4 years in the large numbers presented, there could be a threat of overfishing. Once again, what data are being used to justify the proposed reductions. It can't be the Obi Wan Kenobi "I got a bad feeling about this" Gambit, at least I hope it isn't...

The TAC is determined by the MAFMC's SSC and it must be accepted by the MAFMC per the MSA. NMFS must insure that the TAC is not exceeded, which it was for the last several years and would have been this year had they not enacted the cuts.

This has nothing to do with "overfishing" as that term is normally used. "overfishing" is when the Catch rate "F" exceed the target F in the fishery management plan.

 

[george]

The TAC is determined by the MAFMC's SSC and it must be accepted by the MAFMC per the MSA. NMFS must insure that the TAC is not exceeded, which it was for the last several years and would have been this year had they not enacted the cuts.

This has nothing to do with "overfishing" as that term is normally used. "overfishing" is when the Catch rate "F" exceed the target F in the fishery management plan.

An informative post. Also a prime example of why anglers are turned off by this archaic process.

 

[BoatGuy]

I am not sure if they are turned off or haven't a clue about what MakoMike is discussing.

Go down to any dock where people are fishing and ask them what the MAFMC's SSC (Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Science and statistical committee) is and how it works. Ask them about the MSA (Magnuson-Stevens act). Ask them how the TAC (Total Allowable Catch) is used to establish maximum fishing limits.

I once asked a Captain a question about this. He referred me to a large document (over 150 pages) that I could not understand and never got to the end of. Thank goodness for people smarter than me.

Also, I took the time to write a letter as George recommended. I changed it up significantly, so it would not be recognized as a "chain email". I wonder how much affect it will have.

 

[Bassmaster]

All I am looking for is something to eat. Between the ridiculous gas prices and the fishing regs it’s like these lunatics are trying to put party boats and marinas out of business. I got a freshwater fishing license for that reason. Who can afford 100 a trip for 1 fish or 2 depending on the regs and species. I spent 25 for the year for freshwater fishing I can walk 20 min to Kissena park and enjoy a nice day of fishing for nothing. It’s really sad.

 

[Bassmaster]

I went fishing on miss Montauk last year and I use a hammered gold jig and I probably had 80 to 90 sea bass in 4 hours of fishing had 12 keepers retaining my limit usually I get my limit of bass then switch over to fluke.