Stripers Forever Call for 10 Year Moratorium on Striped Bass Harvest.

[Roccus7]

Angling group calls for 10-year ban on harvesting striped bass​

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Published March 07. 2021 9:12PM | Updated March 08. 2021 6:07AM

By Joe Wojtas Day staff writer​

[email protected]

An angling conservation organization is calling for 10-year moratorium on harvesting striped bass in an effort to help rebuild the depleted stock of the popular fish.

The call by Stripers Forever comes as the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission seeks to amend its Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Striped Bass for an area stretching from Maine to North Carolina.

According to the ASMFC, its 2018 Benchmark Stock Assessement indicates that the Atlantic striped bass stock is overfished and overfishing is occurring. In 2019, 87% of the estimated 5.4 million striped bass that were caught were landed by recreational anglers. Commercial catches are regulated on a coastwide quoata system. ASMFC is now seeking public comment through April 9 on regulating the striped bass fishery. Comments can be emailed to [email protected].

After receiving public conment, ASMFC's timetable calls for it to develop a draft amendment which it will send out for public comment from November 2021 to January 2022. It is then scheduled to approve the amendment in February 2022.
In its public information document on the plan, ASMFC states that now if the opportunity for people to inform the commission about "changes observed in the fishery, actions you feel should or should not be taken in terms of management, regulation, enforcement, and research, and any other concerns you have about the resource or the fishery, as well as the reasons for your concerns."

It further states that the last time an amendment was adopted was in 2003.

"Since then the status and understanding of the striped bass stock and fishery has changed considerably which raises concern that the current management program no longer reflects current fishery needs and priorities," it stated.
In calling for the moratorum on both the recreational and commercial harvesting of the popular fish, Stripers Forever said the current management plan which was implemented 18 years ago "has utterly failed in its objective to rebuild striped bass stocks."

"Now the ASMFC is preparing to embark on yet another ten-year plan of compromise and half-measures and stripers may not survive," said Mike Spinney, a member of the group's board of directors. "Bold, decisive action is needed to prevent a collapse of the fishery like we saw in the late 1970s. An emergency moratorium was adopted in 1984 and is the only approach proven to work. We are calling on recreational anglers, conservationists, and anyone who depends on a healthy coastal ecosystem for their economic well-being to stand with us and demand that a moratorium be adopted now."

Stripers Forever has also made a list of other recommendations including no targeting of the fish in its traditional spawning areas, stronger punishments for poaching, limiting treble hooks to one per artificial lure and requiring barbs on artificial lures be flattened when used for striped bass.


Here's the actual Stripers Forever Proposal...

Stripers Forever remains committed to fighting for Striped Bass designation as a game fish, protected from commercial harvest. That is beyond the ASMFC’s charter, and so the following recommendations reflect what we believe to be steps that are both reasonable and aggressive, carving the surest path to rebuilding healthy, abundant Striped Bass stocks, based on the goals of the ASMFC as stated in the PID for adoption of Amendment 7.

• Moratorium (coast and bay, no recreational or commercial harvest) of 10 years’ duration to ensure the success of the ASMFC’s 10-year stock rebuilding plan.
• No targeting Striped Bass in traditional spawning areas, as determined by local authorities.
• Issue a $25 Striped Bass stamp to fund and support collection of timely, high-confidence MRIP data.
• Ban the commercial gillnet fishery (Coast and Bay); adopt hook-and-line fishing only where commercial harvest persists.
• Include a metric to account for commercial release discard mortality (including bycatch and poaching) to ensure accurate commercial impact and accountability.
• Stronger punishments for poaching (counting black market catch against commercial quota, lifetime ban from all commercial and recreational fisheries for multiple or egregious offenders, gear forfeiture, larger fines, etc.).
• Limit treble hooks to one per artificial lure.
• Require barbs on artificial lures be flattened when used for striped bass.

 

[george]

I'm not sure if Brad Burns is still with them, as he is a great guy. But this is over the top. Some I agree with while some I totally oppose.

• Moratorium (coast and bay, no recreational or commercial harvest) of 10 years’ duration to ensure the success of the ASMFC’s 10-year stock rebuilding plan.

It's statements like this that make it hard for anything to get done. The first question is how do they know that the fishery will "ensure success" in then years? Does anyone think that there is much support for something this radical? I know I'm not about to wait ten years to fish for bass.

• No targeting Striped Bass in traditional spawning areas, as determined by local authorities.

So in the case of NY, the spawning area is actually very small and will do nothing to conserve striped bass. They spawn in the very northern parts of the Hudson.

• Issue a $25 Striped Bass stamp to fund and support collection of timely, high-confidence MRIP data.

Here we go, charge the recreational angler so they can count the fish. Has anyone actually done any research on the cost of collecting the data? Do they know how much $$$ they will generate? These pie in the sky statements take away from their mission.

• Ban the commercial gillnet fishery (Coast and Bay); adopt hook-and-line fishing only where commercial harvest persists.

Banning gillnets alone still leaves many other high mortality targeting of bass from fyke nets to haul seines to dragger by-catch. Sure I agree 100% with hook and line only, but we need to do more than just gillnets.

• Include a metric to account for commercial release discard mortality (including bycatch and poaching) to ensure accurate commercial impact and accountability.

This a great idea and I fully support it. But it will do nothing to ensure anything let alone "accurate" numbers.

• Stronger punishments for poaching (counting black market catch against commercial quota, lifetime ban from all commercial and recreational fisheries for multiple or egregious offenders, gear forfeiture, larger fines, etc.)

This is something that will always be controlled by the states. Each state makes its own laws and bass are caught within state waters. But I agree all dirtbag poachers should be banned.

• Limit treble hooks to one per artificial lure.

Here we go again, put this on the backs of the recreational angler. First, there's a bad idea of a slot, then we're forced to use circle hooks. Now we want to count the number of hooks on an artificial lure. When and where does it end? Next we won't be able to fly fish for them because it puts way too much stress on them. Light line bass fishing will be gone as we will be stressing the fish too much. I've already heard some suggestions of no summer fishing for them as they can't handle a fight in warm water. Where does it end?

• Require barbs on artificial lures be flattened when used for striped bass.

Another example of where does it end?

I'm all in for bringing back the striped bass. And I have little doubt that we will. If you look at where it was in the early 80's compared to where we are today you will see the mighty striped bass is in pretty good shape. (Although I believe that the slot is not the answer) But as recreational anglers we need to fight back against any draconian measures that minimize recreational anglers from targeting and taking striped bass. We are not the problem and we never were. If we keep buying into this micromanaging of tackle and techniques we will be all but cut out of the fishery.

I know the folk's at Stripers Forever and they are well-intentioned, well-informed and a great bunch of guys. But these pie-in-the-sky suggestions are not the answer.

 

[Makomasher78]

This is ridiculous why save stripers if you cant fish for them? There is more 24 to 28 inch fish around than I can ever remember seeing you just have to go where they are .

 

[OVERBORED]

Would they be so willing to advocate for a 10 year moratorium if it eliminated catch and release as well?

 

[BennyV]

I’ve ready some crazy stuff in my life. This article definitely makes the top 3.

 

[BoatGuy]

adopt hook-and-line fishing only where commercial harvest persists: So I have to ask. A commercial guy is dragging for fluke. He pulls up his net and there are Striped Bass in there. I may be making a bad assumption, but most may be dead. Do they just have to throw them back? How does that help? That is not a knock on commercial guys. I fish for fluke and catch Porgy, BSB, Stripers, Sea Robins, etc. My point is you can't be selective and catch only one type of fish.

 

[Roccus7]

I know the folk's at Stripers Forever and they are well-intentioned, well-informed and a great bunch of guys. But these pie-in-the-sky suggestions are not the answer.

Been trying to avoid comment on this insanity, but it's tough. I agree with 1000% with you last comment @george , but IMO the fact that Stripers Forever even put out this manifesto negates any evidence of them being well-intentioned and well-informed.

This has been their SOP for a while now, putting out crazy-azz ideas that aren't even close to being viable or appropriate. This continued behavior encourages folks to consider them a bunch of lunatics that deserve derision and being ignored.

I guess my biggest frustration with the striped bass management is the reluctance of individual ASMFC states to realize that their responsibility is NOT to get the biggest share of the fish for their states, but to do what's best for the bass population as a whole. ASMFC sets up plans based on the the whole coast and then some states, two of which who are Jedi Masters of this technique, moan and complain that they are being unfairly picked on and then do everything they can to circumvent the proposals and get more fish for them, with no regard of these actions' impact on striped bass.

Until each ASMFC member prioritizes the coastwide population of a particular fish with no consideration of parochial interests, any management plans are doomed to fail. ASMFC is not a vehicle for states to claim their unfair share of fish populations, even though many think it is. IMO, it's time to evoke Magnuson Stevenson for striped bass and "let slip the dogs of war." If this happens, I doubt anyone would be happy, but it would be great for the fish.

 

[george]

adopt hook-and-line fishing only where commercial harvest persists: So I have to ask. A commercial guy is dragging for fluke. He pulls up his net and there are Striped Bass in there. I may be making a bad assumption, but most may be dead. Do they just have to throw them back? How does that help? That is not a knock on commercial guys. I fish for fluke and catch Porgy, BSB, Stripers, Sea Robins, etc. My point is you can't be selective and catch only one type of fish.

I agree with you 100%. How many times have you released a fish that was a 1/2 short knowing it was going to be crab bait? It's one of the huge pitfalls in fisheries management. You can't say it was going to die anyway. There's no way to enforce it.

Commercial draggers are allowed 21 striped bass as a by-catch. There is no way to increase it as it will likely lead to a directed fishery. That's the conundrum.

 

[BoatGuy]

Commercial draggers are allowed 21 striped bass as a by-catch. There is no way to increase it as it will likely lead to a directed fishery. That's the conundrum.

Hmmm....so if they catch 30, 9 are are released dead. I have seen this and the fish float by. Not the commerical fault as he was dragging for fluke (or porgy or BSB or whatever). I don't have an answer. I can only control what goes on in my boat.

 

[george]

Hmmm....so if they catch 30, 9 are are released dead. I have seen this and the fish float by. Not the commerical fault as he was dragging for fluke (or porgy or BSB or whatever). I don't have an answer. I can only control what goes on in my boat.

Draggers are good at reaching their target so it sounds like a fair number. By-catch is one of the hardest things that managers have to deal with. We've all seen films of fish being shoveled over the side because they weren't the target. I'm sure we all feel the same waste when we return a fish we could've eaten but it's released dead. There's got to be a better way.