In an effort to protect one of the last large classes of fish now reaching breeding age, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission dropped the recreational maximum keeper size limit for a striped bass from 35 inches to 31.
After climbing back from the brink of extinction decades ago, the striped bass fishery is again in jeopardy, prompting interstate fishery regulators to take emergency action last week.
In an effort to protect one of the last large classes of fish now reaching breeding age, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission dropped the recreational maximum keeper size limit for a striped bass from 35 inches to 31. The measure affects the entire east coast and leaves only a narrow window for recreational anglers to keep their catch.
Officials say the move is in response to an unprecedented recreational harvest in 2022 that was nearly double the size of 2021. States must come into compliance with the new measure, which allows recreational fishermen to keep stripers between 28 inches and 31 inches, by July 2.
The new regulation was encouraged by Vineyard fishermen and guides who wanted to ramp up conservation efforts to preserve striped bass, a fish that had rebounded after a 1985 moratorium.
“Unfortunately, we have not done a great job since that rebound in the ‘80s,” said Edgartown-based fishing guide Brice Contessa, who spoke strongly in favor of the regulation. “We put our feet on the gas pedal too fast.”
Mr. Contessa is a member of the American Saltwater Guides Association, one of the groups lobbying for the action. He called the emergency action a “stop-gap,” ensuring immediate protection before a more comprehensive fishery assessment is done for the 2024 season.
Vineyard anglers have long been active in striper regulation. In 1985, before the state moratorium, the Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby removed stripers from the competition, a contentious decision that led to the withdrawal of several sponsors. The species returned to the derby in 1993, but in 2020 the derby committee voted to take them out again and they have yet to return.
“The derby has always placed trust in fisheries scientists and biologists,” longtime derby president John Custer wrote in a statement to the Gazette. “While we acknowledge that not including striped bass in the derby is disappointing to many, we also know it is really the only prudent approach at this time.”
Island anglers spoke largely in favor of the emergency action, but some felt that the regulations are too little, too late.
“It’s a step in the right direction, I just wish they would’ve jumped instead of stepped,” said Cooper Gilkes 3rd, owner of Coop’s Bait and Tackle. “We had them back, and we lost them again.”
Mr. Gilkes spoke in favor of instituting another moratorium, pointing out that commercial striper regulations were as yet unchanged by the emergency action.
“Why not just shut it down, get the fish back, and stop playing around?” he asked. “We just can’t seem to get it done.”
Longtime striper fisherman Ron Domurat was similarly critical of the commission’s approach to management. Following the species recovery from the crash in the 1980s, he said, the commission loosened their regulations, coinciding with a huge boom in recreational fishing. It is that recreational fishery, rather than the commercial, that Mr. Domurat sees as the main culprit.
“There were warning signs 12 years ago, and the [ASMFC] just kind of pushed it off,” he said.
In 2021, 1.82 million fish were harvested recreationally. The recreational catch-and-release fishermen have a 9 per cent mortality rate, adding 2.6 million dead stripers in 2021, according to ASMFC.
The total commercial harvest in 2021 came to about 634,000 fish.
Peter Sliwkowski, owner of Larry’s Bait and Tackle, expressed some skepticism about that 9 per cent figure, and noted that harvest numbers don’t tell the whole story for fishery management.
He pointed out that commercial fishermen in Massachusetts can only harvest fish over 35 inches. Allowing them to bring in those larger, breeding-age fish, Mr. Sliwkowski said, might undermine the intent of the emergency regulation.
Mr. Contessa agreed.
“If the idea is to protect the adult breeding fish, it doesn’t make a lot of sense,” he said. Mr. Contessa did express optimism that it would be corrected when the stock is reassessed.
Abby Schuster, a local fly-fishing guide and a member of the American Saltwater Guides Association, also spoke optimistically about the new regulations.
“Recreational fishing is growing so fast and so much, so I think it’s great that that is where the focus is,” she said.
Ms. Schuster encouraged recreational anglers to take steps to limit mortality in their catch. She recommended keeping fish in the water as much as possible, and keeping them in a net for a few minutes before release, giving them a chance to recover the ability to avoid predators.
The current goal for the ASMFC is to bring about a recovery of the striper stock by 2029. With these new emergency regulations, the commission gives such a recovery a 50 per cent chance of success.
For Mr. Gilkes, without more stringent regulations, the recovery seems unlikely. “Really, I feel sorry for the kids growing up now that won’t have a chance to catch that,” he said, pointing to a 53-pound striper mounted on his wall. “It’s a heck of an experience to catch something like that.”
Comments
It’s ridiculous that this isn
R Scott Patterson EdgartownIt’s ridiculous that this isn’t going into effect until July! Right around the time they move into deeper cooler water! Let the recreational shore fishermen decimate the population when they are easier to catch from shore the the commercial guys get their shot when their season starts in July. IF THE SO CALLED FISHERY MANAGERS ACTUALLY WANTED TO SAVE THE SPECIES THEY WOULD IMPLEMENT A MORATORIUM. Bye bye to striper fishing.
It's a shame that the photo
Ilaria Chicago, ILIt's a shame that the photo included with the article provides a perfect example of how NOT to handle a striper that you want to release.
Good point. Holding a striped
Nelson Sigelman Vineyard HavenGood point. Holding a striped bass by the gill plate may damage its fragile "lungs." Far better to lip the bass (they do not have sharp teeth), or slide the fish up on the beach on wet sand, hold the head, remove the hook, and release the fish as soon as possible.
De-barbing the hooks, and
Ilaria Chicago, ILDe-barbing the hooks, and using singles rather than trebles, can make a huge difference as well.
What is the point of having a
Matt Gay HeadWhat is the point of having a slot between 28 and 31? A 3 inch window to eat? Anyone who has fished this island knows that striper fishing has been declining for 20+ years now….each year worse than the last for the most part. The island recreational fishery today is not even a shadow of its former self. The momentous comeback of the 90s came on the heals of a complete moratorium which is what we need now. No slot….no commercial fishery. A catch and release mentality for all species should be impressed on our young anglers…..including changes to our beloved derby. This is the only chance we have left to preserve what is left or maybe even to make it better again…..
Who are these commercial
Bob EdgartownWho are these commercial fisherman lobbyist that are prohibiting this from being turned into a game fish?
We stopped eating striped
Mr. B ChilmarkWe stopped eating striped bass four years ago. So can you. There is no reason other than raw profit to sell striped bass in island markets or serve it on island restaurant menus. You can boycott the ones that do.
I agree with all of these
Carol formerly ChilmarkI agree with all of these comments - (a) this should be a game fish, (b) restrictions should be effective immediately. I'll add this: if it's an emergency (and it is), close the fishery entirely for two years. Just close it.
It's not the commercial
Antone Almeida WellfleetIt's not the commercial fisherman it's the recreational fisherman because they can take so many fish the regulations are in place for commercial fisherman. It's also global warming the water has warmed up on the Cape .The fish are migrating into colder water and staying in federal water also .in the last 3 to 4 years The seals have invaded Cape Cod I have been fishing pulling a striper in my boat and the seal will take it right off your line very invasive species for stripers .I have been commercial fishing for 19 years The last three years or four years the seal population has exploded and that also has dispersed all the schools of fish any commercial fisherman you ask will tell you the same the fish are in cold water and they go north all the way up to New Hampshire and Maine
It’s both!!!!!!! Moratorium
R Scott Patterson EdgartownIt’s both!!!!!!! Moratorium now. We need to stop acting like the group we are a part of aren’t the problem. IF YOU ACTUALLY WANT STRIPERS AROUND GOING FORWARD SUPPORT A MORATORIUM NOW.
I think there should be a
Dan EdgartownI think there should be a complete ban on striper fishing for 5-7 years. Then reevaluate the situation. Ban on all fishing stripers.
This is the only way way. The derby did a good job, by eliminating Stripers.
The Derby did NOT do a good
Matt Gay HeadThe Derby did NOT do a good job with this. They waited until the regulations changed in 2019 which made a slot limit prohibiting the taking of stripers >35 inches…..only then did they eliminate the striped bass. Obviously you cannot have a striped bass derby with a 35 inch limit. If the derby was forward looking they would have eliminated stripers long before this when it became obvious that the species was in big trouble. The derby has an opportunity to do the right thing again by making it all catch & release….no more dead Albacore (which no one eats). This would send the right message to young anglers on the island. It might also help preserve the only good recreational game fishery that this island has left.
Matt is 100% correct, I
R Scott Patterson EdgartownMatt is 100% correct, I boycotted the derby for this reason. Joined back up when derby had no choice due to the slot limit.
Statistics for a catch and
Barry Stringfellow EdgartownStatistics for a catch and release mortality rate are slim but a DMF study in 2016 put it above 90%. To improve the chances a fish will survive, crimp hook barbs, use circle hooks with bait, if you use a plug with two sets of treble hooks, remove the middle ones that tear up fish and fishermen's fingers. Replace treble hooks with single hooks. As Mr. Sigelman mentioned, release them properly. Put them in the water gently, get water running through their gills and wish them good luck.
90% mortality, really? Never
R Scott Patterson Edgartown90% mortality, really? Never heard that before. Please provide links or perhaps it’s a typo?
Above, someone mentioned
Max DesMarais Portsmouth, NHAbove, someone mentioned catch and release mortality rates, which with striped bass are pretty low, and can be pushed even lower if using the proper fish handling techniques. If anyone is interested, I recently wrote an article diving into some of the studies on catch and release, the impacts on the environment, and how that compares to non catch and release fisherman here: https://hikingandfishing.com/catch-and-release-fishing/
How come none of you fish
Charlie Callahan So Boston/EdgartownHow come none of you fish geniuses have never mentioned the 100,000 or so two hundred pound seals that ply these waters and the waters around Chatham and the cape all summer,and these two hundred pound seals gorge themselves on their favorite fish and shellfish,which happen to be STRIPED BASS AND BABY LOBSTERS. So if you college boys really want to know why the fish and shellfish stocks are down ,that is a big part of your answer, but for some strange reason all these studies seem to leave these facts out,a 200 pound seal eats its weight in fish and shellfish daily. Now I was kicked out of So Boston High School in the eleventh grade and I was able to figure out with my minimal education that that transfers to 200 pounds of fish and shellfish per day per seal and at around 100,000 seals around the cape that amounts to aboutTWENTY MILLION POUNDS OF FISH AND SHELLFISH A DAY. The reason there were so many bass around in the 70's was because there was a bounty on seals snouts everyone killed goT u $5,but it was outlawed why I don't know. And also the great whites weren't around much cause there were few seals. And the great whites at around 1500 pounds each consume their own weigh per day iN bass and lobsters/,so they should be culled back.And also if they arent controlled people are gonna get killed. Seals aren't bad to eat ,but white shark tastes like swordfish.In the navy at sea the cooks used to throw the swill overboard from the galley and then the machine gunners would take practice on the sharks and sometimes the captain would let us haul a few medium sized one on deck and the cook would butcer them and we would have shark for about a week and it was just as good as the finest swordfish,no reason the sharks can't be reconsidered a gamefish again,they serve no useful purpose.So stop blaming the fishermen for the dwindling stocks ansd something can be done right now.But the rich tree huggers are paying their peeons big money to lay blame on overfishing.
You said a whole bunch of
Slater MVYou said a whole bunch of really ignorant things in your rant but “no reason the sharks can't be reconsidered a gamefish again,they serve no useful purpose” really takes the cake.
There is so much wrong here,
Ted WTThere is so much wrong here, but let's start with the fact that a seal does not eat it's body weight in fish per day. They eat about 5% of their body weight. Great Whites eat a couple percentage points of their body weight every few days. It's the kind of stuff they teach us college boys.
Shut down Cod also, also can
Mhat NorwellShut down Cod also, also can we shut down large commercial boats.
The ocean is telling us enough already. lets give the ocean 10 years or more to recover
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