<p>A recent stock assessment for the Atlantic striped bass has concluded that stripers are overfished, prompting renewed discussion about management efforts.
A recent stock assessment for the Atlantic striped bass has concluded that stripers are overfished, prompting renewed discussion about management efforts to preserve a stock that is a hallmark of the Vineyard’s robust fishing economy.
The 2018 Atlantic Striped Bass Benchmark Stock Assessment found the fish’s spawning mass, a general indicator of the health of the stock, is 50 million pounds below its 202 million-pound threshold. Although the number is still well above the critically-low stock levels found in the 1980s, scientists from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) estimate that a 17 per cent reduction in fish taken is needed to maintain a healthy population.
The news comes as the striper season on Martha’s Vineyard is set to begin next month. Experienced Island fishermen who have been taking note of the trends are unlikely to be surprised.
“I think that a lot of fishermen in general would tell you that there are fewer bass being caught,” said Joe El-Deiry, chairman of the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. “It’s still not where it used to be 10 or 15 years ago.”
The assessment used catch data from recreational and commercial fishermen all along the Eastern seaboard, and then analyzed the information using what’s called a statistical catch-at-age model that can estimate future population and mortality. In response to the findings, the board of ASMFC plans to explore a range of stock management options, including size limits and a coastwide circle hook requirement that will be instituted in 2020.
In-line circle hooks are known to reduce striped bass release mortality because they are more likely to hook onto the fish’s lip rather than its gut or gills. The stock assessment concluded that 48 per cent of striped bass mortalities came from recreational catch and releases, making it the largest cause of mortality for the species.
According to Tina Burger, a spokesman for ASMFC, a number of causes, including fish mortality, have led to the general decline of the species for the past decade.
“It certainly has had a lot to do with fishing pressures, those are generally within parameters,” Ms. Burger said. “The greater issue is the strength of recruitment.”
Recruitment is the term experts use for the estimated number of one-year-old fish, a good indication of the health of the species stock. Although recruitment numbers were strong in the 1990s and early 2000s, the numbers sharply declined between 2005 and 2010, leading to the decline in stock in recent years.
While Ms. Burger said she hoped that mitigation measures currently under discussion by the ASMFC would help, many of the factors determining stock are out of the control of regulators.
“Environmental factors, like salinity and rainfall, are what primarily drives recruitment numbers,” she said.
Ms. Burger and Mr. El-Deiry both said that while the assessment portends poorly for the species, they were confident that it could recover and said the assessment numbers do not indicate a catastrophic collapse in the stock. In the 1980s, biomass numbers dropped below the 50 million-pound mark. Biomass measures today are estimated at 150 million pounds.
“It’s still salvageable,” Mr. El-Deiry said. Although he said the derby has been in discussion with the state and the ASMFC about the potential regulatory changes, he declined to say whether any measures would be taken at this year’s derby. He did indicate that if any changes are made, the derby would follow suit.
“We are aware of what’s going on with the stock, and we are discussing those items in our meetings,” Mr. El-Deiry said.
Ms. Burger said that there’s hope for the species moving forward.
“We certainly have the ability to bring fishing mortality under control,” Ms. Burger said. “There is a lot of positive belief that we could turn this negative trend around.”
Comments
I think we need to look at
Geoff West TisburyI think we need to look at the MV Derby as partly responsible - and they need to be held accountable - I have several businesses on this island and I have always been under the microscope - its time we look closer at this group!
Ha you must be joking about
Bob EdgartownHa you must be joking about the Derby. First and easy thing to do is end commercial season on striped bass. Take it off the menu and watch them come back strong. But needs to be done from North Carolina to Maine.
Geoff,
Steve WTGeoff,
I understand the derby folks do great things, but they should try and promote responsible fishing...
I am also under the microscope.
Very simple solution have a
Hal EdgartownVery simple solution have a moratorium on Bass fishing for a few years until we can figure this out...
The derby does its part. A
Kevin Vineysrd HavenThe derby does its part. A qualifying striper has to be at least 32 inches (4 inches OVER minimum length). The derby isn't the issue.
The Vineyard Derby could take
Steve FalmouthThe Vineyard Derby could take a leadership position on this issue and change the rules to help preserve this great species.... or not
“Robust” fishing economy? You
Steve Falmouth“Robust” fishing economy? You must be referring to the 1950’s right?
I've fished the derby for
charlie callahan so boston/edgartownI've fished the derby for years and one contest is not going to deplete fish stocks. What is depleting the Stripers,blues and lobsters are the thousands of seals that have been protected for forty years and the great white sharks. They eat 100's of thousands of lbs .The seals eat all the baby lobsters they can and the fish. A seal can eat 100lbs of fish a day. Great whites gorge themselves on bass and blues. These things have to be killed back to where they used to be. And more people will be killed by sharks this summer. So don't be blaming a fish derby for the lower numbers.It's estimated there are 100,000 seals around the cape and islands in the summer x 100lbs a day each and you don't have to go to HAVID to get the picture.Nothing to do with the derby
Seals are increasingly
Dave Cape CodSeals are increasingly troublesome predators of fish stocks - at least in shallow water. But to assume their diet is exclusively striped bass is misleading... and to advocate for repeal of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972) is a pipe dream - not going to happen. We should be looking at the things we can control and how the derby can play a leadership role in the preservation of the SB. We need more enforcement - more Environmental Protection Officers (EPO's). On the CC Canal, where the fishing pressure can be intense when the shops report blitzes, we only occasionally see EPO's checking licenses. Some "sportsmen" have been seen hiding a just-legal fish in the woods so they can continue hunting for that truly big one. If they're successful, the smaller fish is given away to a passerby (w/o fishing gear or a license) or tossed back in...dead. Some others are clearly subsistence fishing. They bring multiple coolers that would barely fit a legal catch if it was to be folded double. Catch and release mortality is approaching 50% (we say to ourselves "I'm a C&R guy...I can't be the problem") Does anyone believe that some Can some meat fisherman or derby official explain to this poor Pilgrim why we don't immediately require circle hooks for all bait fishers? How about also requiring plug slingers to lose the trebles and fish a single hook w/ a crushed barb. Isn't it supposed to be sport fishing? What is the impact (and purpose) of the commercial SB season? Last year they could not reach their quota, so the Commonwealth allowed more days. How does taking big breeding age females (>34") out of the biomass help mitigate declining stocks?
In the big picture, as bass
Jamie Martha's VineyardIn the big picture, as bass are migratory and the health of the group is in a large way impacted by their ability to eat, we need to look at(gulp)the problem with by-catch and the huge waste created by large trawlers and fish factory boats. We should consider the prime breeding age of the species and protect it with a moratorium on those fish that we need to keep the stocks alive, if only for some period of time. We need to be proactive in our efforts to manage fishing stock and unfortunately it feels more like we are always reactive and only do what we need to and the minimum at best when things get dire. I disagree that the derby has any "blame" but certainly educated fisherman can be a part of the process. People will be here fishing with or without the derby. and let's not forget the seal population is out of control and their consumption of bass and blues is voracious. We will be eating seals at some point. In Canada it is becoming more common to find it for sale in fish stores. (https://www.seadna.ca/seal-meat-takes-centre-stage-quebec-culinary-fest…) Let's face it, our management of our ecosystems is leaving something to be desired and like a pendulum the food stocks and animal species swing from near death to overstocked, but I digress. Save the bass. Let's do what it takes. Eat them smaller and toss the big ones back.
I live on the Hudson facing
Douglas Korves AIA Always on Island.I live on the Hudson facing New York City and am regularly visit the surrounding beaches and marinas. I see more people than ever fishing from the shores and boats from April to December and their goal is blues, stripers and bottom fish.
My friends catch and release. However, whether it is the changing economy, or the varied cultures of a changing citizenry, people are keeping and eating what they catch around NYC and other east coast areas.
I have never seen a fishery, game or any constabulary enforce a regulation or patrol an area outside of a park.
I have seen people on boats, rocks, shores, and the docks pull in 20-30” strippers, and undersized blues as they go up the Hudson to spawn or chase the bait appearing in greater numbers in our waters.
A metropolitan region of 10-30 million people only need a small percentage of people trying to put a fish dish on the table to decimate a species. Add to that the increased coastal population of the states from North Carolina to Massachusetts angling for a meal.
Yes the commercial fleets are over-fishing but had anyone done a study of this growing urban sub-urban based fishing tide.
I might suggest checking the sales and type of gear that the equipment manufacturers are selling. One might also check with the bay and river keepers of the east coast what their findings are. Plant a billion oysters in New York Harbor to clean the water and what new species habits change.
A few point to make here
Paulli D EdgartownA few point to make here
There is no enforcement of Striper size or count, that needs to improve
The Derby should change to a slot catch to weigh in, avoid the cows below and above X inches
Or the Derby should change to a Catch & Release for a couple of years to teach the youngsters more about sportsmanship and less about winning a boat or truck
Cut down the commercial Striper licenses to year round fishermen that have to register.
Lastly, anyone who fishes the island waters knows that there are less fish in the water, and we don’t need science or stats to tell us so. Why it takes so long for the science people to catch on is part of the problem.
There is over harvesting of
Chris ChappyThere is over harvesting of the fish that stripers eat. The cat food industry is contributing to that. Make the striper a fully protected fish, not just on the Federal level. Take it off the list for harvesting for 5 years and see what happens.
The statement that one
Gay Header Gay HeadThe statement that one fishing tournament (MV Derby) going catch & release will not make a difference is just ignorant. If every tournament went catch and release it would make a huge difference. The MV Derby is a tradition and economic booster that is rightfully precious to our island and its culture. However with the worlds oceans dying around us it is time for our island to make a sacrifice in order to help as I expect many other communities will be doing over the coming decades. Catch and release tournaments do work. There is really no difference between the MV Derby as it is organized today and the oft criticized OB Monster Shark Tournament that was eventually run out of town. It is an obvious step and the longer we take to make it the more we subject ourselves to criticism and hypocrisy.
It's true and has been for
Fisherman NYCIt's true and has been for several years Stripers are getting more and more sparse on the Vineyard.
Would it be so difficult to discontinue the Derby for a year or two and see if things improve? So many stripers are wasted/killed, weighed in during Derby time just so the fishermen can see their names on the board, for what purpose? I stopped fishing the Vineyard about 5 yrs. ago due to all of this nonsense regarding the Derby participants killing the fish. Yes, to weigh in a fish, you've killed it.
And now, all of us fishermen, whether on island or coming to the island are paying the price. So sad.
Circle hooks for bait fishing
david gouldCircle hooks for bait fishing and no fish kept over 28, 32, whatever size the breeders are, it took these fish 30 years to recover before, let’s not wait until it is too late, any illegal fish should be at least a 1K fine
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