Massachusetts attempting to circumvent commercial striped bass tagging program

An important action alert from Stripers Forever.

In February at the 2012 ASMFC Striped Bass Management Board Meeting, the Board moved to incorporate recommendations by the Interstate Watershed Task Force (IWTF) and ASMFC Law Enforcement Committee (LEC) on reducing illegal commercial harvest of striped bass.

It was the unanimous recommendation of the IWTF and the LEC that all fish harvested for sale be required to be tagged immediately upon possession. The LEC presented the persuasive argument that the longer the fish remain untagged, the harder it is to enforce harvesting rules and the easier it is for illegal activity to occur.
Unfortunately the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries is proposing that in Massachusetts commercially caught stripers need not be tagged when harvested but later when they are sold. Doing so will effectively undermine the intent of the tagging program as outlined by the Law Enforcement Committee of the ASMFC. The purpose of tagging at capture is for law enforcement to quickly determine harvesting compliance, to avoid tag sharing and high grading and to reduce the under-reporting of both fish and weights.

If the Law Enforcement Committee recommendations were adopted a commercial fisherman in possession of a fish that is not tagged would be breaking the law. The proposal by the MDMF to not have to tag a commercially harvested fish until it is sold - if it is ever sold - is an open invitation to circumvent harvesting rules and contradicts the intent and goals of the ASMFC recommendations.

This is an outrage that we must do our best to correct. There are two public hearings coming up soon that will give each of us (you) an opportunity to express our (your) feelings on this proposed rule change.  Please attend the hearing nearest you and speak up in favor of tagging at point of capture. Stripers Forever will submit organizational testimony. Each of you should write/speak as an individual, interested party.

MDMF Public Hearings
Feb.11, 2014 - 6 PM
Plymouth Harbor Radisson
180 Water Street
Plymouth, MA

Feb. 12, 2014 - 6 PM
Gloucester High School Auditorium
32 Leslie O. Johnson Road
Gloucester, MA

If you can't get to a meeting then please email Jared Silva and ask the MDMF  to follow the ASMFC tagging recommendations. Insist that commercially caught stripers be tagged immediately when they are caught.

Boston Harbor Underwater Stripers

Mmmmmm stripers.

Stripers Forever 2013 Fishing Survey

This survey is an important part of Stripers Forever's work as it shows fishery managers how the public perceives the trends in the quality of the fishery.

Please take the time to take the survey, your response plays an important role in the protection of striped bass.

LINK

CCA MD calls for set-aside in striper harvest

The Coastal Conservation Association Maryland is calling for a 14 percent set-aside for striped bass harvest for both recreational and commercial anglers in 2014 instead of increasing the allowable harvest by 14 percent as recently announced by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

LINK (via:CCA MD)

Striped Bass: Where do we go from here?

A special contribution to the Surfcaster's Journal Blog by Charles Witek.

By now, most of the folks on the striper coast have heard something about what happened at last month’s ASMFC meeting.  Unfortunately, the news coming out of the meeting was a little confused, and if you weren’t paying really close attention, you might not have completely understood what happened and what may—or may not—happen in the future.

There was good news.  The majority of the commissioners on the Striped Bass Management Board clearly recognized that there are problems with the stock, believe that harvest levels have to be reduced and have begun the process of making that happen.

There was also bad news.

LINK

Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine is also offering one day “24 hour free pass” to the magazine until today at 4 pm. Go to the subscribe page and pick free access option.

Where The Stripers Are

They're ovah heah Bobby!