clamchucker
03-15-2009, 12:22 PM
They should make one standard, and stick to it.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/184/story/429152.html
Confusion may be catch of day for striper anglers
By RICHARD DEGENER Staff Writer
Published: Sunday, March 15, 2009
Anglers will get to catch smaller striped bass in the Delaware Bay and Delaware River this year, but there is a rub.
The lower size limit, possibly as small as 20 inches, will be legal only in Delaware and Pennsylvania. New Jersey waters will be stuck with the 28-inch minimum fish size that has been in place for more than a decade.]
Tom McCloy, who heads the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Administration, said he was expecting Delaware and Pennsylvania to make the change in 2010, not this year, and there is not enough time to make a change for the Garden State. McCloy did not rule out smaller striper sizes in New Jersey in 2010.
Delaware and Pennsylvania work differently. Those two states simply went to an Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, or ASMFC, management board and got approval. The states are still working out the details.
"New Jersey can only make changes in striped-bass regulations through the Legislature, and with prior approval from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. We're looking at it for next year," McCloy said.
Delaware is planning a two-month season, probably July and August, with a smaller fish size, possibly a limit of one fish at 20 inches and one at 24 or 26 inches. Pennsylvania wants a two-month season in April and May with a similar slot limit.
New Jersey for years has allowed two fish per day at 28 inches and a third 28-inch fish for anglers who pick up a bonus tag, available online for $2 at
www.njfishandwildlife.com/bonusbas.htm (http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/bonusbas.htm)
New Jersey does not allow commercial fishing for stripers but instead earmarks its commercial quota of 321,750 pounds per year to this bonus fish program.
Cheating and enforcement are the biggest concerns with different size limits in the same waterway. This was a problem in the Delaware Bay in the early 1990s when Delaware and New Jersey had different size limits on their portions of the bay. There was even a different size limit between the bay and ocean back then.
McCloy said New Jersey would enforce its size limit for all fish brought ashore in the Garden State regardless of where they are landed. This is called a "possession limit."
"If you catch a 26-inch fish in Delaware, it better grow two inches by the time you get to New Jersey," McCloy said.
Another concern is that other states may pursue more liberal regulations, and this could ultimately lead to over-fishing striped bass. Stocks are healthy now, although regulators recently noticed a decline in the "spawning stock biomass," said Nichola Meserve, who coordinates the striped bass management plan for the ASMFC.
Lower striper sizes are already allowed in different areas because of the prevalent fish sizes there. An 18-inch striper can be landed in Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River area. The Hudson River has an 18-inch size upstream of the George Washington Bridge from March through November.
Delaware and Pennsylvania argued they don't get the larger stripers in their waters. The ASMFC approved the changes for the two-month periods, with the two states reverting to two fish at 28 inches the rest of the time.
New Jersey anglers can land the smaller fish but should bring them ashore in the states where they are legal. It's up to anglers to know the rules and abide by them.
Jim Donofrio, who heads the Galloway Township-based Recreational Fishing Alliance, or RFA, said different fish sizes could cause a lot of friction. Donofrio, however, is not against landing smaller stripers. He notes studies show most are males while the bigger ones are breeding females that mean more to the future of the fishery. He said the smaller stripers are better eating and have fewer toxins in them.
"I'd prefer a uniform size in the Delaware Bay and River and having it done scientifically and not just arbitrarily. I'd prefer 22 to 24 inches to bring one home for the table. It's a better eating fish," said Donofrio.
He called for a thorough review of coastwide striper rules. One of his ideas is to use the bonus tag for the larger fish but allow two per day of the smaller ones.
"We have it backwards. With bluefin tuna in the old days we harvested thousands of small fish and never impacted the big breeders. As soon as we started harvesting the big breeders the stock started tumbling. We're taking a lot of big breeders out of the system," Donofrio said.
The RFA isn't supporting the slot limit but has empathy for areas that don't get larger fish. Donofrio noted this is also true in the Raritan Bay. The Delaware Estuary mostly gets sub-legal fish. An investigation by Delaware found they are mostly males while fewer than 10 percent of the fish 28-inches or larger are males.
One benefit of the new slot limits could be more opportunity for shore-based fishermen who do not own a boat to find the bigger fish. Kelly Place, who serves on an advisory panel to the ASMFC, said too often regulations favor those of a higher socio-economic demographic.
Some who supported the slot limits pushed to make sure monitoring is done and anglers use a circle hook that leads to less mortality of discards.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/184/story/429152.html
Confusion may be catch of day for striper anglers
By RICHARD DEGENER Staff Writer
Published: Sunday, March 15, 2009
Anglers will get to catch smaller striped bass in the Delaware Bay and Delaware River this year, but there is a rub.
The lower size limit, possibly as small as 20 inches, will be legal only in Delaware and Pennsylvania. New Jersey waters will be stuck with the 28-inch minimum fish size that has been in place for more than a decade.]
Tom McCloy, who heads the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Administration, said he was expecting Delaware and Pennsylvania to make the change in 2010, not this year, and there is not enough time to make a change for the Garden State. McCloy did not rule out smaller striper sizes in New Jersey in 2010.
Delaware and Pennsylvania work differently. Those two states simply went to an Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, or ASMFC, management board and got approval. The states are still working out the details.
"New Jersey can only make changes in striped-bass regulations through the Legislature, and with prior approval from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. We're looking at it for next year," McCloy said.
Delaware is planning a two-month season, probably July and August, with a smaller fish size, possibly a limit of one fish at 20 inches and one at 24 or 26 inches. Pennsylvania wants a two-month season in April and May with a similar slot limit.
New Jersey for years has allowed two fish per day at 28 inches and a third 28-inch fish for anglers who pick up a bonus tag, available online for $2 at
www.njfishandwildlife.com/bonusbas.htm (http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/bonusbas.htm)
New Jersey does not allow commercial fishing for stripers but instead earmarks its commercial quota of 321,750 pounds per year to this bonus fish program.
Cheating and enforcement are the biggest concerns with different size limits in the same waterway. This was a problem in the Delaware Bay in the early 1990s when Delaware and New Jersey had different size limits on their portions of the bay. There was even a different size limit between the bay and ocean back then.
McCloy said New Jersey would enforce its size limit for all fish brought ashore in the Garden State regardless of where they are landed. This is called a "possession limit."
"If you catch a 26-inch fish in Delaware, it better grow two inches by the time you get to New Jersey," McCloy said.
Another concern is that other states may pursue more liberal regulations, and this could ultimately lead to over-fishing striped bass. Stocks are healthy now, although regulators recently noticed a decline in the "spawning stock biomass," said Nichola Meserve, who coordinates the striped bass management plan for the ASMFC.
Lower striper sizes are already allowed in different areas because of the prevalent fish sizes there. An 18-inch striper can be landed in Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River area. The Hudson River has an 18-inch size upstream of the George Washington Bridge from March through November.
Delaware and Pennsylvania argued they don't get the larger stripers in their waters. The ASMFC approved the changes for the two-month periods, with the two states reverting to two fish at 28 inches the rest of the time.
New Jersey anglers can land the smaller fish but should bring them ashore in the states where they are legal. It's up to anglers to know the rules and abide by them.
Jim Donofrio, who heads the Galloway Township-based Recreational Fishing Alliance, or RFA, said different fish sizes could cause a lot of friction. Donofrio, however, is not against landing smaller stripers. He notes studies show most are males while the bigger ones are breeding females that mean more to the future of the fishery. He said the smaller stripers are better eating and have fewer toxins in them.
"I'd prefer a uniform size in the Delaware Bay and River and having it done scientifically and not just arbitrarily. I'd prefer 22 to 24 inches to bring one home for the table. It's a better eating fish," said Donofrio.
He called for a thorough review of coastwide striper rules. One of his ideas is to use the bonus tag for the larger fish but allow two per day of the smaller ones.
"We have it backwards. With bluefin tuna in the old days we harvested thousands of small fish and never impacted the big breeders. As soon as we started harvesting the big breeders the stock started tumbling. We're taking a lot of big breeders out of the system," Donofrio said.
The RFA isn't supporting the slot limit but has empathy for areas that don't get larger fish. Donofrio noted this is also true in the Raritan Bay. The Delaware Estuary mostly gets sub-legal fish. An investigation by Delaware found they are mostly males while fewer than 10 percent of the fish 28-inches or larger are males.
One benefit of the new slot limits could be more opportunity for shore-based fishermen who do not own a boat to find the bigger fish. Kelly Place, who serves on an advisory panel to the ASMFC, said too often regulations favor those of a higher socio-economic demographic.
Some who supported the slot limits pushed to make sure monitoring is done and anglers use a circle hook that leads to less mortality of discards.