Sent in by Finchaser, thanks.


ASMFC To Reduce Striped Bass Catch



Stripers Forever Members - as indicated by federal govt data and our own annual surveys, the striped bass resource is rapidly declining. This reality has now been recognized by the ASMFC - the organization that manages striped bass along the East Coast - and they will be looking into options to decrease fishing mortality by up to 40% beginning in 2012 - see ASMFC press release pasted in below.



While this is a positive development, it will be too little, and is already much too far behind the curve.



In yesterday's press release the ASMFC notes a 66% decline in the recreational catch through 2009.



The 2010 numbers have been in for a few weeks now, and the decline in the recreational catch is now down 71% since 2006.

We also take exception with the sentence in paragraph 2 that says the northern extent of the fishery is concerned over a decline in availability caused by water quality. Certainly we are concerned about Chesapeake water quality, but as one of our members from the Bay area pointed out, water quality in the Bay was probably worse during the best years of the recovery than it is now. Overfishing is what we can control, and we don't think we should be waiting for another year to go by before doing anything. Stripers Forever will be calling for more immediate measures. Brad Burns SF