Where are the Striped Bass?

[jigfreak]

[/CENTER]


I don't get it, keep the numbers up by catching more fish? Where is the logic in that? Will they give commercials more because they give everyone more or will they take away from the recreational allowance to give that to the commercials?

This is absolute BS. To say with all the evidence they were presented with that striped bass are not even in a slight decline, it almost seems like some special interest gtoup paid off these guys.
Here is something I found from an ASMFC site- reading it to me seems he is blaming it on natural striped bass mortality -- W T F is thatm about?




SHEPHERD: We can get more specific. As pointed out by the recent public comments there, the catches have varied by state, but generally there has been a decrease in the last couple of years...Maine has seen a decrease; New Hampshire, likewise, a very steep decline in catch. Massachusetts, the discard numbers have decreased steadily, although the landings have remained relatively stable after the initial decline. Rhode Island has decrease... Overall the recreational landings and discards have decreased in the last few years with the exception of those states in the New York Bight, which is outside of the Hudson River Area.


We’ve done some projections of the estimate of eight-plus abundance in the spawning stock biomass. Because of the incoming year class strength, the projection of abundance would suggest that it should remain relatively stable for the next two years and increase a little bit as we get particularly that 2003 year class start moving into the system, but then a decline over several years of those weak year classes that were evident in the recruitment pass through the system...

We also did some projections of harvest. If the status quo fishing mortality of 0.2 were to continue, we would expect to see a declining trend in harvest, which is landings and bycatch, for the next several years; a slight uptick three years out with the incoming stronger year classes; then a continuation of declines through that.

The conclusion from the assessment update is that it is currently not overfished or subject to overfishing according to the definitions... Specifically for the Chesapeake Bay – well, when we look at the model with the two period – this is total coast – actually, the F is a little bit higher but M is much greater than the 0.15 that we’ve been using in the catch-at-age model. It’s anywhere from 0.28 to 0.43 in 2008. So these additional tagging models would suggest that has been an increase in natural mortality, and that’s something that we intend to look further at in the next go-around for use in the physical catch-atage model as well as to look at the effective variable and an increasing M. It’s thought to be primarily from the outbreak of myco in the Chesapeake

* the lower spawning numbers in the Chesapeake
* the growth of the myco disease in the Chesapeake
* the increased mortality rate from stripers as a result of myco
* the fact that this increased mortality rate has not ben factored into the Tech Committee's model's

http://www.asmfc.org/meetings/winter...ementBoard.pdf).

[DarkSkies]

Dave A from the Reel seat in Brielle NJ talks about getting involved and why it's important

[DarkSkies]

Dan has been fishing for a long time. Here he shares his thoughts about how things used to be, and where he sees fishing heading.

[bababooey]

A new article on the state of the bass fishery, and some thoughts.
From Saltwater fly fisherman mag, july aug 2010 issue.
Striper Article.pdf

[crosseyedbass]

They went to hell in a hand basket because not many practice catch and release.

[DarkSkies]

NOAA findings


I was looking for an online source for Al Ristori's Conservation Watch article in the 7-8-10 Fisherman magazine (NJ).

In it he says that coastal striped bass catches are down sharply in recent years.

"The recreational striped bass catch figures, compiled by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), including the Wave 5 results for 2009, reveal a precipitous decline".





In the above, he's referring to the years 2006-2009. Logically, these are the most recent data figures available, so they should be listened to.

If anyone finds the rest of the article online, feel free to post citing the source, thanks.



Here's the NOAA PDF from a few years back speaking about a relative decline in certain anadromous species.

http://spo.nwr.noaa.gov/unit03.pdf

[voyager35]

Thanks for the info dark. Anyone who fishes a lot has seen a downward decline over the past few years. It is what it is, why deny it? Fishing was spectacular this spring, the big bass were in the ocean for a good while. That still doesn't mean there are more fish. They were just concentrated where the bunker was. I don's see how people don't get that.