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Thread: Striped Bass Stock Assessment up to 2008

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
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    NJ
    Posts
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    Default Striped Bass Stock Assessment up to 2008

    http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/recr.../snapshot.html


    1995 10,869,268
    1996 13,638,368
    1997 17,448,767
    1998 16,571,478
    1999 14,152,779
    2000 18,924,401
    2001 15,554,998
    2002 15,638,384
    2003 17,354,691
    2004 19,997,325
    2005 21,316,673
    2006 28,610,534
    2007 19,105,071
    2008 13,982,745


    I don't know how to read this stuff, to me it looks like the striped bass numbers are declining. A lot of people say they aren't, or the calculations are off. How do you figure out where the truth lies?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
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    NJ
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    This came from the stripers forever website:



    Stripers Forever Members – we recently received the latest figures for the National Marine Fishery Service, Marine Recreational Fishing Survey - MRFS. From their website we were able to get the data for the recreational catch of striped bass from 1995 through 2008. The number of fish caught by recreational anglers peaked in 2006. This includes both harvested and live release. Since that time it has dropped by approximately 50%. The catch in 2008 was the lowest since 1996. This trend is in line with the results of our annual fishing survey in the past few years.

    These statistics may well be harbingers of real danger for striped bass First and most important, fishing may simply continue to go downhill and the stock will collapse. It could happen, and this would have disastrous consequences for the 3,000,000 plus recreational anglers who avidly pursue striped bass. In addition, the livelihoods of thousands of guides and various other recreational fishing industry workers will be at stake. The commercially-oriented fishery managers can maneuver the commercial fishermen into a much bigger share of the fishery than they’ve had historically, as they have with the fluke fishery; essentially this will choke off recreational fishing opportunities and impact participation in the sport of recreational fishing.

    There is only one answer. Striped bass must be made a game fish and managed for the more socially and economically valuable recreational fishery.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Medford,N.Y.
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    215

    Default

    It is amazing those numbers reflect my personal numbers. I am all for gamefish status. I can think of no valid argument against it.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    531

    Default

    Amen.

    The argument against it lies with the politicians. Big money makes people do funny things. Commercial fishermen have much more power than the recreational fisherman in that regard. The recreational guy has the votes on his side but sometimes that is not enough.

    One thing you can do is check out Stripers Forever. Making striped bass a gamefish is their only priority. My club is affiliated with them and so should you be as well.

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