Atlantic Striped Bass, Yet Another Discard Fishery
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board meets today (December 16th) from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Although North Carolina does not really have an Atlantic striped bass fishery anymore, the issues facing striped bass is the same thing we are seeing with many other stocks.
For years we have only regulated harvest; limiting harvest days for recreational and commercial fishermen, increasing minimum size limits, lowering bag and trip limits, setting small slot limits, closing areas to commercial gear, modifying commercial gear; never ending harvest restrictions.
Sound familiar?
As harvest has been reduced, recreational discards have exploded. Dead discards are the dominant source of removals in this fishery. In fact, the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) estimates recreational dead discards accounted for 40%-50+% of all striped bass removals since 2018.
Recreational catch and release fishing is the only part of this fishery that is not regulated!
The ASMFC is finally starting to look at regulating catch and release fishing with no-targeting closure and here come the “conservation” groups screaming and crying foul!
I am sick and tired of it!
Cut harvest, take quota from commercial fishermen, have a harvest moratorium but let me kill fish just to throw them back dead! What a bunch of hypocrites!
These groups are killing and wasting most of our fish in the name of “conservation” and they have the audacity to always ask for more!
I hope the ASMFC does not waver and continues to look at no-harvest closures as a necessary management tool. If we do not address the major source of removals, what are we doing here? How can we only manage the minority and expect major results?
If you have time today, listen in. Think of all the sacrifices you and others who harvest fish have made. All we have had taken from us. Did we sacrifice our fish just so catch and release fishermen can fish 24/7 365 without regulation or will our Councils and Commissions start managing with fair and equitable regulations and finally give fish back for harvest?
Register to Listen to Meeting Here
Thomas Newman
Fisheries Liaison
