2025 Striped Bass Regulations

[Gerry Zagorski]

Not trying to fear monger here but keeping my ear to the ground since there are all sorts of rumors flying around from a full closure to some seasonal and area closures to status quo and gear and slot changes etc.

Your guess is as good as mine but I think the odds are very low for a full closure although "the science" would indicate otherwise because there would be way too much public and industry opposition.

What ever the case is, unlike other fisheries these decisions will not be made at a state level and our NJ council won't be able to decide what's best for us like adjusting season dates, slot size etc. About the only thing they and we can do is try influence the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) decisions..

Although no decisions will be limited opportunities for public comments, I would advise you to listen into this webinar to see which way this is headed

Atlantic Striped Bass Advisory Panel
STARTS December 9, 2024 4:30 pm
ENDS December 9, 2024 7:00 pm

Please note this is a working meeting of the Atlantic Striped Bass Advisory Panel. The public is welcome to listen in, but there will be limited opportunity to provide comments during the call/webinar. During conference calls/webinars, we ask that the public and other non-participating attendees please mute their lines in order to minimize distractions to the Committee’s deliberations. For transparency, if you intend to record the meeting, you should let staff know prior to the meeting.

Webinar: https://v.ringcentral.com/join/007505173
You can also dial in using your phone.
Dial: +1 (650) 419-1505
Access Code / Meeting ID: 007505173

In the mean time I'll be watching this and keep us all posted on this thread and hope others will as well.

I'd also be interested in your thoughts on where you think 2025 regs will end up as well as your thoughts on what they should be.

[Tuna Tales]

For NJ I would like to see one fish per day at 24" to 34"

Get rid of the bonus tag.

Get rid of commercial striped bass fishing on the east coast.

I would also be OK with closures around the spawning season - areas. However I know that would hurt the charter guys.


Joe T.

[Gerry Zagorski]

I think I would be OK with changing the slot since if you keep on pounding fish of a certain age/inch class when the recruitment (new fish coming into the fishery) was better then, you're targeting the future of the fishery.

I also believe our local fishery is and has been in a much better place then the Chesapeake Bay fishery because we sucked it up, took care of it and made the hard choices and sacrifices. Chesapeake is the scene of of the crime so punish them, not us.

As far as the commercial fishery is concerned, they represent a very small portion of this fishery and any changes made there wouldn't move the needle and be inconsequential.

[Capt John]

Originally Posted by Tuna Tales

For NJ I would like to see one fish per day at 24" to 34"

Get rid of the bonus tag.

Get rid of commercial striped bass fishing on the east coast.

I would also be OK with closures around the spawning season - areas. However I know that would hurt the charter guys.


Joe T.

totally agree.

[1captainron]

Just curious, why get rid of the Bonus program? What' the benefit?

I depend on that so my customers can at least (hopefully) have a good eating sized fish to take home. Catch and release is going put the rest of us out of business.

[dales529]

IMHO and AGAIN someone has to prove the over inflated mortality rate on safely handled and safely released "overs" and "unders" . I understand the big girls get stressed by C/R but I don't believe the bottom is littered with crab bait. We have had almost a month of concentrated on great bass fishing in some general areas both jig and bait fishing and can not find a "diver" who states that their are littered bottom of dead bass????

[AndyS]

Funny how we went from all bluefish and no striped bass to no bluefish and all striped bass.

[Arbutis]

Originally Posted by dales529

IMHO and AGAIN can not find a "diver" who states that their are littered bottom of dead bass????

That's because all the divers were eaten by spiny dogfish.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Originally Posted by 1captainron

Just curious, why get rid of the Bonus program? What' the benefit?

I depend on that so my customers can at least (hopefully) have a good eating sized fish to take home. Catch and release is going put the rest of us out of business.

Just so everyone else reading here understands it, the benefit we in NJ get with the bonus program is a direct result of our state deciding we didn’t want to allow commercial fishing for Stripers here. In turn that commercial quota gets transferred to the recreational sector. That allows us to keep an extra smaller slot fish unlike the other states who have a commercial fishery.

I’m not saying the extra slot is good or bad just wanted to let people know why we have the extra slot so they can have an informed opinion and discussion.

[1captainron]

Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski

Just so everyone else reading here understands it, the benefit we in NJ get with the bonus program is a direct result of our state deciding we didn’t want to allow commercial fishing for Stripers here. In turn that commercial quota gets transferred to the recreational sector. That allows us to keep an extra smaller slot fish unlike the other states who have a commercial fishery.

I’m not saying the extra slot is good or bad just wanted to let people know why we have the extra slot so they can have an informed opinion and discussion.

Spoken like a Politician, always cover your butt both ways.