Striped Bass Slot

[Ry609]

"The ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board has adopted an emergency measure to reduce recreational striped bass landings. States will have until July 2 to cap their maximum recreational size limit at 31 inches. As a practical matter, that means a 28-31 inch slot everywhere on the coast...The motion passed by an overwhelming vote of 15-1...Only New Jersey opposed the measure."

[Broad Bill]

Did they say why? Current regulations seem to be working just fine, why fix something that's not broken. At first glance and like the fluke regulations with a 17"-17.99" ultra thin slot, a 28"- 31" slot in the striped Bass fishery is going to end up with a significantly higher level of discard mortality and disincent people from fishing on party boats and for higher boats who would simply like to take home a fresh meal for dinner.

As I said on the other thread about the disappearance of party boats, senseless regulations are going to be the death of our recreational sport.

[Ry609]

Originally Posted by Broad Bill

Did they say why? Current regulations seem to be working just fine, why fix something that's not broken. At first glance and like the fluke regulations with a 17"-17.99" ultra thin slot, a 28"- 31" slot in the striped Bass fishery is going to end up with a significantly higher level of discard mortality and disincent people from fishing on party boats and for higher boats who would simply like to take home a fresh meal for dinner.

As I said on the other thread about the disappearance of party boats, senseless regulations are going to be the death of our recreational sport.

I agree, seems crazy to me. I've never seen more stripers around then the present.

[pectoralfin]

I just was on the ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board site trying to understand the thought process behind their decision to implement the slot. Maybe someone with more understanding of the process can explain the reasoning. Was this decided behind closed doors and pushed through the committee? Where is the data to support their decision?

I noticed on the sidebar an article by the Marine Fish Conservation Network. Reading through it I came across this.
"Perhaps more importantly though, folks have to understand that recreational discard mortality (those fish that die after release) is a huge part of overall fishing mortality. Right now, it’s more than half of all recreationally related fishing mortality. And, well, it accounts for way, WAY more mortality than commercial harvest."

[reason162]

This is long overdue, of course the one vote against the measure came from NJ.

[mikdel]

I beleive all the other states have commercial fisheries for striped bass also. I wonder if the commercials quotas are being cut also? Something smells fishy.

[reason162]

Originally Posted by mikdel

I beleive all the other states have commercial fisheries for striped bass also. I wonder if the commercials quotas are being cut also? Something smells fishy.

We just give our commercial quota to the rec side with "bonus tags."

And when it comes to stripers rec anglers cause over 80% of the mortality, so there's no question which sector needed to be reigned in.

[tautog]

You can walk on them but we need more cuts. More cuts will lead to more discard mortality which leads to a regulatory death spiral. Meanwhile whiting are still no bag limit, no size limit, and no closed season.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Another article on the emergency measures and according to the quote from the NJDEP the Striped Bass Bonus program remains intact https://www.saltwatersportsman.com/n...tions-enacted/

[Broad Bill]

The regulations for striped bass were the same in 2021 as they were in 2022. If the stock is in such trouble, and the Chesapeake stock along the coast as has been stated is causing such declines for southern and northern states with ocean based landings, how could the harvest per the attached article have doubled in 2022 over 2021. Harvest is landings and doesn't include discard mortality so if the stock has declined to a point where emergency measures have to be implemented, how is it possible under the same regulations and possession limits that harvest doubled year over year. MRIP and phantom fishing efforts statistics strike again.