The first blog I posted on this site discussed my concern over the dwindling numbers of striped bass, and now there is a potential answer to this dilemma. For those of you who don’t know, striped bass are a staple of sportfishing and are one of the most protected and regulated species of game fish in the Northeast. This began in the 1980’s when there was a large drop in the striped bass population due to overfishing. Since then, conservationist groups and commissions, along with state wildlife departments, have used the research from WHOI, NOAA, MBL, and other scientific agencies to determine proper regulations. In the years following that initial striped bass population crisis, the species managed to make a substantial recovery. Now, decades later, studies and reports showing a decreasing population size caused every state wildlife department on the east coast north of Virginia to reduce the harvest limit to one bass per day as of the 2019 season.
Nearly a year later and numbers are still reportedly declining. The new regulations were not obeyed by all and I heard several local stories of people overfishing and taking an extra bass when they’re not supposed to; yet some from around the Northeast were atrocious enough to make headlines. The link included is to an article from the Providence Journal that highlights one truly disturbing story of two men taking advantage of our striped bass fisheries, something that must disappear if we want to see their population effectively recover.
For this rapidly approaching season, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has proposed an additional size regulation to pair with the recent amendment of 1 fish per day. They hope to introduce a slot limit, much like that of snook in Florida, where the minimum total length will remain at twenty-eight inches and the maximum length will be set to thirty-five inches. This will allow for many of the big females to continue reproducing rather than being harvested as trophies. Many states have already fully adopted this proposal, posting the new regulations to their state websites.
I have no issue with this new regulation, as in my experience the quality of the meat begins to go down once you get into those larger sizes over thirty-five inches and as long as it helps preserve the species I couldn’t really care what the regulations are. To ensure the regulation works as planned, all fishermen need to do their part by making the right choice to not overfish and be careful to make accurate measurements before harvesting. With the right amount of effort from all sides we can guarantee that the stripers will be here to stay for generations to come.
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