Letters to Santa & ASMFC

This weekend, many young anglers and advocates are composing final letters addressed to the North Pole, pleading for new rods, reels and fishing gadgets to round out their year. We hope the entire striped bass community will keep their pens and paper out for an additional note, as the written comment deadline for Addendum II is less than a week away.

Last night’s public hearing for Addendum II for Striped Bass management featured a landslide public comment period in favor of the most conservative management decisions possible. The state of Maine played host to the final “hybrid” meeting, which utilized Microsoft Teams to allow participation from throughout the state and the rest of the coast. Two themes dominated the comment period.

First, there was a wave of gratitude for Maine choosing to make their meeting “hybrid format” to maximize public participation. We genuinely can’t comprehend why other states ran “in-person only” meetings (and we know some of those states will soon use the “need for public comment” reasoning to vote against Board Action in 3.3, but we digress…)

Second, and most importantly, anglers want to see the most conservation-focused management decisions from the Board when finalizing Addendum II. Every single comment last night called for “Option B” across the board, with “Option B-1” for 3.1.2 Chesapeake Bay Recreational Fishery Options. This decision matrix will take the maximum reductions across all sectors and provide some semblance of a path to rebuilding this fishery. The rest of the comment period was loaded with sentimental testimony, sharing stories of drastic changes in their fishing experiences and a dramatic imbalance of size classes in the fishery. As one commenter so appropriately put it, “A rising tide lifts all boats, but if this thing is going down, we (all sectors) should go down together.” Equal accountability for all sectors while trying to rebuild this fishery was a common theme.

There are still two meetings left to complete the gauntlet of public hearings for Addendum II. Both of those meetings require in-person attendance (details below).

Whether you have already commented at a meeting, plan to attend one of the final in-person hearings or have yet to use your voice, there is still time to speak up for striped bass. Written comments can be committed to the ASMFC until the end of the day next Friday, December 22, 2023. Write comments can be submitted to comments@asmfc.org with the subject line: “Striped Bass Draft Addendum II.”

ASGA has developed a Public Comment Guide for Addendum II that includes a breakdown of the options in both written and podcast format. Click here to access these resources and build your written comment.

FINAL HEARINGS:

DECEMBER 18TH, 2023 – NEW YORK, IN-PERSON

6 PM EST

21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY 12561

DECEMBER 19TH, 2023 – MASSACHUSETTS, IN-PERSON

6 PM EST

30 Emerson Avenue, Gloucester, MA