Striper Action Alert

Our Outlook for Striped Bass:

Despite the difficulties ahead, ASGA remains focused on rebuilding the Atlantic striped bass stock by 2029. After attending multiple Striped Bass Technical Committee and Scientific and Statistical Committee meetings, we have deep concerns that no action will be taken at the October Annual Meeting. There is an extremely wide range of rebuilding options, from a 4% to almost 50% reduction. Both of which result in a “coin toss” 50% chance of rebuilding the stock. The one reliable constant of striped bass management is the Juvenile Abundance Index. Currently, the JAI paints a very bleak picture. Even if Maryland has a slightly better JAI in 2024, we still must contend with no less than 5 vacant year classes. Without clear direction from the SAS or TC, this lack of juvenile abundance should guide all Boards decisions.

Our community has communicated the science, educated the public, and vehemently supported striped bass conservation with integrity every step of the way. The striped bass conservation community expects the Board to move forward with equitable, enforceable, and science-based management options.

ASGA Input for Potential Management Options:

• Reductions must be equal across sectors. Commercial reductions must be made from harvest, not quota. Many jurisdictions have not hit their quota. Therefore, taking a reduction off the quota is only a reduction on paper. It does not result in less mortality and will not help recover striped bass.
• Direct statements on the record from the Law Enforcement Committee (LEC) consistently state that no targeting closures are entirely unenforceable. The LEC rated non-targeting closures the least enforceable of 27 guidelines and gave them a 1.87 out of 5 rating, making them utterly ineffective at reducing effort. Non-targeting closures are not equitable across the coastwide range of striped bass. Some states have much shorter seasons. Guides’ businesses will also be unfairly impacted. Business has been hard enough for our members. Taking away more time on the water could end their businesses altogether.
• No harvest closures should be initiated for the 2025 season. Unlike no-targeting closures, these will have a measurable impact and are enforceable.
• Each jurisdiction should have the same percentage reduction applied to the harvest numbers for that jurisdiction. As we have seen in the past, a “coastwide” reduction would significantly impact states with shorter seasons. New Jersey cheated a reduction in the past by using this loophole. If this happens again, the Board will display its inability to learn from mistakes.
• The commercial fishing in the Chesapeake Bay and anchored gill net fisheries that intercept fecund striped bass entering their spawning estuaries must be curtailed. The striped bass commercial fishery in Maryland has not taken a reduction in over a decade while the Maryland recreational fishery has almost collapsed. It is illogical that approximately 80% of commercial landings come from Maryland while experiencing 5 (potentially 6) years of spawning failure. This harvest, not quota, must be heavily reduced. The anchored gill net fisheries in Virginia and Delaware are no longer sustainable, considering the repeated spawning failures in both estuaries. We are aware that recreational effort has been grossly overestimated by NOAA. That means that commercial striped bass harvest is a much higher percentage of total harvest than previously estimated.