ASMFC Public Hearings on Proposal to Increase Commercial Harvest of Striped Bass coming up

From Mr Charles Witek III from NY CCA

Striped bass are arguably the biggest salt water fisheries management success in our region, but there are now some problems.  In March, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Striped Bass Technical Committee released its prediction that the numbers of adult bass–age 8 and greater–will decline at least through 2015.  That’s after recreational catch has declined 65% between 2006 and 2009.  Juvenile abundance indices in all major producer areas have been turning in more indications of low spawning success in the past few years than at any time since the stock was declared recovered in 1995 (although there are still many successful spawns).  Perhaps most worrying is an epidemic of Mycobacteriosis in the Chesapeake Bay stock, which provides most of the bass to the coastal migratory population.  Myco is almost always fatal in aquacultured populations.  I the same holds true for wild bass (and no one knows whether it does), we’re looking at a real problem.

In the face of those troubling facts, ASMFC is considering increasing the commercial striped bass quota.  That’s clearly a bad idea, but only a large volume of comments opposing the increase has any chance of defeating the measure. 

Please try to attend the hearing, and please try to give the attached notice as wide a distribution as possible.  Send it to anyone who you believe might be interested.  Sending it to club mailing lists would be particularly valuable.

For those of you in upstate NY, CCA NY has asked the DEC to request that ASMFC schedule a second New York hearing for Hudson River striped bass anglers.  That has been done, and the Hudson hearing will be held:

August 18, 2010; 7:00 PM

Norrie Point Environmental Center

256 Norrie Point Way

Staatsburg, New York

On the grounds of Mills-Norrie State Park (see directions at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/37889.html

Contact: Steve Heins at (631) 444-0436

Even if you can’t attend a hearing, please go to http://www/asmfc.org , click on “Managed Species” in the left-hand margin, then follow the links to the proposed Addendum II to amendment 6, and tell you how to send comments to ASMFC

This is going to be a difficult fight, particularly because New York’s governor’s Appointee to ASMFC is leading the fight for a bigger commercial kill.

Every person’s comments will be important

ASMFC Public Hearings on Proposal to Increase Commercial Harvest of Striped Bass

July 21, 2010 – 7:00 p.m.
Marine Resources Headquarters
205 North Belle Mead Road, Suite 1
East Setauket, New York
Contact: Steve Heins at (631) 444-0436

New York  anglers will have an opportunity to oppose an attempt to increase the coastal commercial harvest of striped bass by 20 to 50 percent at public hearings scheduled for July 21 in East Setauket.
     CCA is urging members in New York to mark their calendars and plan to to voice their opposition to Addendum II to Amendment 6 of the ASMFC Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan. We encourage you to forward this message on to your friends and fishing club to turn out as large a crowd as possible in opposition.

    Click HERE for a copy of Coastal Conservation Association’s formal comments on the proposal.