(Editors note : author Bill Jakob is president of the Montauk Surfcaster’s Association)

With the warming southwest winds an the increase of daylight surf fishing for Stripers seems to  take over the thinking process and daily chores and work seem like they just get in the way of my fishing. I take to the ocean beaches to satisfy a deep craving ,a fix if you will for an addiction. Day or night if the tide is right I’m on it ! Pulling up to my favorite spot the curse of the beach buggy driving fishermen “Closed for Piping Plover” Like a knife driven deep into the heart a feeling of pain – not again!

It’s the time that the Piping Ploverreturns to the beaches, drawn by the hope of abundant food and a safe place to raise a new brewed of chicks.

The Plover despised by surf fishermen and beach goers from the Great Lakes to the shores of Florida. The Piping Plover this year seems to be worse than ever before and all with good reason.Parking my truck a good mile from my favored casting spot I began suiting up with breathable waders and dry top, plug bag and belt. Let us not forget bug spray and neck light, I was off- trudging across sugar like sand, I envisioned myself in an endless walk across the Sahara desert. Guided soon by string and ribbon, I arrived – out of breath Sweat pouring down my face and back. I sure needed a cold beer at this point, but would have settled for the that warm bottle of water I didn’t bring. My first cast hitting the rip I let my bucktail settle down 

Into the ebbing current and started a slow retrieve. My mind now wondering on the plight of the Piping Plover and sharing the sand I have come to love. 

The Piping Plower a tiny shore bird often seen quickly running in short burst behind ocean and bay waves for for insects or tiny crustaceans. 

They arrive in mid to late May on Long Island, but there ranges are all the way north to the Great Lakes and down south to Gulf states. Nesting along our sand and stone filled beach scraping shallow depressions in to the sand eggs that match in perfect camouflage to the surrounding landscape, the birds themselves blend into the beach making spotting these endangered birds extremely difficult even to the train eyes of nesting bird counters. In the months of June between the 1st and the 9th day anindependent survey of Long Islands shorelines are taken counting nesting pairs ( similar in I sampling of year of Young of Striped Bass) These numbers are tabulated and compared to past years estimating the current population. The Piping Plover was listed as endangered by Fish and Wildlife under the endangered species act in 1985, with radical steps being taken across the east coast to return this bird from the brink of extinction. The newly arrived plovers finding their mate, building the nest lay between 2-4 eggs which hatch in approximately 30 days. After hatching the fledglings cross the open sand beaches day and night feeding and are at the greatest risk from Predators and our beach buggies.

Freezing in their tracts blending into the back ground similar to Eastern Cottontail Rabbit  is the only defense before finally fleeing to escape. This lasts approximately another 30 days before they all are able to fly and no longer present an issue with our beach use. The estimated population today is placed at over 8000 today with varying increases and decreases yearly. What does the increasing population mean for fishermen on Long Island beaches? Unfortunately the increase will result in more closed areas the same time of year and the same duration. Basically we will have to learn to respect and deal with the situation in hand. In essence it’s time we as fishermen step up as stewards of the Piping Plovers, if populations don’t increase the restrictions willonly tighten until population reach the goals of Fish and Wildlife. 

I’m aware of the many sometimes crazy statements made by fishermen as well as the conspiracy theories that the count and nests are just put out there by the “government” to stop us from fishing. Consultations with independent organizations and individuals through anindependent survey conducted by Montauk Surfcasters Association. 

The nests and count are derived from multiple sources not connected with Fish and Wildlife.They are our are neighbors and coworkers with passions unlike our own with fishing. I’ll is time for us to share the sand with our tiny endangered “our own Long Island Piping Plover”How can we share the sand is something we all will have to learn as painful as it seems. 

Speaking with fellow surfcaster and Striper enthusiast Steve Sinkevich, a biologist with The Federal Fish and Wildlife Agency, I raised several questions about how we can effectively manage or control access with adhering to Federal guidelines. The questions are soft questions and I’m sure there are thousands more we could ask, Our best course of action is cooperating with local government restrictions regarding Piping Plover closures having attended Multiple Trustees meetings, speaking with the Suffolk County Park Director and local Township Supervisors each formulating a cooperative program to ensure Beach access while protecting the Piping Plovers which Fish and Wildlife is firmly Committed to.While jokes of Piping Plovers taste just like chicken and off hand satirical stories in local papers amuse us and maybe defuse our frustrations, it puts people charged with the responsibility to protect the endangered/ threaten Piping plover on Long Island in charge of preforming a difficult job.

*This is response to a list of those questions from Fish and Wildlife 

Biologist Steve Sinkevich.

GENERAL NOTE: With ever-growing demands on our beaches, there are fewer places for piping plovers that depend on Atlantic Coast beaches to raise families, feed, and rest. Beaches are irreplaceable homes for shorebirds and other animals. Piping plovers and other shorebirds have thrived for centuries on coastal beaches that are constantly shifting in response to storms and wave action. With fewer than 4,000 piping plovers on the Atlantic coast, each one makes a difference. Everyday activities on the beach can unintentionally harm piping plovers. Nests, and even piping plovers, are really hard to see. When you get too close to birds, they flush (fly off of their nest or move away from feeding areas). While it might seem minor, this drives them away from what they need to survive – food and a resting place. Imagine if you were hungry and tired, and forces beyond your control kept you away from food all day, and no place felt safe to rest.

It is also important to remember that plover chicks leave the nest within a few hours after hatching and must forage for marine worms and small insects themselves.  These chicks may move up to hundreds of meters from the nest site and can’t fly for the first month of their lives.  Since we don’t know where they may move (both day and night) in search of food, it is challenging for land owners to manage their beaches for both recreation and plover protection.  

Finally, we note that the piping plover is not the only coastal species in peril from coastal development, beach stabilization efforts, recreation, elevated populations of predators or harvesting of important prey resources. The coastal habitats along the Atlantic coast support many other species that are either federally or state-listed/protected, including shorebirds (least tern, Amercian Oystercatcher, red knot, roseate tern, common tern and black skimmers) and plants (seabeach amaranth and seabeach knotweed).        

1.Single nest in ORV, fishing and camping use. Why can’t the nests In these high usage areas be moved to a better location.

Response:

A)Moving/collecting a nest or moving the adults would violate the Endangered Species Act (ESA) which prohibits the “take” of a federally listed species ( harm, harass, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct)

B) A better location to us may not be a better location for plovers.  Like other wildlife, the plovers choose nest locations for a reason, and they often return to the same areas in following years.  Moving them for either preferred breeding or foraging habitat is very likely to result in egg loss or death of the chick or even the adults.  Also, plovers are solitary territorial nesters, moving a nest in another area may create conflict with other plovers which could likely result in nest abandonment. 

C) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for pulling together all the relevant partners to recover protected species like the piping plover, in hopes of removing federal protections one day. The truth is that while plovers are doing OK in some areas, their numbers are perilously low in New York and New Jersey, meaning each one truly makes a difference. Unfortunately, attempts to hatch abandoned eggs in captivity have been studied, and the results do not even approach what happens when birds are able to nest and raise young successfully in the wild. The reality is that there really aren’t many places to move them to, even if we could.  Most of the habitat in New Jersey & New York has been manipulated by people enough that there aren’t that many wide open, low sloping sandy beaches with food resources and safe nesting areas.

2. Recently a plover nest was located on Smithpoint Burma Road ( access road to Moriches inlet west side ) this forced closure to the inlet. The nesting pair choice of nesting site is doomed to failure because fledgling chicks can not negotiate the steep dune. approach to ocean feeding. 

Response:

A) We are not aware of a plover nest on Burma Road.  However, chicks have been observed on this road.  Plovers will feed in bayside habitats.  In fact, research has shown that plover chicks are more likely to survive when they can move from ocean to bay habitats, which is uncommon on Long Island.  Most if not all of that kind of habitat that was restored by Superstorm Sandy was then altered to protect property and provide recreational access. So, the birds may try to cross the road but otherwise they don’t have much choice but to try and feed in either ocean or bay shoreline habitats, provided it is suitable (sparsely vegetated, proper substrate, no or little disturbance).

B) Plover chicks can very agile travelling up steep slopes if they need to and/or can move around impediments.  Removing or destroying the nest would violate the law.  

C) Refer to “ https://www.fws.gov/northeast/pipingplover/pdf/plover.pdf” for information about the piping plover.

3. Can’t nesting birds in camp grounds, beach trails not be considered into nesting areas, because of economic impact to the surrounding communities.

Response:

A) The thing is, both people and wildlife like the plovers want the same thing — access to a great beach. We have guidelines for people who manage campgrounds and beach trails to help figure out how to balance recreation and access with the responsibility we all have under law to protect rare wildlife. The guidelines are meant to help managers avoid breaking the law — almost like insurance. If it was even possible to prohibit/prevent plovers from nesting in areas where there’s recreation, there would barely be any beach left on Long Island for plovers to breed in. It’s also important to know that as long as you keep your distance, you can walk, fish, kayak, read, relax, beachcomb, take photos, splash in the waves, sunbathe, bike, and watch birds without disturbing them. 

B) There are permitting options under the law to help managers balance recreation or other needs.  However, there needs to be a net benefit to the species.  So if an applicant wanted to keep some areas of the beach open, they would have to improve habitat conditions within the vicinity.  Refer to:

 https://www.fws.gov/endangered/esa-library/pdf/HCP_Incidental_Take.pdf “ for more information about this permit.

4. Is there an independent evaluation of nesting sites other than that if FWS closings (transparency) 

Response:

A)The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can only close our own properties, i.e. national wildlife refuges, and a small number of beaches with landowner permission. Nearly all other beach closures on non-Refuge lands (90-95 % of the beaches on Long Island) are done by the land owners (private property, Towns, Villages, County, State or other Federal agencies). 

B) The landowners and USFWS/New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) usually don’t provide specific nest locations because of likely vandalism. However, you could work with the local monitors to volunteer your time to help follow the bird families throughout the season, and get an understanding of where they nest, what they face, etc.

5. What level of nesting pairs will the status of endangered, then be lowered to threaten or less.

Response:

The Atlantic Coast population of piping plovers are federally threatened and state endangered.  USFWS recovery goals to de-list the piping plover are provided in the piping plover recovery plan (found at: https://www.fws.gov/northeast/pipingplover/) and are listed as follows: 

A) Increase and maintain for five years a total of 2,000 breeding pairs, distributed among four recovery units as follows: Atlantic Canada, 400 pairs; New England, 625 pairs; New York-New Jersey, 575 pairs; Southern (DE-MD-VA-NC), 400 pairs.

B) Verify the adequacy of a 2,000 pair population of piping plovers to maintain genetic diversity over the long term;

C) Achieve five-year average productivity of 1.5 fledged chicks per pair in each of the four recovery units, based on data from sites that collectively support at least 90%, of the recovery unit’s population.

D) Institute long-term agreements to assure protection and management sufficient to maintain the population targets and average productivity in each recovery unit.

E) Ensure long-term maintenance of wintering habitat, sufficient in quantity, quality, and distribution to maintain survival rates for a 2,000-pair population.

The NYSDEC uses the USFWS’s criteria for down-grading the status of the species.

6. How many nesting pairs are there on Long Island.

Response:

403 pairs nested on Long Island in 2018.  Combined with 98 pair in New Jersey, the total for the NY-NJ recovery unit was 501 pair while the recovery goal as stated above, is 575 pair for this unit.  The total estimated number of pair of breeding piping plovers within the Atlantic Coast population in 2018 was 1,879 pair while the recovery goal is 2,000 pair. Think about it this way… Populations of some other rare animals like polar bears are more than double the number of piping plovers in the world. We just posted the 2018 rangewide (with state breakdown) numbers if you want to check them out:  https://www.fws.gov/northeast/pipingplover/ – scroll on the right side to Abundance and Productivity Estimates. 

7. With the increasing population of Plovers, wouldn’t the closures increase ?

Response:

If the population increases, there could be an increase in beach closures, although plover management tends to occur in the same vicinities since plovers usually return to the same areas each year.  When plover populations increase, they generally expand into sections of the beach within established management areas.  In most cases, the closures are occurring in the same areas each year.          

8. Why has FWS sprayed herbicides to our beaches to enhance Plover habitat at the increased risk of habitat erosion on the protective outer beach.

Response:

The New York District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used herbicides in order to fulfill habitat restoration efforts as part of the Fire Island Inlet to Moriches Inlet Fire Island Stabilization Project.  Contact the Corps of Engineers for further information.  This vegetation management occurred on the bayside of the barrier island and did not diminish the storm damage protection function of the engineered ocean shore dune. 

9. Are there ways we can deter Piping Plovers from nesting in certain areas utilized by ORV, camping and fishing ?

Response:

A) Deterring nesting would involve harassing the plovers.  As described above, harassment of federally-listed species is a violation of the ESA.

B) The landowner could consider applying for an incidental take permit as described above.

10. Won’t the removal natural predators of Piping Plovers upset current balances of outer beach wildlife and risk creating other imbalances?

Response:

Many of the predators of plovers, including gulls, crows, raccoons and foxes are at elevated populations in coastal areas due to human presence and associated garbage that is left behind that either directly attracts these species or the species (rodents) that they prey upon.  The current levels of coastal wildlife populations are not in balance, if they were, the piping plover, along with numerous other coastal species, would not be federally and state-listed.     

11. Do the larger populations of 

Gulls, Terns, and Killdeer reduce the breeding of Piping Plovers and if so why aren’t controls in place to lower those populations?

While gulls can be predators of piping plovers, terns and killdeer are not.  Should it be determined that predators (birds or mammals) are significantly affecting the productivity of piping plovers, predator management efforts, in coordination and permission with the landowner, could be considered and have been implemented in the past to target specific species at specific locations.  The installation of exclosures (wire fence cages with space for plovers to enter and exit while keeping predators out) over plover nests is an alternate measure to address egg predation. 

 So we must learn to live with Piping Plovers and fish alternatively to get to where the fish are, and with Covid19 in the mix remain socially distant.

With the coronavirus on everyone’s minds, we decided to make this entire 150-page issue accessible to all surfcasters. Just go to www.surfcastersjournal.comand you can access all the articles and all the videos in this issue.

We want to thank our sponsors for making this special issue available to everyone during this difficult time. Lamiglas Rods, Super Strike Lures, J&H Tackle, ODM Rods, Captree Bait & Tackle, The Surfcaster, Pete’s Place Rentals, Wolverine Tackle, Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle, Guppy Lures, Paulies Bait & Tackle, Cuttyhunk Fishing Club, Fisherman’s Headquarters, Century Rods & Saltwaters Tackle. We are also planning a special bonus issue for our subscribers later in the year.

We will overcome this and be back on the beach in no time doing what we love. In the meantime, follow the experts guidelines and be safe!

Zeno, Tommy & Crew

by Jerry Audet (@indeepoutdoors)

I don’t know about anyone else out there, but I have had a perpetual sense of holding my breath for at least the last week. I’m out of work, as I know so many others are right now. The timeline of this unprecedented threat keeps changing, keeps stretching, keeps getting more frightening. It seems like every morning when I wake up and check the news I cross all my fingers and toes that something will be different. But, so far, it never is; or rather it’s never different in a good way.

Unless you’re in NJ, who is already seeing a steady stream of schoolies, we’re all still some measure of moons away from getting our first fish in the surf. If you’re on Long Island, it might only be another week or two (after all, there are reports of fish already on the very western portions of the North Shore). Up here in Southern New England, I’d say it’ll be one and a half moon phases- I won’t be surprised this year if we see some little rats after the first Moon of April- during the week of the 15^th.

I believe all this, yet, I still found myself fishing the surf last week in Massachusetts.

To be fair, I started in the back waters of a documented herring run. I’ve never fished it this early before, but I had heard whispers that there were already herring in this spot. I knew that even if there were (spoiler alert: there weren’t), the chances of even a hold-over fish being in this area was unlikely; or maybe even some measure beyond that. Impossible, no; more like, improbably uncertain. It’s not deep, it’s not connected or even close to a major river or anything like that. In days gone by, when there were more hold-overs and migrating fish came earlier, maybe. But not anymore.

Yet, I had to go. Right now, I think I speak for so many of us when I say I’m just craving some kind of structure to my life. I’m looking for something to ground me and pull me out of the constant negative news and media cycle (albeit justifiably morose). I’m looking for something familiar, to remind me that this won’t last forever. That things will be OK. I needed to get out of the house and do something. Go somewhere.

So I went fishing. I packed big herring plugs, and lots of plastic swimmers that look like spearing. I ignored that overpoweringly logical portion of my brain that was practically screaming at me how ridiculously frivolous this endeavor was. I went because I needed to get out. I went because I needed to remember something good. I went because I didn’t know what else to do.

It was warm and calm, and I had the immediate feelings I had when I was here last. It felt almost identical; déjà vu. The last time I had fished here, in late November, I had landed a surprising 15-pound class fish on my fly rod deep in the night. So, for at least a half hour, I kept feeling like that could happen again. The current was right. The barometric pressure felt right. The whole vibe of the place felt oh-so-fishy. At one point, I actually started to utter the words “come on, come one” like I do when I’ve had a few fish and am trying to nail a perfect drift. I really believed.

I didn’t catch anything. Didn’t even get a hit. Didn’t see a single bit of bait.

But as I fished, a knot in my chest started to loosen. I hadn’t even realized it was there; had been living with it for a couple of weeks and had grown accustomed to it. Like after you cook fish; that smell you don’t notice in the house, because you’ve lived with it for so long; until you leave to go outside and check the mail or go for a jog. Then you come back inside, and realize it’s strong. It was like that. I had left the anxiety of the news and social media behind, immersed myself in the night, and suddenly realized I was more stressed than I had realized. As I fished, I found myself unwinding, coming out of a daze.

I walked the estuary further than I’ve ever gone before. I figured this was my chance to explore. But ultimately, it was all quiet; dead isn’t the right word, because there were crabs and Geese and Owls. Just no bait fish or hungry Stripers. Not yet, but soon. After only ninety-minutes I was starting to feel my concentration lapsing. I wondered: what if the Herring are just out further? Waiting to make the run up inside? A very small part of me knew this was an excuse to stay out longer; all the rest of me didn’t care.

I decided to take a longer walk, and head out towards the open surf.

As I mentioned, it was calm last week when I went. I couldn’t really hear or sense the beach until I practically stepped onto the sand. When I did eventually turn the corner from the estuary and emerged into the tiny breaking waves of the surf, I felt the sounds and smells descend on me suddenly like a comforting presence. It felt good, it felt right. It was familiar; an old friends voice speaking words of comfort. It reminded me that soon the fish will be back. Soon, I will be struggling to keep up with “everything else” as I plunge into the sleep deprived world of striped bass surf fishing.

It reminded me that there are still things to look forward to. And there always will be.

I walked a bit further, enjoying the sounds the sand made under my boots and the luscious humidity of the warm night. I worked my way along a deep section of beach and made many hopeful, but futile, casts. I could have cared less whether the fish were there or not. The act of fishing- of casting and walking, of observing and reacting- was enough. I was beaming from ear to ear. So many memories came to me in that small stretch of time casting. Good memories; really good memories. After some hours lost in nostalgia, I made the long walk back to the car and drove home. I slept better that night than I had in weeks.

Go fishing. Who cares if there are fish. If that was all it was about, we’d all have boats and be fishing in stocked trout ponds. Go reconnect with your spots. Maybe try something new; spot, species, or technique. “Hey, you never know” as the saying goes. But don’t worry about your chances of catching something. Go, because to go is familiar in these times that are riddled with uncertainty. Shake out your old gear, test whatever you have that’s new. Warm-up casting muscles long-neglected over the last four or more months. Reinvigorate a mind distracted and burdened with “the real world”. Spend some time in the places that spark imagination and let you disconnect from reality for an hour or two.

Go fishing to remind yourself that there are still bright spots in these dark times.

Editor’s Note

This is a guest article by Jerry Audet. You can folow Jerry @indeepoutdoors

Daytime Surf Bag aka bag full of tins during the sand ell run

Back from mexico chasing roosters  with another Surf Fishing 101 video

 

Fishing Line

New Issue is up

Go FISH then read!

It is remarkable how quickly the world is changing around us

Few years ago this blog was the epicenter of our universe and I remember Tommy telling me you should move posting to the social media and I said naaaah, that’s never going to happen.

And yet now we find that we disseminate information via instagram (mostly  because even Facebook got old)  more often than not. That’s how quickly it changed

I am feeling old 

Anyway, tomorrow is the Fisherman Surf Show

Also the only place to pick up new SJ daYTIME crEW  PsyCDedelic shirts

See you all there

PS Don’t take the changes as sign we don’t have anything new in the bag. We still got few surprises in our bag for the future and yeah, September issue of SJ too

Night Time Lure Bag video

 

(By Ross Squire (President, NY Coalition for Recreational Fishing; 1@32 Pledge on Facebook)

ASMFC Draft Addendum 6 Recommendations and Talking Points

After much discussion and review we have formulated our recommendations for the options presented in the Draft Addendum. You will find the recommendations and some talking points and reasoning below. I am also attaching a document containing the same info. Contact info on where to send your letters and emails will be posted in the next few days.

Some quick comments. There really are pros and cons for every one of the harvest reduction proposals. Cases can be made for and against slot sizes and options that target mostly larger fish. Ultimately, we option to select the 1@35″ or 1@36″ size limit. Our greatest concern is that the impact of the slot size on the long-term health of the fishery is a huge unknown. This is clearly stated in the Draft Addendum. At this time we just did not think that it was worth the risk so we opted for the regulation that is closest to what worked last time. 1@36 was very successful in the rebuilding of the fishery and our expectation is that history will repeat itself.

The second factor that went into our recommendation is that we believe that it is important to allow as many of the small fish that we are seeing to have as many spawning years as possible before they become exploitable. We recognize the issues related to dead releases but our expectation is that along with the use of circle hooks, this option will provide the greatest protection to smaller fish.

So give this a review. While it would be great if there were overwhelming consensus within the recreational community, we encourage you to come to your own decision. Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments.

ASMFC Draft Addendum 6 Recommendations and Talking Points

RECOMMENDATION: Option 2: 18% reductions applied equally between recreational and commercial sector

Talking points:

• All sectors contribute to the wellness or depletion of a fishery. Given that striped bass are overfished with overfishing occurring our belief is that all sectors should share equally in the reduction.

• This opinion is supported by the realization that the commercial sector was handed a gift with Addendum 6. Their harvest reductions are based on the Addendum IV quotas and not their 2017 harvest. We have no understanding of why the Management Board would not apply the same standard of the 2017 harvest that is being used for the recreational sector. When you look at the new the new quota of 4,871,182 pounds in Addendum 6 that applies the 18% reduction, it is actually an INCREASE from the commercial harvest of 4,796,395 in 2017. When the 1.8% option is applied to the commercial sector the quota balloons to 5,833,537 pounds, an increase of 22% above their 2017 harvest.

• We long for the day when the ASMFC is consistent with the criteria that they use when computing the recreational and commercial sector harvest reductions.

RECOMMENDATION: Option 2-A1: 1@35”; anticipated total removal reduction of 18%

Talking points:

• There are valid pros and cons to all of the options listed.

• We have concerns about proposals that target small fish and also concerns about options that target specific year classes.

• While our initial reaction is to favor the option with the highest anticipated total removals, we are worried about the lack of data on the impact a slot will have on the overall fishery. We are worried when we read in the Draft Addendum that the long term conservation benefits of implementing slot limits may not be realized if effort is concentrated on fish within the slot limit.

• Ultimately, there is no way that we can ignore or discount past history. We have seen the effect of 1@36” as that was the regulation that was adopted that led to the rebuilding of the striped bass fishery.

• We are opting to trust that history will repeat itself with 1@35”.

• There are a significant number of smaller fish in the fishery. Strong year classes from 2014 and 2015 need to be protected. Option 2-A1 will allow these fish the largest number of spawning years before they become exploitable. This is critical to the rebuilding of the striped bass fishery.

• We recognize that there will be some within the recreational sector that favor a 28”-35” slot. We believe that it is important to permit smaller fish as many years as possible to spawn before making them exploitable.

• The option is the easiest to enforce.

• The option will result in more caught fish being kept out of water for the least amount of time.

• While this option will exploit the larger fish, the impact will be spread out over a number of year classes.

RECOMMENDATION: Option 2-B1 1@18”; anticipated total removal reduction of 20%

Talking points:

• We are deeply concerned about the impact of all of the Chesapeake Bay options on the critically important younger year classes. Addendum IV was unsuccessful in its efforts to protect the critical 2011 year class, which was, and continues to be, overexploited by Maryland anglers.

• In total 2,500,000 more fish were harvested by Chesapeake Bay anglers than were expected to be harvested in Addendum IV; many of these fish were part of the 2011 year class that Addendum IV was intended to protect.

• While we are not in favor of any of the options listed for the Chesapeake Bay, Option 2-B1 is expected to achieve the greatest harvest reduction. It is for this reason that we recommend Option 2-B1.

• We are deeply disappointed that the Draft Addendum 6 harvest reductions are based on the overage that Maryland achieved and not the Addendum IV harvest levels that they should have been achieving. The options presented in this draft addendum reward Maryland for the gross overharvesting that occurred.

RECOMMENDATION: Option 3.2.B Mandatory use of non-offset circle hooks

Talking points:

• All efforts should be taken to reduce dead releases. Circle hooks have been proven in multiple studies to reduce fish mortality and should be required when fishing live and dead bait.

• Option 3.2.B must be accompanied by an aggressive education and awareness campaign. Different angling methods are used when using non-offset circle hooks. If these methods are not used when fishing with circle hooks, anglers will become frustrated at their difficulty in landing striped bass. This could lead to issues of compliance and participation. Education and awareness programs will be critical to ensuring adoption of the circle hooks. The Rhode Island Saltwater Angler’s Association’s and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s CRANK, DON’T YANK education program can be used as a model.

ADDITIONAL TAKING POINTS:

• We have no confidence in the ASMFC’s ability to accurately assess conservation equivalency proposals and even less confidence in their ability to manage conservation equivalency proposals when they do not achieve the anticipated harvest reductions.

• As a result, we are adamantly opposed to the consideration of conservation equivalency proposals when the striped bass fishery is overfished or overfishing is occurring.

• States have used conservation equivalency to game the system and jeopardize the success of the Addendums.

• Our demand is that the ASMFC and Technical Committee incorporate the lessons learned from Addendum IV and that they improve their assessment methods. Being off by 200% in the Chesapeake Bay recreational fishery is not a rounding error. It is a process error.

• The management board should be required to take corrective action in instances where the conservation equivalency is not meeting the intended harvest reduction (variance of 25% or more).

• For the years 2014-2018, combined, the large majority of all recreational trips that primarily targeted striped bass were made by shore-based anglers and by anglers in private or rental boats. The management measures ultimately included in Addendum VI should be primarily designed to address the needs and preferences of the anglers who make the overwhelming majority of the trips, and not the very small minority of anglers who utilize other modes to access the fishery.

• Segments of the recreational sector seeking a smaller slot size can apply for conservation equivalency exceptions. To be considered, any conservation equivalency proposal should be required to at least meet the State’s adopted harvest reduction percentage.