Striped Bass Cooperative Anglers Program ..and Somerset Saltwater Expo

Our readers are always on alert about things that not only concerns them but the fisheries as a whole. Chris Scott is one of those anglers who walked up to us at the recent show and explained to us what NYS  DEC Striped Bass Cooperative Anglers Program is.

“Once you sign up to volunteer you receive a log book and scale envelopes. Anglers log their trips throughout the season and return their book at the end of the year so the data can be entered into the system. The log asks for general information about the trip (i.e. “I fished the south side of Montauk” not “I fished the sewer pipe”,) so there is no need to worry about giving away your fishing secrets. We are more concerned with what anglers are catching and how much effort they put into catching those fish. Anglers are also encouraged to take scale samples from each striped bass they catch before they release the fish. This allows us to age the fish based on the annuli of the scales (like rings on a tree).

The data from both the fishing logs and the scale samples help to build an important recreational data set. Anecdotal data of fisherman observing changes in the fishery become more concrete when there is physical data from multiple anglers collected throughout the season.”

Here is from NY DEC site link http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7899.html

New York State would like your help.

Here’s a chance for recreational anglers to participate in a fishery research project on its most important level, that of data collection for the DEC Striped Bass Cooperative Anglers Program (SBCA).

New York State is required by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, an interstate cooperative fishery management agency, to supplement the Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS) with additional information from our recreational fishery. We satisfy this requirement with the help of New York State volunteer recreational anglers. We provide volunteer anglers logbooks and small envelopes and they send us information about their fishing trips and scale samples. The scale samples are used to determine the age of the fish and create age-at-length keys. The logbook information helps us determine catch per unit effort (CPUE) or fishing success for New York waters. All this information is used to help determine striped bass populations and help in forming management measures for striped bass along the Atlantic coast. At the end of the year all the fishery data we collect are analyzed and presented in an annual report. The report describes any trends and the quality of striped bass fishing for the year and compares it to previous years. You can look at our most recent report and get an idea of what is done with the samples provided by the volunteer anglers by opening the PDF file in the Important Links column to the right.

Perhaps you would like to participated in the SBCA Program. When you join the program you will receive a logbook, scale envelopes and instructions on how to collect scales and what information to collect. At the end of the year you send us the information which will be entered in our database. Your logbook will be returned to you for you to keep for your own records. We also need information from catch and release fishing; therefore you can participate in this program year round. When collecting scales, please collect them from any size fish you may catch. You do not have to worry about the fish, the scales will grow back.

If you would like to participate in the Striped Bass Cooperative Angler Program, please contact our office at (631) 444-0488 and ask for the SBCA program coordinator. Or you can e-mail us at the Bureau of Marine Resources (fwmarine@gw.dec.state.ny.us).

Electronic Fishing Logbook (eLogbook)

New York State recreational anglers can now report their catch in a voluntary online angler logbook, called eLogbook. Anglers can document their fishing activities, compile their fishing data and plan more effective fishing trips. They will also be contributing needed fishing data to researchers and resource managers by sharing what they catch, the sizes of their catch, and where and when they fish. Recreational angling information can be used by DEC and other coastal resource agencies to assess catch levels, estimate discards, and measure fishing effort. If you wish to use this online logbook, please register and log on online at the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) web site. Check the DEC ACCSP and Electronic Reporting web page for more information.

Happy fishing!

Surfcaster’s Journal Crew will be in booth #10 at the Saltwater Expo in Somerset, NJ all weekend. Stop by, catch some blitz footage on our big screen and pick up any shirt we make for free with subscription or renewal. Plus discounted hoodies and other gear

Have a great weekend