Connie Connelly/Star Democrat
The States along with recreational and commercial fishermen are starting to get nervous as the March 1st deadline approaches for proposals on striped bass reductions. I'm not going to re-invent the wheel by explaining, through my eyes, what's been going on with Amendment 7 and Addendum II. Basically following the Emergency Action last year, where the slot was introduced in most waters, the ASMFC this winter called for a harder cut in striped bass mortality, mostly from angling harvests, discards and catch and release mortality. There are other reasons why the striped bass numbers are in the toilet, but we can't control what we can't control. And most times we can't control ourselves.
As reported in the Star Democrat Maryland charter boat operators, commercial fishermen, local politicians, and anglers met up on Saturday February 17 to voice their displeasure with the new options that had been offered for the Chesapeake Bay. The big option, that was narrowly avoided, were mode splits for the not for hire and for hire fleet. It was proposed that charter boat operations, you know for-profit commercial businesses (but somehow listed under the recreational sector), would have been able to keep two fish per person per day while the average angler would be able to keep one. For 2024, for non-commercial anglers, shore or boat, charter or private, the Bay's slot limit is 19 - 24 inches. "Out front" it's the 28 - 31 inch slot.
The President of the Maryland Charter Boat Association, Captain Brian Hartman, had an interesting take on what's going on, and it may strengthen my argument that charter boat operators should be under the commercial sector and quotas. He said, "Give us our own quota like the commercial guys", Hardman said. "We are a commercial entity, give us our own quota and then leave us alone. If we fish it out that's our problem". So, you they are, these guys should be under the commercial side, and their subsequent mortality numbers fall with the commercial, not the recreational side. Watermen fishing outside the dead zones in the summer catching and releasing fish in 80 degree water will die, and those mortality numbers should fall under the, "We are a commercial entity". And I have to circle back to, "If we fish it out that's our problem", well that's not a good way of looking at quotas, especially for a species we are trying to rebuild and save.
Captain Robert Newberry, Chairman of the Delmarva Fisherman's Association, implied that more action on the part of the business side of striped bass needs to be done, "This has got to stop...we need to explore all avenues". He stated a protest in Annapolis, strategically "going our of compliance (that's a Jersey thing), and or filing a lawsuit in Federal Court, as potentially options.
Now maybe a little suggestion. Let's compare the Raritan Bay to the Chesapeake Bay. If we put a stop to fishing for striped bass in the Raritan what would you have left? Fluke? Maybe some porgy fishing? Maybe bluefish if they show up again. But down in the Chesapeake they have an abundance of fish that can be targeted. Besides the bass there's the invasive blue catfish and snake heads, red fish, cobia, sea bass, weakfish, black drum, fluke, tog, and then perch and other non-salty fishes in the upper parts and the tributaries, and there's always out front. They have options if they can't load up on striped bass. They have to change their game.
We know things are changing. There are a ton of factors that have led to this point in striped bass history and they aren't all pointing to angler and harvesting pressure like it was more so in the bad times of 1970's and 80's. Maybe the "commercial" charter boat operations have to change with the times. If I hired a fly fishing charter in the Chesapeake and the Captain educated me on the state of the fishery and told me we'd be going to target redfish or cobia on the fly I'd be all in.
The dinosaurs didn't adapt very well and look what happened to them.