1@28 for the entire east coast. Rod and reel ONLY. No if's and's or butt's.

Conservational Equivalency..this may not be such a good thing afterall. I guess we'll see what the individual states vote in.
One mind boggling possible recommendation the ASFMC made at the meetings was that 2@33" would be a 29% reduction (Option B5) so a state could still vote in 2@whatever # to meet the cons. equiv factor predicted by the ASFMC. We'll see which states are quick to adopt these. I'm lost at that "science" thinks killing 2@33 instead of 2@28 is a "reduction". Somehow to me this doesn't look so good.

What's wrong with that? As long as its a 25% reduction, why should we care exactly how it is achieved?

As I understand it, conservation equivalancy was part of the approved motion. If that's the case, there would be no public hearing for equivalent regulations, all that is needed is the approval of the technical committee.

Whats wrong with that is that the large breeders really should be protected. 2 @33" will do nothing toward dealing with the obscene charter slaughters up and down the coast. In most cases, 2 @33 is what most of them are bringing to the dock now.

I couldn't agree more
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Mike - I'm not sure if it anything like this would need to come from the RI Striped Bass Advisory Committee and then to the RIMFC?

That's why a slot with a relatively small bass coupled with a trophy bass over 45", for example, would provide much better protection of the breeding stock.

There is no comparison between a one fish bag, and a two fish bag.

The goal of the addendum was to protect the current SSB and the 2011 yoy.

A one fish bag answers that call, but a CE measure such as two @ 33" or larger doesn't help the SSB component, despite the "on paper it works" train of thought.
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The 1 fish at 28" or greater was quickly changed to include or any limit that meets the 25% reduction. This opens it up to many other options. As Patrick said now we have to watch the states. NH will be meeting to decide on the new limit on Nov 6. See below

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department will hold a public hearing on proposed marine rules on November 6, 2014, at 7 p.m. at the Urban Forestry Center, 45 Elwyn Road in Portsmouth, N.H. The hearing is an opportunity to provide public comment on proposed changes to recreational bag and/or size limits for striped bass. These changes are being proposed to comply with measures in Addendum IV to Amendment 6 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass.

Written comments on the new rules may be submitted by November 13, 2014. E-mail to comments@wildlife.nh.gov (please put "Comment on Marine Rules" in subject line); fax to (603) 271-1438; or mail to Executive Director, N.H. Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301.

From the original Add. IV, below are just some of the options a state may select.


1 at > 28” >31% reduction
1 at > 30” > 31% reduction
1 at >32” > 31% reduction
1 at 28-40” slot > 31% reduction
2 at >33” > 29% reduction
2 at 28-34” slot > 28% reduction
2 at (1 slot, 1 trophy) 1 fish 28-34” slot 1 fish 36” min >28% reduction
2 at (1 slot, 1 trophy) 1 fish 28-36” slot 1 fish 38” min >26% reduction
2 at (1 slot, 1 trophy) 1 fish 28-37” slot 1 fish 40” min >26% reduction

Sorry if this was already answered but on the Rec side, how do they know what the reduction % impact is here when they don't even know what the rec harvest actually is? How can you say the reduction will be X % when you don't even know what that X % is.
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Spot on - all the charter boats slamming big fish at the SW corner will happily abide by a 2 @ 33 = business as usual

Might need a new battlecry - "Hold the bag at one" or something similar. It will be a mess if different states go two fish bag. It will only take one state... then all the other bordering states will cry unfair advantage, especially in the for hire component. Happend with tautog. Time to hold the line. Fight for this fish is not done.

Any state or group, and especially the for-hire industry, trying to get two fish now will be as welcome as a monster fart at a church funeral. :nailem:

The for hire industry is certainly going to push for 2 fish and if they get 2@33" or some equivalent it really won't have much of an impact on the numbers of fish the for hire sector is taking. What it will do is make it that much harder for the average recreational guy to get a keeper. There are many people out there today who spend good money on bait and gear and who struggle with finding any keeper sized fish with limits at 28". What will end up happening if 2@33" is adopted is that the for hire sector will go on more or less unaffected by the cuts while the average recreational guy takes the brunt of the cuts. Doesn't sound fair to me when we are talking about a public resource.

Ah! Sorry I thought you were talking about public hearing by the ASMFC. Yes, the normal procedure would be for the RIMFC to take it up at one of their monthly meetings, where they would accept comments from the public.

A 2 fish at 33 inches will completely protect the 2011 year class, at least for a few years. A 1 at 28 inches will not protect the 2011 year class after next year.

There is nothing to prevent the for hire industry from having different rules than the general puublic. NY has done it for years with striped bass and RI already does it for scup and tog.

And what's wrong with that? It will accomplish the conservation objective even if it won't satisfy your jealously.

Obscene is in the eye of the beholder. :) Most of the guy fishing on those charters only do so once a year, so effectively they would be fishing under a two fish a year limit, or don't you think the average charter fisherman should have to the same rights as a shore or private boat fisherman?

Wow Mike, T think you've set a record for the most rants on a single thread ever. do you never have any posetive point towards conservation in any way or is all just about how many you can kill to make a buck. Boy do your rants get anoying after a while.

Either way I'm still making Chowda out of them bastages!
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With all due respect it really doesn't much matter that guys charter only once a year. The charters themselves are on the water daily with the next batch of "once a year" sportsmen.

Great post - this has the potential to be a state by state clusterf*ck.

I understand the statistics in how it's justified, but for practical matters, "Conservational Equivalent" = F'ing mess.
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And I'm still eatin it!!!!'
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right- I'm not sure what the motivation is to keep coming onto this site (and others) to continually antagonize people over their beliefs on strier fishing..... I'm not sure where ou're coming from at all!! It used to be a reasonable, well-contemplated discussion with you, but lately you seem to get some strange satisfaction by jabbing at folks who want to see the fishery conserved (rather than exploited)

And that is exactly the point. Great post #^&#^&#^&#^&. You beat me too it.
Mike is just trying to protect his lively-hood at the expense of the future striper fishery.

I'm all in favor of conservation, in fact, as I pointed out a number of times the plan put forward by the ASMFC only has a slightly better than 50-50 chance of achieving the objective. I would have much preferred a 1 @ 32 limit which would have a much better chance of preventing overfishing. What I don't get is the hypocrisy of people cheering for the new limits while seeking to deny the same limits to other folks.

FYI I have never chartered for striped bass, its not my specialty, and I haven't chartered at all for the past three years while I was taking care of my wife. Ypu guys just don't seem to get two basic points:

1- striped bass spawning success is totally dependent on the weather, something we have no control over. What the ASMFC is trying to do is keep the SSB high enough so that when we do get favorable weather conditions we will get an extremely large year class of fish, like the 2011 year class.

2- The best hope for a strong spawn is from the 2011 year class, and that year class will only be protected for about a year with these new rules.

The charterboats are like buses that only take the fishermen to the fishing grounds. Maybe we should restrict private boats to only fishing once a week? How about prohibiting fishing from the beach every other weekend?

Its also annoying to me how so many guys can ignore the basic life history of the fish we are trying to protect. Look back at my posts and you'll find I wanted new rules that were stricter than what was adopted.

For the record, I have never made one thin dime from striped bass.

OK, then I apologize. I did not know you didn't charter for Stripers.

I will agree with some reservations with Point #1.

Point #2 become somewhat academic as if we don't protect SOMETHING then we will be left with NOTHING. I understand that 1 @ 28 only protects, in theory, one year class but Mike, you have to start somewhere.

I don't believe that the new rules will do anything to stop the wanton slaughter of 40s and 50s that took place at the SW Ledge and The Block in general, this past Summer. Perhaps the 25% decrease in the comm quote will do something to mitigate this problem but, and I have been preaching this for years now, the only way the Striper problem gets solved permanently is with Game Fish Status.

That being said, I firmly believe that I will not see this in my lifetime.

Per Mike's point on 2011 year protection, maybe this needs to be like the fluke regs. Each year the legal length goes up to continue protection of that year population for spawning until things get back to where they need to be. Just a thought....not likely to happen me thinks.

There is nothing that says they can only fish on a charter. They can fish from shore or private boat. Whether it is a charter or the banks of the canal, it is obscene and the regulations need to reduce it. I don't care if the guys do so once a year. The boats go out twice a day and hit the same schools of big fish over and over until they are depleted, then move on to the next one.
http://www.virginiabeachstriperfishi...20-%20Copy.JPG

I'll guarantee that most of the fish in that picture ended up in a dumpster. Either soon after the picture or a year later tossed in the trash with freezer burn.
I've been on both sides of the fence on this issue for a long time. But taking into account the greed of the few that effect the pleasure of the many, I agree with Paul. Make it a gamefish and the problem is solved. Though not in my lifetime either.
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Sad thought isn't it MAKAI. We've spent yrs working to preserve what a few want to wipe out to pay for a cruise or a new boat or motor.

Allowing charter boats to continue to kill two fish per customer is disgusting. Every recreational fisherman should be on equal footing.

You shouldn't be able to buy extra fish above your limit by hiring someone who has lobbied his ASMFC reps to allow you to kill more fish than the rest of us so he might profit.

PERIOD.

Amen!
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Numbskull summed it up... I totally agree
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Very well said!!
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