ASMFC, Mass, and Striped Bass
 

Just read the minutes of the annual meeting of the ASMFC striped bass committee: (see below). Is anyone surprised that Mass voted to look at increasing commercial quotas in the future. No wonder SF is targeting Mass for gamefish status. Look at vote results by state at bottom.

ATLANTIC STRIPED BASS MANAGEMENT BOARD (February 2, 2009)
Meeting Summary
The Striped Bass Management Board met to review reports on requested analyses and discuss the possibility of an addendum to Amendment 6. Following its October 2008 meeting, where discussion of an addendum was postponed due to time constraints and information needs, the Board developed a list of seven tasks for the Technical Committee and one task for the Committee on Economics and Social Sciences. The reports presented at this meeting were preliminary; final reports are expected in May. A motion to initiate an addendum based on an analysis in the preliminary Technical Committee report was made, but failed for the lack of a majority. It is likely that the discussion of an addendum will continue in May when the final reports are due.


The Technical Committee report included preliminary analyses on the following topics: the expected increase in fishing mortality from an increase in the coastal commercial quotas; conservationally equivalent recreational regulations to the current two fish at 28 inches regulation; uncertainty around terminal year fishing mortality estimates and the fishing mortality reference points; the age structure of striped bass caught in the January- February fisheries off North Carolina and Virginia; projections of the age structure and female spawning stock biomass under increasing fishing mortality; the proportion of age 15 and older striped bass in the population under the current regulations and several alternatives; and potential error in stock assessment results resulting from the use of scale-based ages of striped bass. The Technical Committee is expected to reconvene in late March or early April to approve a final report on the analyses.


During the Technical Committee’s discussion of its tasks, two additional concerns were raised that the Committee concluded should be brought to the Board’s attention. The first issue pertained to a potential bias in recreational harvest estimates due to complications in survey methodology from the proliferation of cell phone use. On behalf of the National Marine Fisheries Service, Gordon Colvin reported that this issue was being addressed in the redesign of the recreational survey. The second issue involved increasing evidence that the mycobacteriosis disease in the Chesapeake Bay could be increasing natural mortality of striped bass. The Technical Committee will continue to monitor these issues and consider their implications during stock assessment modeling.


The Committee on Economics and Social Sciences (CESS) report provided the progress to date on evaluating management’s success with fostering quality and economically viable recreational, for-hire, and commercial fisheries (an objective in Amendment 6). Based on the data and models available, the Board asked the CESS to
evaluate the economic effect of striped bass fisheries in terms of expenditures, the ripple effect through the economy, and the viability of the fishery in terms of how effort, expenditures, and revenue have changed since 1995.


Added to the Board’s agenda was discussion of the ongoing investigation into illegal commercial striped bass harvest, sale, and purchase in the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. Thomas O’Connell, Director of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries Service, reviewed the currently known aspects of the investigation, and informed the Board that the DNR has proposed regulations to improve harvest reporting and accountability measures. Because the investigation is ongoing, the Board requested another update from the DNR at the Board’s next meeting.

For more information, please contact Nichola Meserve, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at (202) 289-6400
or nmeserve@asmfc.org.\


Motions
Move to initiate an addendum including options to increase the coastal commercial quotas by 10, 15, 20 and 25% and adopt a 50% underage rollover.

Motion made by Mr. Johnson, second by Mr. Calomo. Motion fails by roll call vote (In favor: MA, NY, DE, DC, PRFC, VA, and NC; Opposed: ME, NH, RI, CT, NJ, PA, and MD; Abstention: NMFS; absent: USFWS).

Close vote 7-7 tie. Only one state has to change its mind to get it approved in May.

Whats the matter with Mass ,, Imbarrising ..

Does NMFS and USFWS abstain because this is a state's call? Or do they have the ability to vote one way or the other?

What can be done to put pressure on Ma or NY (for example) to change position?

This committee has almost always voted in favor of commercials
My thought is to petition members as a group not as individuals

MA RI members

MA Paul Diodati
MA DMF
251 Causeway Street, #400
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 617/626-1530
FAX: 617/626-1509
William A. Adler
Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association
PO Box 397
Green Harbor, MA 02041
Phone: 781/545-6984
FAX: 781/545-7837
Rep. Anthony Verga
66 Perkins Street
Gloucester, MA 01930
Phone: 978/283-2675
FAX: 978/283-5870
RI Mark Gibson
RI DEM
3 Fort Wetherill Road
Jamestown, RI 02835
Phone: 401/423-1940
FAX: 401/423-1925

Everett A. Petronio, Jr.
1239 Hartford Avenue
Johnson, RI 02919
Phone: 401/273-8800
Vice-Chair, ASMFC Governors' Appointees
Senator V. Susan Sosnowski
680 Glen Rock Rd
West Kingston, RI 02892
Phone: 401/276-5547

Good luck with the Mass. members---you'll need it :doh:

Recs take more and we had fish though you may not have. This year could be different, every year is. They could end up in 'Gannset s#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g down a glut of pogies or they could by-pass and end up here again like last year. With the fishing we saw here last year, on both legal sale fish and school bass, it's no wonder.

Last year was the first in many moons we didn't experience a case of the doldrums if you knew where to fish.

Stripers Forever paints an incomplete picture spun for thier use.

Is anyone else amazed MD voted against.

Whether we agree or not, frankly, I cannot imagine voting against commercial harvesting as that would be tantamount to taking away person's right to earn a living. Particulary, in this economy. I just don't see it happening.

Agreed. Perception of the fishery is all about distribution of fish on a given year. Gansett in 2007 versus 2008 is a perfect example. How did it allegedly go from one of the best big fish years ever in 2007 to a much lesser fishery for real large fish in 2008? Its likely the fish simply set up shop in another locale.

Some groups/people use the word "crisis" when describing the current state of affairs w/striped bass and its a bit overdone, IMO.
That said, there's obviously not an endless supply of fish, but fisheries management people don't seem to act conservatively until a species is on the brink of extinction. The bass currently don't fit into this mold, IMO. Don't be surprised if the quota gets increased.

Some poeple here may not realize it, but during the moratorium years, Mass had an open commercial striped bass fishery:doh: Pretty sure we were the only state on the coast too. With that precedent in place, don't expect more conservative measures now.