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piemma · 09-13-2004, 12:25 PM

Striped bass hit a snag in recovery
Fish's numbers grew under catch limits but are falling again

Associated Press
First published: Monday, September 13, 2004

Biologists are trying to find out why the survival rate of striped bass, whose numbers rebounded under strict catch limits in the Chesapeake Bay, appears to be falling.
"There's an increased concern by fisheries managers that we could be looking at some future crash" of the striped bass population, said Wolfgang Vogelbein, a scientist at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

Pollution, disease or starvation could be at fault, biologists say. Some scientists also are beginning to ask whether the recreational-catch limits and commercial-harvest quotas, which helped the striped bass recovery, are too restrictive.

"We've got a rare case of a species coming back to high abundance and are now seeing things that may be problems caused by this high abundance," said Desmond Kahn, a biologist with the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife.

If the trend continues, the decline would be the first threat striped bass have faced since the 1980s, when overfishing whittled down their numbers to such a point that the federal government banned fishing for the species from North Carolina to Maine.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, composed of Virginia, New York and 13 other Atlantic states, engineered the moratorium. It earned accolades from conservationists worldwide when the striped bass population rebounded to record highs.

The Atlantic commission declared the striped bass "fully recovered" in 1995.

Striped bass now support a multimillion-dollar sports fishing industry in Virginia and are regularly pursued by commercial netters. The state controls the sport and commercial harvests through catch quotas.

About 75 percent of the coastal striped bass population is spawned in the bay. Most of the fish live there for several years until they mature. They then join the adult population that generally migrates offshore from North Carolina to Maine's coastal rivers, returning to the bay each year to spawn.

Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

09-13-2004, 12:25 PM	#29
piemma Very Grumpy bay man iTrader: (0) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 10,825 Blog Entries: 2	Published today Striped bass hit a snag in recovery Fish's numbers grew under catch limits but are falling again Associated Press First published: Monday, September 13, 2004 Biologists are trying to find out why the survival rate of striped bass, whose numbers rebounded under strict catch limits in the Chesapeake Bay, appears to be falling. "There's an increased concern by fisheries managers that we could be looking at some future crash" of the striped bass population, said Wolfgang Vogelbein, a scientist at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Pollution, disease or starvation could be at fault, biologists say. Some scientists also are beginning to ask whether the recreational-catch limits and commercial-harvest quotas, which helped the striped bass recovery, are too restrictive. "We've got a rare case of a species coming back to high abundance and are now seeing things that may be problems caused by this high abundance," said Desmond Kahn, a biologist with the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife. If the trend continues, the decline would be the first threat striped bass have faced since the 1980s, when overfishing whittled down their numbers to such a point that the federal government banned fishing for the species from North Carolina to Maine. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, composed of Virginia, New York and 13 other Atlantic states, engineered the moratorium. It earned accolades from conservationists worldwide when the striped bass population rebounded to record highs. The Atlantic commission declared the striped bass "fully recovered" in 1995. Striped bass now support a multimillion-dollar sports fishing industry in Virginia and are regularly pursued by commercial netters. The state controls the sport and commercial harvests through catch quotas. About 75 percent of the coastal striped bass population is spawned in the bay. Most of the fish live there for several years until they mature. They then join the adult population that generally migrates offshore from North Carolina to Maine's coastal rivers, returning to the bay each year to spawn. Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.