1@32 Pledge

[LISurfcaster]

As an avid surfcaster I have been deeply concerned at the state of the striped bass fishery and the lack of action to address the problem. I am encouraged that the ASMFC appears to be moving towards taking action to improve the situation. Indications are that changes may be coming in 2015. I think faster action is needed.

I started the 1@32 Pledge as an interim step to hopefully reduce the harvesting of striped bass. While catch and release is always preferred, the Pledge is simple...in situations when you do not practice catch and release, you pledge to only take one striped bass per day at no less than 32". The 1@32 Pledge applies to fish caught from the surf or shore, on private boats, and party boats.

As we wait for the ASMFC to act, we are hopeful that the Pledge can help to rebuild the striped bass biomass, one angler at a time. In less than a week over 900 anglers have joined the Pledge on Facebook.

This pledge is not an end-all solution - it is only an interim step to help reduce the striped bass harvest. The letter penned by the NY Coalition for Recreational Fishing presents a much more comprehensive list of recommendations for attacking this problem - you can find that letter here: http://www.nycrf.com/stripedbassreductionletter.pdf.

I invite you to consider taking the Pledge. If the Pledge is not appropriate for you, please consider other actions that you can take to help reduce the striped bass harvest and improve the striped bass fishery.

For Facebook users, signup for the Pledge here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/433685153423751/

For everyone else, signup for the Pledge at the ipetitions page here:
http://www.ipetitions/petition/132-pledge

We encourage you to share your Pledge with others via conversations, social media or other avenues. This grassroots movement will not only help striped bass, but will also serve as a “wake-up call” to the ASMFC that we are serious stewards of the resource.

Thanks.

Ross Squire

[bassballer]

1@ 36

[Nebe]

I pledge none at any size...
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[LISurfcaster]

I'd sign up for that too. We considered setting the number larger and settled on 32" as the measure that we felt would gain the greatest traction and hopefully result in the largest number of fish not harvested...As I indicated the pledge encourages C&R.

RS

[piemma]

I think this is a good thing. Will it have any teeth? I don't know. I still think game fish status is the answer.

[Nebe]

Me too Paul. Take the price off of its head.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Redsoxticket]

Originally Posted by Nebe

Me too Paul. Take the price off of its head.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

and place it on seals
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[JohnR]

I hope it has some teeth as things are getting pretty bad.

[DZ]

As someone who has been involved in the forefront of the C&R movement that started in the 1980s I've always thought it should be about selective harvest. I keep bass periodically for my own consumption. Generally it’s a bass just over legal size but could very well be below 32 inches so I won’t take this pledge. That said, I’ve always endorsed the idea of keeping a larger bass only if it was your personal best and was to be mounted or used for personal consumption.

I like the general idea of the pledge but feel it would have more impact if it was “1@32” but less than 40”, for example – protect the cows.
DZ

[piemma]

Dennis, I respect your opinion but please keep in mind that a 28" striper is 6 years old and this is, effectively, their first year to spawn.

Not saying you are wrong to keep a 28" fish. i am saying that the stocks are in trouble and some kind of comprehensive plan has to be put in place.

[FishermanTim]

It sounds good in principle but when you have more anglers that don't share our true love of the fish and the fishery it may not have much impact execpt that with our decrease in keeper fish the "allowable bycatch" kill numbers will be "allowed" ti increase.

Seeing how nothing much has changed in the kill rates of the bycatch fish (which usually are the major breeding stock) our pledge numbers may be dismissed as having little or no impact to the fishery as a whole.

Keep in mind also that if shore bound anglers are reporting a (much) less than stellar season, the commercial catches weren't impacted as much. I am not blaming the commercial guys, just to be clear!!!

I am concerned that our actions and intentions, noble as they are, will be used to further restrict the recreational angler and do nothing to address the real problems effecting the fishery as a whole.

For the record I would not be against 1 @ 34".
Just make sure EVERYONE has to follow the same rules and anyone that catches stripers, intentionally or not, has to be accountable for those catches ($$$).
If not, then it all means NOTHING.

[Liv2Fish]

I believe there is a significant education piece to something like this working.

There has been a lot of mentions of how many fish are killed at the ditch during the big runs. I'll bet most of those people have no idea about the status of the fishery and I'd bet most of those people would think twice about taking their limit just to be able to say they did. Not implying these fish are going to waste or anything but I know people who keep them and just give them to the neighbors, etc.

I'll bet only a small fraction of people who keep fish are on message boards, etc but they all eventually go to the tackle shops. Maybe a flyer in the shops to educate and direct them to a website if they want to read more and maybe even do something to help.

[LISurfcaster]

All good comments - thanks. There was quite a bit of conversations with a number of people, some that had been through the last moratorium. 32" was decided on as a compromise point that we felt would result in fewer fish being harvested and would be palatable to a larger number of people. Personally I prefer and practice C&R and I am not opposed to any other efforts that will help result in fewer fish being killed. I agree that education is key. We are planning on getting some bumper sticker printed up and some hand-outs that we can offer at shows, shots, etc.

My hope is that the Pledge can get people to just think before deciding to harvest the fish. Do they really need this one? Do they really need to take more than one even if it is legal to do so? I have been encouraged to see some names in the boat fishing community endorse the Pledge too.

Personally I think the best chance we have is to influence the people that state governors appoint to the ASMFC. Those are the people casting the votes. Strength will come in numbers so please consider lending your name to the Pledge on the FB or ipetitions page. Thanks!

[Dick Durand]

Apparently, one at 32" is a proposal having merit for some people, those who are accustomed to taking their two fish limit frequently or whenever possible; however, as has been pointed out earlier, 28" fish are just entering the spawning stage, the fish responsible for renewing the resource. I suppose until the ACMFC acts, if it ever does, the pledge improves upon the present situation. At the same time this resource, the striped bass, needs a sustainable diet and the harvest of millions of pounds of menhaden isn't helping. I eat fluke, BSB, and scup, but stiper fishing is a passion, an activity I pursue for pleasure the way some guys play golf. Surfcasting eats up hours of my time every week in season, and if the bass stock is decimated, I'll have to figure out how to fill the void.

[afterhours]

gamefish status is the way to go. that and cutting rec take in half.

[Nebe]

A good friend of mine who frequents this board has a brother. In the late 80's he was fishing for bluefish and caught a beauty of a striped bass. Another surf caster was near and saw him land it and came to congratulate him, but then explained that while that was a beautiful bass, he should really think hard about keeping it.. He went on to explain the moratorium and the fact that bass were almost gone and that was all the guy needed to say. The fish was released with a feeling that he made a little difference ( my assumption).

The sad reality is that not many of todays bass fishermen were fishing in the 80's to see the stock almost collapse.. And if you do not learn from the past, you are bound to repeat it.
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[Gobi]

Originally Posted by afterhours

gamefish status is the way to go. that and cutting rec take in half.

I'm with you and agree w/ Eben. We're whistling past the graveyard. How are we compared to 10 years ago? Can anyone say things have gotten better?

If you can't, act now before you have to retire your gear because it's obsolete due to a lack of fish.

[WESTPORTMAFIA]

Originally Posted by afterhours

gamefish status is the way to go. that and cutting rec take in half.

You should promote this on the homepage of your website. I'm sure you would get tons of hit's there that don't make it to S-B

GAMEFISH NOW

"A GAMEFISH (WHICH STRIPED BASS SHOULD BE) IS TOO VALUABLE TO BE CAUGHT ONLY ONCE"...LEE WULFF

[LISurfcaster]

Originally Posted by WESTPORTMAFIA

You should promote this on the homepage of your website. I'm sure you would get tons of hit's there that don't make it to S-B

GAMEFISH NOW

"A GAMEFISH (WHICH STRIPED BASS SHOULD BE) IS TOO VALUABLE TO BE CAUGHT ONLY ONCE"...LEE WULFF

No website now but it may be time to get one done. I did register a domain name (www.1at32.com). I am really hoping that the ASMFC acts decisively and makes this pledge unnecessary in the future. Having seen their lack of speed thus far I may be dreaming - I hope not.

RS

[ronfish]

If game fish status doesn't make it now then we are doomed as far as stripers are concerned. Personally I'd prefer a slot limit as Maine has because the smaller fish are predominantly males which leaves the females alone to breed. Ron

[zimmy]

Originally Posted by piemma

Dennis, I respect your opinion but please keep in mind that a 28" striper is 6 years old and this is, effectively, their first year to spawn.

Not saying you are wrong to keep a 28" fish. i am saying that the stocks are in trouble and some kind of comprehensive plan has to be put in place.

The only time the chance to spawn is an issue is if you keep a 28" when you wouldn't have kept a fish otherwise. If you catch a 32" and a 28" on the same trip, the 28" is the one to keep, regardless of whether it has had a chance to spawn. The 32" contributes more eggs than the 28" will at first spawn and numbers of eggs is the key. I am with Dennis. It is the reason I didn't take the pledge. I don't really keep bass since I think they are mediocre, but if I do, I will pick one smaller than 32".

[Sea Flat]

Generally I catch and release, but when I do take one it is usually in the low 30" range.

The challenge is that there are two ways to think of it:

1. Let the big girls go, they have more eggs etc.

2. Take one at 36" or bigger. Less fish will be caught in that size, but more 30-35" fish (which are more abundant) can breed.

Not sure there really is a correct answer. Maybe Maine has it right?

[Rob Rockcrawler]

Its a start. I didnt keep a single fish this year. I wanted to keep one the last couple trips but it wasn't convenient at all. I typically keep fish that wont make it, if they are over 28". I like 1 @ 32, if it was law i would be happy with it, but the pledge is a good start.

[bart]

Originally Posted by Rob Rockcrawler

Its a start. I didnt keep a single fish this year. I wanted to keep one the last couple trips but it wasn't convenient at all. I typically keep fish that wont make it, if they are over 28". I like 1 @ 32, if it was law i would be happy with it, but the pledge is a good start.

I agree, i would be happy with it as well. And I also think it's a good start. At the very least it draws attention to the issues most fishermen want addressed.

I just appreciate the fact that someone/some group is stepping up and being proactive about it

[zimmy]

I like the sentiment as well. I have thought about what kind of pledge I could make that fits with the spirit of what they are trying to accomplish. I will pledge to intentionally keep no more than 2 fish between April to December. They will be 28-30"unless a fish is terminally injured. If I fish the Chesapeake, the size drops. I would rather take an 22" than a 28".

[FishermanTim]

We have taken out own personal steps as recreational anglers to be better stewards of the ocean. We practice C&R, we are more careful handling fish in the process, and we report issues to the authorities that directly affect the fisheries.

What has me concerned is that if nothing is done on the commercial side of the coin, meaning the by-catch kill rate by netters, then our efforts will be worthless. It's been reported that recreational anglers kill more fish than the commercial anglers. True, but those numbers do not include the commercial kill from netters which would probably change the results in our favor.

Of course that would also mean that the reports had been wrong and our environmental efforts were only supplying the netters with more fish to kill.

Heck, I didn't start fishing for stripers until the 90's (voluntarily) and I've been slowly shifting my interest back to freshwater due to a continued decline in the quality of the fishery.

Keep in mind that if every shore angler were to pledge to give up stripers for just one year it would make no difference at all. Even if we gave it up for 5 years it would yield the same results.

Why?

Because our fish would then be given to the commercial guys and would be used to downplay the bycatch kill numbers.

Here are words to keep in mind, and they may soon be used for stripers as well: Remember when we used to be able to use live herring as bait?

Remember when we used to be able to catch/keep stripers?

[Rockfish9]

alot goes into the equation... and every little bit helps.... as Nebe so aptly pointed out... there are alot of anglers out there weren't around the last go 'round... I was... I wish I knew then what I know know...

as i said in my open there is so much to the whole picture... IMHO, bait is still an issue... we haven't had a sustained school of pogies in the Merrimack since the mid 80's...it seems ( from what i hear and read) not many large schools make it north of Boston anymore...and personaly, i think it's part of the bluefish issue as well...

Angler commited mortality ( com and rec) is an issue.. and along that line... enforcement of the rules comes into play.. we ( as a governing body) can make all the ruels we want.. if no one is there to enforce them they are not worth the paper they are written on...

I stopped selling my bass in 2004... something I did since the early 70's...back when 16" was a legal fish... I now release %99 of my bass especialy the cows.. I'm a trophy hunter and those get released (out of respect) as well...I kept 2 fish last season.. the last trip.. I kept a fillet off of a 10lb class fish for me and gave the other 3 to my neighbor ( with 4 kids) because they enjoy fresh fish and have to stare at my boat with the ugly blue cover all winter...

IMHO gamefish status would be a huge step... but all parties involved need to get together on this.... recs. need to quit blaming comercials.. because everyone that keeps a fish or kills it unknowingly has a hand in it.. surfman need to realize that for every boat working 100' deep offshore rips... there are 100 working the SAME skinny water they do.. they see what the surfman sees....laws need to be made to sustain the fish... not sustain a yield.. there are many other factors that go into this.. most beyond my scope of knowledge.. I only know what father time has taught/shown me.. the finger pointing NEEDS TO STOP .. and that Is something they havent been able to do in the 40 odd years or so I have been doing this...

[rphud]

I pledge to put 'em all back.

[MAKAI]

I go out of my way to release 99% of what I catch. Mostly single hook crushed barbs and put the light tackle away.
Crushed barbs are equally for my spastic benefit. Hate digging hooks out of my mitts.
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[bart]

Originally Posted by Rockfish9

IMHO gamefish status would be a huge step... but all parties involved need to get together on this.... recs. need to quit blaming comercials.. because everyone that keeps a fish or kills it unknowingly has a hand in it.. surfman need to realize that for every boat working 100' deep offshore rips... there are 100 working the SAME skinny water they do.. they see what the surfman sees....laws need to be made to sustain the fish... not sustain a yield.. there are many other factors that go into this.. most beyond my scope of knowledge.. I only know what father time has taught/shown me.. the finger pointing NEEDS TO STOP .. and that Is something they havent been able to do in the 40 odd years or so I have been doing this...

Couldn't agree more with this..