Looks like things may not be so bad for stripers

[MakoMike]

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today that the 2015 striped bass juvenile index is the eighth highest on record. The survey, a measure of spawning success, found an average of 24.2 juvenile fish per sample, approximately double the long-term average of 11.9.

“This year’s survey demonstrates that striped bass are a very resilient species when given favorable environmental conditions for reproduction and survival,” DNR Secretary Mark Belton said. “The robust reproduction should give Maryland anglers hope for a successful striped bass season in a few years time.”

The survey also documented healthy reproduction of other species. DNR fisheries biologists counted record numbers of juvenile American shad, which have been under a harvest ban in Maryland since 1980. The white perch juvenile index was the third-highest on record. River herring reproduction was also above average.

The annual survey is conducted throughout the summer to track the reproductive success of Maryland’s state fish. Annual reproductive success can be highly variable due to environmental factors, such as water temperature, precipitation and river flow. This year, DNR collected more than 70,000 fish of 50 different species, including 3,194 young-of-year (less than one year of age) striped bass in 132 sweeps of a 100-foot beach seine at 22 sites.

DNR has monitored the reproductive success of striped bass and other species in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay every year since 1954. The present day survey covers sites in the four major spawning systems—the Choptank, Potomac and Nanticoke rivers, and the Upper Bay. Biologists visit each site monthly from July through September to collect samples.

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science conducts a similar survey in Virginia’s portion of the bay, which can be viewed here.

[Nebe]

i see a downward trend
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[tattoobob]

Well if the average is 57 we have only reached it once sense 1955 there's still a long way to go

[Cool Beans]

Originally Posted by tattoobob

Well if the average is 57 we have only reached it once sense 1955 there's still a long way to go

??? the line that denotes average was crossed close to 20 times during that time frame.

LOL I see what you did. the long line represents average. The line is down on the chart, not up in the legend at the top.

[tattoobob]

Originally Posted by Cool Beans

??? the line that denotes average was crossed close to 20 times during that time frame.

Sorry I miss read the graph

[Cool Beans]

[niko]

Good news is a pleasant surprise. Numbers nowadays look similar to 55-70
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[Rockport24]

Originally Posted by Nebe

i see a downward trend
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You'd like the think that this may represent the beginning of an upward trend, but that's just unicorns and rainbows at this point. Let's just hope this 25% reduction actually happens and starts to show in the stocks in a few years.

[blue oyster]

I will be long gone before they reach trophy size

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by Rockport24

You'd like the think that this may represent the beginning of an upward trend, but that's just unicorns and rainbows at this point. Let's just hope this 25% reduction actually happens and starts to show in the stocks in a few years.

It all depends on the weather.

[seadogg]

I feel pretty optimistic about the state of the bass fishery, actually. For example, I saw more bass around West Island last week than I've ever seen in my life. Literally thousands of fish completely surrounding the island chasing peanut bunker all day long. No monsters, all 5 to 15 pounds, but the point is the numbers were staggering. I saw the same thing over there this past spring, along with bigger fish on bunker outside NB harbor. Dartmouth was loaded the last couple weeks, and I had a good time at the islands last month. Now that the albies are thinning I'm back in bass mode, and it looks like this will be a fall run to remember. In fact, it already is. An upward trend? Maybe, maybe not, but I've seen a healthy population of fish in my neck this year. Certainly better than last season. I'm gonna keep the positive attitude.
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[numbskull]

Originally Posted by blue oyster

I will be long gone before they reach trophy size

Yup.

Too late for many of us, what is out there now is what we need preserved and that is not going to happen.

What this decent YOY class means is that that it will be easier to reduce the commercial size limit and start in on the 2011 year class sooner.

[bucko]

Looks encouraging to me. Hopefully in about 3 years these small bass will summer in Cape Cod Bay.

Watching the Commercial Fleet "harvest" the bigger fish just off shore here in Sandwich got frustrating...

[zimmy]

Originally Posted by MakoMike

It all depends on the weather.

Young of year depends on the weather. Population size depends on previous young of year and mortality. Poor young of year and excess mortality leads to what we have now. It isn't only about yoy.
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[thefishingfreak]

Sweet maybe they will lower the commercial size limit so we can kill smaller fish and fill our limit easier closer to home er I mean so there isn't so much presure on one or two magical hot spots of larger fish
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[thefishingfreak]

Originally Posted by Rockport24

You'd like the think that this may represent the beginning of an upward trend, but that's just unicorns and rainbows at this point. Let's just hope this 25% reduction actually happens and starts to show in the stocks in a few years.

The 25% reduction already happened. Hence only 1 fish per person.
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[piemma]

Originally Posted by blue oyster

I will be long gone before they reach trophy size

Me too!

[Rob Rockcrawler]

It majority of the fish i have been catching this year are from 2011. I have been catching a ton of fish in the 20-26" range. If those fish don't smarten up they will be easy pickings the next couple years. Wouldn't it make sense to up the size limit to protect that class in the next few years? The 1 at 28" is a smart move right now.

I am concerned that the 2011 class will suffer a pretty good whooping over the next couple years. It looks like it will be able to sustain a good amount of pressure but i would hate for it to get beat up too bad.

While the 2015 YOY looks pretty good i would say do more to protect what we have swimming around now so we can hopefully have a few more banner years in the future. Looking at the graph wouldn't it suggest that the moratorium years helped produce the 93,96 and 01 classes? More breeders making it combined with favorable conditions=success right?

[bobber]

I'll take any positive news right now considering how crappy the fishing has been the last few years.......

[FishermanTim]

If history is doomed to repeat itself, and the chart is an accurate representation of the fish stocks, then we should expect to see another epic collapse like we had in the 80's.
If there are not changes made unilaterally across the board for ALL anglers and ALL states that benefit from the species, you can start thinking about where to sell all your gear.
They can regulate the law-abiding legal anglers all they want, but if there isn't strict enforcement of the laws and punishments then we'll just be talking about big bass in the past tense to our kids and grandkids!

[Rockport24]

Originally Posted by thefishingfreak

The 25% reduction already happened. Hence only 1 fish per person.
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the regulation changes happened, but it remains to be seen if this will really achieve the 25% reduction in the take

[seadogg]

Yea I'm just not seeing it. I'm no scientist, but if there's to be a collapse of the striper stock in the near future it must be happening everywhere but where I live. Certain spots produce differently from year to year, sometimes dramatically different, but there are still good numbers of bass around. I'm just not buying into the whole "say your prayers, it's over" rhetoric. Sorry.
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