ASMFC To Take Action to reduce Striped Bass mortality

[BasicPatrick]

Striped Bass Spawning Stock Biomass Continues to decline & ASMFC begins process to reduce fishing mortality and prevent overfishing in years to come. MSBA Govt Affairs Officer Patrick Paquette attended the recent ASMFC Striped Bass Management Board in GA and a full report will be given at the November MSBA Monthly Membership Meeting. Here is the ASMFC Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, OCTOBER 31, 2013
PRESS CONTACT, TINA BERGER, 703.842.0740

Atlantic Striped Bass Benchmark Assessment Finds Resource Not Overfished and Overfishing Not Occurring
Board Initiates Draft Addenda to Adopt New Reference Points
& Considers Management Measures to Address Declines in Spawning Stock Biomass

St. Simons Island, Georgia – The 2013 Atlantic striped bass benchmark assessment indicates the resource is not overfished or experiencing overfishing relative to the proposed new reference points defined in the assessment. Although the stock is not overfished, female spawning stock biomass (SSB) has continued to decline since 2004 and is estimated at 128 million pounds just above the SSB threshold of 127 million pounds, and below the SSB target of 159 million pounds. Additionally, total fishing mortality is estimated at 0.20, a value that is between the proposed new fishing mortality threshold (0.219) and fishing mortality target (0.18). The Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board approved the benchmark stock assessment for management use.

Projections of female SSB and fishing mortality suggest if the current fishing mortality rate (0.20) is maintained during 2013-2017, the probability of the stock being overfished (SSB less than the SSB threshold) is high and increases until 2015-2016, but declines thereafter. This trend is driven by the lack of strong year classes currently in the fishery, and the emergence of the strong 2011 year class that matures into the spawning stock in three to four years. Despite recent declines in SSB, the stock is still well above the SSB during the moratorium that was in place in the mid-1980s (see Figure 1).

Given these findings and the management plan’s triggers (e.g., both fishing mortality and SSB are between their respective target and threshold limits), the Management Board initiated the development of two draft addenda. The first addendum will propose adoption of the new fishing mortality reference points recommended by the benchmark assessment. These include fishing mortality reference points for the coastal stock as described above, as well as stock-specific reference points for the Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle/Roanoke stocks that will be developed by the Technical Committee. The second addendum will propose a range of commercial and recreational management measures for the coastal, Chesapeake Bay, and Albemarle/Roanoke stocks to reduce fishing mortality to at least the target with a proposed implementation date of January 2015.

The Board intends to consider approval of the first draft addendum for public comment in February at the Commission’s Winter Meeting, and consider approval of the second draft addendum for public comment in May at the Commission’s Spring Meeting. A more detailed description of the stock assessment results is available on the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/At...ew_Oct2013.pdf. The 2013 Atlantic Striped Bass Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review is still being finalized by the Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Committee; please check http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/saw/reports.html for its availability. The Commission’s 2013 Stock Assessment Update, which revises the benchmark stock assessment with final 2012 landings, is available at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/At...mentUpdate.pdf

For more information, please contact Mike Waine, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0741 or mwaine@asmfc.org.

[numbskull]

It takes 11 years for a striped bass to reach #20, and about 16 years to reach #40.

In 2022 there will be good numbers of quality fish.

Until then what we have is what we have.
What we have is disappearing fast.
Raising the target from .18 to .22 will help make them disappear even faster.

It won't matter to the sustainability of the species since the 2011 year class will eventually provide plenty of breeders.

It will matter a huge amount to those of us who like to catch decent fish. Once what we have is gone we will have nothing but small fish for a long time.

The ASMFC does not care about the quality of the fishery. That is not their mandate.

Without gamefish status and a major change in catch and kill recreational philosophy things are grim for all but the youngest guys out there fishing.

[Eric Roach]

I'm pretty sure there isn't an easy or simple answer to this, but what is the best way to pursue making stripers game fish on the entire east coast? I know some states recognize them as such, but not others. Do they have to be recognized federally or is it a state-by-state battle -- or both?

Weren't Red Drum in this same kind of trouble and now recognized as game fish?

[Nebe]

Finally.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Mr. Sandman]

"... estimated at 128 million pounds just above the SSB threshold of 127 million pounds"

You're kidding me right? There is no way in hell they know the amount of spawning stock this accurately. Remember, the same scientists that were in charge said all is OK with codfish...then, Oppps we were wrong, the fishery is a complete disaster, sorry.


SB needs to be removed from their responsibility. If anything they have proved they (by way of the previous SB stock collapse) can not manage the resource. As they were in charge and were essentially forced to shut it down.

GAMEFISH with 1 @ 36" (or a tag system, where you can take X fish per season) and strong protection of baitfish coast-wide is the only thing that will work. I have given this a lot of thought. No commercial activity on wild fish and limit rec take to X fish per season. ( where X is very conservative number) What we are doing now with all these targets and thresholds are analogous to kids playing in a sandbox. Big cutbacks across the board are needed with attn to what they eat.

[afterhours]

^^^^^^^ x2

[trevier]

Originally Posted by Mr. Sandman

"... estimated at 128 million pounds just above the SSB threshold of 127 million pounds"

You're kidding me right? There is no way in hell they know the amount of spawning stock this accurately. Remember, the same scientists that were in charge said all is OK with codfish...then, Oppps we were wrong, the fishery is a complete disaster, sorry.


SB needs to be removed from their responsibility. If anything they have proved they (by way of the previous SB stock collapse) can not manage the resource. As they were in charge and were essentially forced to shut it down.

GAMEFISH with 1 @ 36" (or a tag system, where you can take X fish per season) and strong protection of baitfish coast-wide is the only thing that will work. I have given this a lot of thought. No commercial activity on wild fish and limit rec take to X fish per season. ( where X is very conservative number) What we are doing now with all these targets and thresholds are analogous to kids playing in a sandbox. Big cutbacks across the board are needed with attn to what they eat.

what he said^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[hq2]

I think most people will agree the stock has been declining in recent years, and something needs to be done. I'm guessing they lower the number to 1 per day or raise the length to maybe 30". Hopefully,
they will take action in time to prevent things from getting to where they were 30 years ago. I remember in '90, we never even thought about fishing for them, there were so few; we caught one or two all
summer trolling for bluefish near Cuttyhunk, and thought they were a curiosity "Hey look, wow, it's a striped bass!". Don't want us to go back to those days.

[bart]

BP, thank you for attending and for posting this....

I might have read this wrong, but they're not implementing the new regulations until 2015?

[stripermaineiac]

Things would go faster if not for those making money at the exspence of the fishery fighting any type of changes.Sprtfishermen are such a huge majority and an unbeleivably huge economic benefit to the whole coastline. but most of us don't have the money to pay for whats needed. An affective lobby to show things as they really are.3 to 5 thousand commercials do not deserve 50% of the stocks considering there are millions of recreational. the numbers and figures are so rediculous considering how they're used to sque the argument that it's sad.Majority is supposed to rule not just a very small user group.

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by bart

BP, thank you for attending and for posting this....

I might have read this wrong, but they're not implementing the new regulations until 2015?

That's correct. It'll take them that long to jump through all the bureaucratic hoops they have to pass through.

But note that is not to say that any individual state can't take immediate action.

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by Mr. Sandman

"... estimated at 128 million pounds just above the SSB threshold of 127 million pounds"

You're kidding me right? There is no way in hell they know the amount of spawning stock this accurately. Remember, the same scientists that were in charge said all is OK with codfish...then, Oppps we were wrong, the fishery is a complete disaster, sorry.


SB needs to be removed from their responsibility. If anything they have proved they (by way of the previous SB stock collapse) can not manage the resource. As they were in charge and were essentially forced to shut it down.

GAMEFISH with 1 @ 36" (or a tag system, where you can take X fish per season) and strong protection of baitfish coast-wide is the only thing that will work. I have given this a lot of thought. No commercial activity on wild fish and limit rec take to X fish per season. ( where X is very conservative number) What we are doing now with all these targets and thresholds are analogous to kids playing in a sandbox. Big cutbacks across the board are needed with attn to what they eat.

Just for accuracy, ASMFC was not managing the stock at the time of the last collapse. Making the fish a no sale fish coastwide is against the law. But any state can do it, NJ, CT and NH already have.

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by stripermaineiac

Things would go faster if not for those making money at the exspence of the fishery fighting any type of changes.Sprtfishermen are such a huge majority and an unbeleivably huge economic benefit to the whole coastline. but most of us don't have the money to pay for whats needed. An affective lobby to show things as they really are.3 to 5 thousand commercials do not deserve 50% of the stocks considering there are millions of recreational. the numbers and figures are so rediculous considering how they're used to sque the argument that it's sad.Majority is supposed to rule not just a very small user group.

They don't have "50% of the stock." They catch approximately 20% of the total catch.

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by hq2

I think most people will agree the stock has been declining in recent years, and something needs to be done. I'm guessing they lower the number to 1 per day or raise the length to maybe 30". Hopefully,
they will take action in time to prevent things from getting to where they were 30 years ago. I remember in '90, we never even thought about fishing for them, there were so few; we caught one or two all
summer trolling for bluefish near Cuttyhunk, and thought they were a curiosity "Hey look, wow, it's a striped bass!". Don't want us to go back to those days.

It appears, based on what was said at the meeting, that reducing the bag limit to one fish per day will not be enough to meet the new fishing mortality target. I would expect either a seasonal closure or an increase in the size limit in addition to a one fish per day creel limit.

[Mr. Sandman]

Originally Posted by MakoMike

Just for accuracy, ASMFC was not managing the stock at the time of the last collapse. Making the fish a no sale fish coastwide is against the law. But any state can do it, NJ, CT and NH already have.

Who cares about the committee of self appointed experts called asmfc, fisherman don't.

In the early 1940s, recognizing that they could accomplish far more through cooperation rather than individual effort, the Atlantic coast states came together to form the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission). An Interstate Compact, ratified by the states and approved by the U.S. Congress in 1942, acknowledged the necessity of the states joining forces to manage their shared migratory fishery resources and affirmed the states’ commitment to cooperative stewardship in promoting and protecting Atlantic coastal fishery resource
---------------------------------------
If I recall the collapse was in the 1990's.
______________________________




One of the many problems with fishery management today is exactly this... There are too many managers and people involved. It's a friggin shell game and every different group has their own hidden agenda. They have created all these convoluted "rules" "limits" "quotas" "thresholds" "formulas" that lead to public hearings then committee create these so called "laws" from all this bull#^&#^&#^&#^& and they that are ineffective to the common fishermen. Bottom line is each state has regulated SB from the time I was a kid. I always thought it should be taken away from the states since the fish swims freely between them but what matters is protection. The end was doomed when they created this thing called "user groups" and this was nothing more than a divide and conquer approach clothed in "fairness" suit and it destroying the resource in front of our eyes..

We don't need all these people at the helm. We need some common sense regulations that are conservative and simple to enforce and some protection of the food these fish must eat, that is it. Stop trying to squeeze every drop of sustainable yield from the ocean...it is OK to have a little fat in the system.


If you make things complicated enough, know one really understands it and that leads to no one seems to care anymore.

Look if we hit this arbitrary threshold line...can we say that the system asmfc put in place is not working and they failed? They already admit we are going to hit it...but they are not going to do anything about it for a few years. WTF? No reason to be proactive or conservative...

Fire everyone at all levels and start over...IMO you need 5 or 6 people to manage this. 2 scientists, 2 managers and a secretary. No public hearings, no meetings, just do what is right and issue a decree.


I have to log off my BP is getting aggravated again.

[MakoMike]

The system is what it is. If you want to replace it the time to act is now, the magnesson-stevens act is up for reauthorization next year and that is main law that dictates how fish should be managed. Unless and until its changed this is the system we have, you either learn how it works and be engaged or you just bitch and moan and take what the system gives you. The choice is yours.

Maybe there should be a "czar" of fishing who could just issue edicts.

[stripermaineiac]

Your right Mako. But at the hearings the arguement is that sportsmen get 50% an comms get the right to harvest up to 50%.The problem is that the only way for things like what we did up here in Maine way back when to work is to get the percentage point out of the arguement and just focus on the fish.

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by stripermaineiac

Your right Mako. But at the hearings the arguement is that sportsmen get 50% an comms get the right to harvest up to 50%.The problem is that the only way for things like what we did up here in Maine way back when to work is to get the percentage point out of the arguement and just focus on the fish.

I'm not sure I understand that. Are you saying that in ME the commercials get 50% of the fish? Coastwide the commercials get about 20% of the fish.

[stripermaineiac]

In Maine stripers are a gamefish there is no commercial for them.We have a slot fish or trophy. 20 to 26 in or over 40 in.Only 1 fish per day.
The stripers are looked at as a stock. The arguement is that sportsmen can have 50% an comms can have up to 50%. we argue over who can have how much rather than how to keep both quality and number. Sustainable yeild is a joke. It's just another way to justify not doing anything positive for the fish.

[Liv2Fish]

Aside from posting long winded bitching posts on message boards about this situation, is there anything we can actually do as an organized group to affect change?

How many members are there between here and the other sites? Not to mention MSBA and RISSA, etc. all up and down the coast!

How hard would it be to actually organize some sort of movement, petition or something along those lines. It's a long winter. I would volunteer some significant time but I don't know what to do?

There seem to be a couple of people on here who are "in the know" of how this "F'd up system" actually works and when the opportunities to strike actually occur. Tell us what to do? What is the best, most concentrated method of getting the point across?

Seems to me that the "Big Dogs" - OTW, RISSA, MSBA and the shops, Red Top, SW Edge and any shop on the east coast that target the hard core surfcaster (who primarily fish for Bass) have a vested interest in putting up any cash needed. Operators of these boards should reach out to each other to discuss a united front approach to something organized.

We seem to be a rather large group and we should be able to do something other than bitch about it.

We need a leader, a clear message with direction and a plan. Don't we have until 2015 to "Bitch" in the right direction?

[stripermaineiac]

The normal turnout at these meetings is a handfull at best.Most are either too busy or too uninformed.Those of us on these post are only a small handfull spread out all along the striper coast. The active ones are already doing.i tried a few times to get people along the ditch to join anything. LOL too busy fishing .Clubs are few n far between and the computer has done loads of damage to people gettin together.
New ideas are great. Would you like to be the chair of the committee to get the ball rolling with your ideas? I'll help and so won't some others.

[Chunkah]

I vote for stripermaineiac as president of the new committee....and tri-state. :-p
Maine has it right with the slot, but it is probably too late anyway, and waiting until 2015 is ridiculous...oh wait, politics.

[BULLOCKS]

Basic, Thanks for the info and keep up the good work.

[ronfish]

Chunka- I agree with you about Maine having it right. A slot limit is the wa to go this time around as we tried the large size limt and we're back in the same boat we were in in the '80's. Let's try something different it might just work. Ron

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by Liv2Fish

Aside from posting long winded bitching posts on message boards about this situation, is there anything we can actually do as an organized group to affect change?

How many members are there between here and the other sites? Not to mention MSBA and RISSA, etc. all up and down the coast!

How hard would it be to actually organize some sort of movement, petition or something along those lines. It's a long winter. I would volunteer some significant time but I don't know what to do?

There seem to be a couple of people on here who are "in the know" of how this "F'd up system" actually works and when the opportunities to strike actually occur. Tell us what to do? What is the best, most concentrated method of getting the point across?

Seems to me that the "Big Dogs" - OTW, RISSA, MSBA and the shops, Red Top, SW Edge and any shop on the east coast that target the hard core surfcaster (who primarily fish for Bass) have a vested interest in putting up any cash needed. Operators of these boards should reach out to each other to discuss a united front approach to something organized.

We seem to be a rather large group and we should be able to do something other than bitch about it.

We need a leader, a clear message with direction and a plan. Don't we have until 2015 to "Bitch" in the right direction?

It would be like trying to heard cats. Look at these discussions, seems like we can't even get two people to agree on what should be done. And the truth is no one knows what any of the proposals would do to the statistics that are used to manage the fishery. Some guys like ME's rules, but the truth is that ME's rules are designed to be the conservational equivalent of 2 fish at 28 inches, so going coastwide with that is going to do nothing to reduce the harvest. Yes there are times when pressure is more effective than at other times, but what do you want to apply pressure for?

[ProfessorM]

I know of one way to solve this. No one keeps anything. Fish win. No arguing. Cut and dried. C&R.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[OLD GOAT]

Originally Posted by ProfessorM

I know of one way to solve this. No one keeps anything. Fish win. No arguing. Cut and dried. C&R.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Tell that to the seals!!!!!

[ProfessorM]

Well that is a whole nuther issue. We can work on that after we get this done. Who knows maybe surfcasting for seals is more fun than bass and if that is the case you would be in prime target zone. Something tells me they were here long before us like the American Indian. maybe we can hook them up with a nice small pox virus or something like we did to them and that will solve our problem.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[big jay]

I'm glad they are stepping in, and quite honestly if they're going to take action they should do it this year rather than 2015.

That said, Maine's slot limit is ridiculous and failed at accomplishing any sort of conservation.
Maine's overall Striper mortality INCREASED significantly when the slot was implemented. I'll argue all day long its the antithesis of conservation, and if implemented coastwide would destroy the Striper population.

1 fish at 34 or 36 - it worked before, it will work again.
An equivalent cut to the commercial quota as well - if the market supply is controlled adequately, the actual net dollars (higher price for less lbs landed) will not change for the commercial guys.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[ProfessorM]

Originally Posted by big jay

if the market supply is controlled adequately, the actual net dollars (higher price for less lbs landed) will not change for the commercial guys.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I totally agree Jay and would luv to see a 10 fish a day quota and a cut from the overall total.