This was emailed to me from Stripers Forever -
As some of you may already know, NMFS has decided to delay the environmental impact statement (EIS) currently in progress until the results of the 2005 striped bass stock assessment are compiled by the ASMFC. This will be a great disappointment to some of the states with commercial fisheries, who had hoped to have their netters and pinhookers working federal waters this coming summer. But to most people, keeping the EEZ closed seems like the only reasonable course of action. The 2004 stock assessment report, released last month, indicated that spawning size bass were being heavily overfished and NMFS officials specifically cited the lack of faith that the ASMFC Striped Bass Technical Committee had in its own statistics. Everything that we see and hear points to this being a good time to be cautious and a poor time to take steps that would put more pressure on the fish. There will be no reopening of the EEZ in 2005!
The NMFS decision was not made solely because of lobbying by the recreational community in general, or Stripers Forever in particular; however I'm confident that our efforts and those of our members had to help a great deal. NMFS is well aware that the recreational community has had enough of the commercial fishing industry destroying one important fishery after another. With the striped bass fishery they seem to understand that a deep and distinct line has been drawn in the sand.
Also, for your information, Stripers Forever has sent copies of our fishing survey results for 2003 and 2004 to officials at NMFS, USFW, and each state in the ASMFC. We think this is the only such coast-wide survey of angler sentiment and fishing experience, and that it contains valuable information for the open-minded to consider.
Brad Burns
P.S. Help us continue to expand the strength and reach of SF. Please pass this e-mail along and ask your friends to join today.
For more information on Stripers Forever check out our website at
www.stripersforever.org
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