Supercutter
Senior Member
Joined: 22 Jul 2005
Posts: 700
Location: Long Island
|
 Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 9:56 pm Post subject: Increase commercial quotas for striped bass |
 |
|
The Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission is again proposing to increase commercial quotas for striped bass. Public hearings will held in all coastal states (see the schedule below.) This is by no means a done deal. We urge our members to attend these hearings and let their voices be heard. During and after the public hearings we will also be contacting you to send letters and e-mails to various public officials to defeat this ill-conceived measure. Recently your e-mails to Eric Schwaab of NMFS changed that agency's vote from in favor of considering a commercial increase to opposed. We can have aa similar effect on other members of the ASMFC.
The justification for the proposed increase is a claim that the commercial catch decreased 3.6% from 2003 to 2008 while the recreational harvest increased by 13.7% during the same time period. Here are some comments that you can consider including in your testimony at the public hearing.
The claimed 3.6% decrease in the commercial catch of striped bass is very misleading. The commercial quotas have been caught annually and they have not decreased. If the catch has dropped over the period it is only because the quota went up or down one year because it had been exceeded the previous year.
The commercial catch number excludes any attempt to account for the well documented illegal catches along the Atlantic coast. Even a modest estimate of the illegal harvest would materially affect these numbers.
Why did the ASMFC stop at 2008? The 2009 data is available from NMFS and it shows that the recreational harvest of 23 million pounds in 2003 decreased to 21.3 million pounds in 2009 for a drop in harvest of 1.5 million pounds. The recreational harvest therefore dropped by 7% over the latest time frame while the commercial catch has stayed the same, just the opposite of the picture that some members of the ASMFC are trying to paint.
The same estimates of the total recreational catch – numbers of fish caught and released as well as those harvested – tells a far worse story for recreational angling and the striped bass themselves. Look at the graph below that we have prepared. You will see that between 2003 and 2009 the recreational catch dropped by more than 50% and that in fact the 2009 catch in numbers of fish was substantially below 1995!
We hear from all corners of our membership that striped bass fishing has deteriorated significantly since the last big commercial increase in 2003 - the one that instigated the formation of Stripers Forever. While a few areas are still delivering good catches of large fish, many other historically good areas have almost none. Perhaps more troubling is the fact that there are very few young fish present along the coast. This does not bode well for the future. Certainly this is not a time to increase any catch or quota, either recreational or commercial. We hope that you will attend the hearings, stand up and let them know how you feel.
The following information has been taken from an ASMFC bulletin:
States Schedule Hearings on Striped Bass Draft Addendum II
Public Comment Accepted Until October 1
Washington, DC – Atlantic coastal states from Maine through North Carolina have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum II to Amendment 6 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass. The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled meetings follow:
Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
August 17, 2010; 6:00 PM
URI, Narragansett Bay Campus, Corless Auditorium
215 South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Mark Gibson at (401) 423-1935
Connecticut Dept. of Environmental Protection
July 13, 2010; 7:00 PM
Fayerweather Yacht Club
51 Brewster Street
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Contact: David Simpson at (860) 434-6043
July 14, 2010; 7:00 PM
Marine Headquarters
333 Ferry Road
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Contact: David Simpson at (860) 434-6043
New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation
July 21, 2010; 7:00 PM
Marine Resources Headquarters
205 North Belle Mead Road, Suite 1
East Setauket, New York
Contact: Steve Heins at (631) 444-0436
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
July 22; 7:00 PM
Toms River Township Clerk’s Office
L. Manuel Hirshblond Room
33 Washington Street
Toms River, New Jersey
Contact: Brandon Muffley at (609) 748-2020
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum, either by attending public hearings or providing written comments. The Draft Addendum can be obtained via the Commission’s website at www.asmfc.org under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at (202) 289-6400. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on October 1, 2010 and should be forwarded to Nichola Meserve, FMP Coordinator, 1444 Eye Street, NW, Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 289-6051 (FAX) or at nmeserve@asmfc.org (Subject line: Striped Bass Addendum II). For more information, please contact Nichola Meserve, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator at (202) 289-6400 or nmeserve@asmfc.org.
_________________
Retired from work but not from life....!
 |
|
PIC
Upload
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
