Overview of the Issue
The recreational fishery for Atlantic striped bass is one of the most iconic along the U.S. east coast. The popular species has a long science and management history under the authority of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). The stock is currently overfished, but based on the 2022 stock assessment results, it is not experiencing overfishing. In 2022, ASMFC approved Amendment 7 to the striped bass fishery management plan which contains several conservative management triggers to keep and maintain population rebuilding.
What ASA is Doing
ASA recognizes that a healthy striped bass population and fishery is critical to the sportfishing industry and drives a significant amount of angler engagement and participation along the Atlantic coast. ASA’s policy position supports balancing precautionary management with regulatory stability and reasonable access in the fishery.
During all major management actions at ASMFC, ASA uses our Keep America Fishing (KAF) Action Alert system to educate and activate the recreational fishing community. ASA also works with a coalition of conservation, angler and industry groups to capture the broad and diverse perspectives across the recreational fishing community.
Since the passage of Amendment 7, ASA has invested time into communications efforts, aimed at educating the recreational fishing community. Read updates, penned by ASA’s Atlantic Fisheries Policy Director, Mike Waine, in On the Water and The Sportfishing Advocate blog.
In 2020, ASA supported the conservation-based decision to address reductions in the Atlantic striped bass fishery and advocated for the cut to be shared equally between the recreational and commercial sectors. ASA and other partners sent a letter to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources regarding striped bass regulations and expressed concern over the lack of public input in the Department’s management process.
Starting in 2021, the Atlantic striped bass fishery required the use of circle hooks when fishing with live or dead bait. This circle hook rule change was a conservation measure, new for several states. Because the use of circle hooks is not the most intuitive, ASA partnered On the Water and used our KAF portal to develop education and outreach materials to help the states inform their anglers about how best to use circle hooks. Check out one of the videos here.
In March, 2021, Mike Waine participated in a Chesapeake Bay Foundation-sponsored panel discussion about the top priorities for the next phase of striped bass management. The discussion focused on both the Chesapeake and Coastal striped bass fishery and it provided a good opportunity to inform the public to get involved and participate in the management discussion.
On February 11, 2022, ASA released an episode of The Politics of Fishing Podcast about Striped Bass. In the episode, ASA’s Mike Waine, talks everything striped bass with host, Mike Leonard. From the life history of striped bass to what’s contributing to their decline and the actions fisheries managers are taking to help the species, Waine explains it all.
In July 2022, Mike Waine participated in a CCA Maryland-sponsored panel discussion regarding the current status of striped bass in the Chesapeake bay as part of a Bay past, present, future perspective series.
In December 2022, KAF sent a message to its supporters asking them to oppose ASMFC management changes for striped bass that would allow states to voluntarily transfer unused commercial quota from a state with a surplus to a state in need.
In May 2023, the ASMFC Striped Bass Management Board exercised a seldom-used emergency action intended to reduce fishing mortality in the striped bass fishery with the goal of increasing the chances of rebuilding the population to the biomass target by 2029. Mike Waine, Atlantic Fisheries Policy Director, said, “The Board has signaled they are prepared to act conservatively on striped bass to ensure rebuilding. Hopefully taking emergency action now will pay dividends later so we can avoid the further use of short-term changes in regulations, and instead focus on longstanding and predictable management measures to provide stability to the most important and valuable fishery in the mid-Atlantic and New England regions.” ASA, acting with a coalition of partners including CCA, CSF and TRCP, issued a joint press release on May 4, 2023.
ASA also participates in annual industry events focused on striped bass including gray fish tagging research trips and Striperfest.
In November 2023, the ASMFC hosted a series of several public hearings regarding proposed changes to the Striped Bass Management Plan. Mike Waine, ASA’s Atlantic Fisheries Policy Director, developed a guide to the proposed changes as a support tool to help anglers participate in the public process.
