The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) meets this week at the Westin Crystal City in Alexendra, VA. On Tuesday, August 1 at 1:45 p.m. the ASMFC’s Striped Bass Management Board (Board) will convene to consider approval of fishery management plan review and state compliance for 2023, while also taken into consideration the timeline for extension of emergency striped bass regulations for another 180 days.
Earlier this year the Board made an emergency declaration to restrict recreational harvest of striped bass to one fish from 28 to 31 inches along the Atlantic Coast, and Tuesday’s hearing could keep that restriction in place well into 2024. “This will be the most important meeting for any of you who care about striped bass,” noted Tom Fote in the Jersey Coast Anglers Association (JCAA) August newsletter, explaining how the Board could extend the emergency action for at least another 180 days.
“We were told that they weren’t accepting public comments so many of us did not make any,” Fote said, adding “You are now given enough notice that you can plan to attend and let the Commission know how you feel.” Fote was recently replaced as Governor Phil Murphy’s appointee to the ASMFC by commercial fishing advocate Jeff Kaelin.
According to Fote, who said he still plans on attending the meeting virtually with other members of the public who plan on providing public comment, the fact that New Jersey is not considered a primary spawning area state as New York and Maryland are designated continues to be a sticking point in the management efforts.
“We will also let them know that we want producing-area status returned to the Hudson and Delaware Rivers,” Fote said, adding “We also must explore the possibility that some other rivers along the East Coast have become spawning areas due to the changing water temperatures. The Chesapeake Bay can no longer claim 80% of the coastal migratory stocks.”
For information on this week’s ASMFC meeting, go to www.asmfc.org.
