On January 26th, during the winter meeting of Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) the Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board (Board) voted to put forth Draft Amendment 7 to the cooperative interstate fisheries management plan (FMP) for Atlantic striped bass.
Member states on the Board including Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, along with D.C., the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Potomac River Fisheries Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service debated several topics to be included or even excluded from the new amendment which is available here.
The Draft Amendment proposes options to address the following issues: management triggers, recreational release mortality, stock rebuilding plan, and conservation equivalency. These issues were identified during the public scoping process for Amendment 7 as critically important to help rebuild the stock and update the management program. The comment period will be open until April 15th.
The entire 141-page document is filled with a plethora of information that was all disclosed during the meeting. Here are a few key points selected from the document that may be of interest to some readers according to the ASFMC: Recreational harvest of striped bass follows a similar trend to the commercial harvest. Since 1984 when recreational harvest was lowest (2.4 million pounds; 264,004 fish), recreational harvest has increased reaching a peak by weight in 2013 at 65 million pounds, and by numbers of fish in 2010 at 5.4 million fish (Tables 17). Between 2004 and 2014, recreational harvest remained at a steady level averaging 54.8 million pounds (4.6 million fish) per year. Following the implementation of the size and bag limit changes in the recreational fisheries in Addendum IV due to declining biomass, recreational harvest decreased to an average of 33.6 million pounds (2.8 million fish). In 2020, recreational harvest was estimated at 14.9 million pounds (1.7 million fish).
The vast majority of recreational striped bass catch is released alive either due to angler preference or regulation; roughly 90% annually since 1990 (Figure 12). Based on peer reviewed literature, a 9% release mortality rate is used to estimate the number of fish that die as a consequence of being caught and released. Despite this low rate, the popularity of striped bass as a targeted recreational species means that recreational releases contribute a significant source of mortality to the stock each year. In 2020, recreational anglers caught and released an estimated 30.7 million fish, of which 2.76 million (9%) are assumed to have died; this represents 54% of total striped bass removals (commercial and recreational) in 2020 (Tables 12, 16).
Option A (Status Quo): If the 2022 stock assessment results indicate the Amendment 7 measures are not projected to achieve
stock rebuilding by 2029 (as calculated using the recruitment assumption specified in Amendment 7), the Board would initiate and develop an addendum to consider adjusting management measures to achieve F rebuild.
- Under this option, an addendum specifying new management measures could be approved as early as May 2023 with likely implementation in 2024.
- An addendum process includes a public comment period with public hearings and an opportunity to submit written comment on the draft addendum document.
Option B: If the 2022 stock assessment results indicate the Amendment 7 measures have less than a 50% probability of rebuilding the stock by 2029 (as calculated using the recruitment assumption specified in Amendment 7) and if the stock assessment indicates at least a 5% reduction in removals is needed to achieve F rebuild, the Board may adjust measures to achieve F rebuild via Board action.
- Under this option, the Board could take action to change management measures in response to the 2022 assessment by voting to pass a motion at a Board meeting; if a Board motion specifying new management measures was passed in 2022, new management measures could likely be implemented for at least part of the 2023 fishing season.
- Under this option, public comment could be provided during Board meetings per the Commission’s guidelines for public comment at Board meetings, and/or public comment could be provided in writing to the Board per the Commission’s timeline for submission of written public comments prior to Board meetings.
Any subsequent action following public comment this winter will come when the ASMFC reconvenes for their official spring meeting slated for May 2-5, 2022 at the Westin Crystal City in Arlington, VA. Remember you have a comment period up until April 15th for submission.
Draft Amendment 7:
www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/AtlStripedBassDraftAm7forPublicComment_Feb2022.pdf\
Submit a Comment
All those interested in the management of Atlantic striped bass are encouraged to provide input either by participating in public hearings, which may be conducted via webinar, or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on April 15 and should be sent to:
Emilie Franke
FMP Coordinator
1050 N. Highland Street
Suite 200 A-N
Arlington, Virginia 22201
703.842.0741 (fax)
[email protected] (Subject line: Draft Amendment 7)
