In Greek mythology, the Scylla and Charybdis were monsters living on opposite sides of the narrow Strait of Messina, with sailors who wished to pass having to choose between two almost certain deaths. In many ways, striped bass fishermen are equally pressed between a rock and a hard place, the choice between the lesser of two evils becoming more apparent this week.
On Thursday, December 5 at 6 p.m. the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) will host an Informational Webinar to review management options developed by the Technical Committee to reduce striped bass mortality in 2025 by as much as 14%. Members of the public will have just 5 days from this Thursday’s webinar until December 10th to provide public comment on the suite of options to be discussed, and ultimately voted upon by ASMFC on December 16.
One source told The Fisherman recently that of the various options that have been discussed by Technical Committee members is a potential six-week ban on the harvest of striped bass at some period of high volume effort during the 2025 season, which in New Jersey could be during Wave 6 of the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) in November and December, though some believe that either Wave 2 (March and April) or Wave 3 (May and June) could also be in the mix.
Given the fact that fisheries managers assume that nearly 50% of the mortality in the recreational fishing sector comes from catch and release and a 9% assumed mortality rate, it’s conceivable that another option on the table for Thursday’s discussion is a three-week ban on any and all directed effort in the striped bass fishery; in other words, rather than six weeks of no recreational striped bass harvest, three weeks of a full closure with no harvest and no catch and release could conceivably reach the same level of required reduction during a shorter timeframe.
While these particular options may seem dire, anglers and stakeholders can expect other measures to be discussed to address the timeline for reaching the rebuild target for spawning stock biomass of striped bass by 2029. According to the ASMFC, the information presented on December 5th during the webinar will “provide the public with sufficient background information to inform the development and submission of public comment by December 10.” No public comments will be taken at this webinar, but staff can address clarifying questions as time allows.
Register for the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3243414609517348697 (Webinar ID 263-766-419).
Following Thursday’s meeting, and after public comment is collected on December 10, the Atlantic Striped Bass Board will reconvene on December 16 to review the data and decide on next steps for management. Learn more at the Atlantic Striped Bass Stock Assessment Update Overview.
You can also find a full write-up in the December edition of The Fisherman Magazine in a story title ASMFC Does It Again: Yet Another Striper “Emergency” and also by looking for my Editor’s Log: “Dialog, Not Discord” on page 3 of the New Jersey, Delaware Bay edition.
