Making Striped Bass a Gamefish

Washington, D.C.---U.S. Representative Tom Allen, a Member of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, introduced legislation today with Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) to make striped bass a game fish rather than a commercial fish throughout its range. Many Eastern Seaboard states, including Maine, have already banned commercial fishing for the popular game fish, recognizing its far greater economic value as a highly sought-after prize for recreational anglers. Banning commercial fishing throughout the striped bass?s range would allow populations of the fish, which nearly disappeared in the 1980s, to continue to rebuild and support the robust recreational fishery.

?Striped bass have become one of Maine?s most valuable sport fish, drawing thousands of anglers to Maine?s coast and supporting guides, tackle shops, and charter services worth tens of millions of dollars,? said Representative Allen. ?Maine has done an excellent job managing stripers, but because most Maine striped bass migrate here each spring from other states, we?re vulnerable to their commercial fisheries. Protecting stripers from commercial pressure is the right thing for Maine?s anglers, the small businesses they support, and the ecology of Maine?s coast.?

?Stripers Forever, with over 10,000 members representing every state in America, applauds Congressmen Allen and Pallone for introducing this legislation,? said Brad Burns, President of Stripers Forever, which advocates game fish status for striped bass. ?This bill recognizes the vastly superior economic value that striped bass have to society when managed for recreational fishing. The pressure of commercial exploitation on this resource makes it impossible to manage it conservatively enough to optimize its value to the more than three million citizens who fish recreationally for striped bass on the East Coast.?

Currently Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina prohibit commercial fishing for striped bass, while Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina still maintain commercial fisheries for the species. Though recreational anglers vastly outnumber commercial fishermen, 40% of the total harvest is allocated for commercial fishermen.

?There is no question that game fish status for striped bass throughout their range is the right decision for the resource, especially when you look at the economic value of every fish caught,? added Ian Burnes, Executive Director of the Coastal Conservation Association of Maine.

The legislation introduced by Reps. Allen and Pallone bans commercial fishing for striped bass in the ?exclusive economic zone,? waters from three to 200 miles from shore; and directs the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which regulates fisheries within three miles of the coastline, to ban commercial fishing for striped bass there as well.

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This would be a good move. On very, very rare occassions, Congress actually has a piece of legislation before them that is actually a good idea.

I wouldn't mind seeing more stripers in the Susquehanna. Sounds good to me.

They've been a gamefish here in Ga. as long as I've lived here. I wasn't aware that they weren't in other locations. They are also a gamefish in Tx., Ok., and Tn.

Semper Fi!

I would like to see Stripers made into a gamefish, but some consideration needs to be given to those who make a living from the commerical fishery. To just say as of tomorrow, no more commerical fishing would hurt alot of fishermen who eek out their livelyhood from fishing for Stripers.

FYI, in Quebec Stripers are an indangered fish and they are trying to reintroduce them into the St. Lawrence River. Salmon are their to be caught and kept. In our area it is quite the opposite.

jed

I didn't know there was a commerical fishery for them. I used to be a mate on a fishing boat, but we just harvested cod, tuna, and haddock. I have never seen another boat that purposely and exclusively fished for Stripped Bass. We netted them by accident as we were chasing other species, but mostly, the crew took them home to eat or we ate them onboard. I've never seen any Stripped Bass for sale in the grocery stores here, or at Red Lobster. What do they use them for? Fish Sticks? Surime?

I'm fairly certain it would be easy for the fishing boats to just harvest another species. I doubt if the fishing industry would go belly up just from not being able to harvest Stripped Bass. Now if it were tuna, or haddock, or a major commercial fish, it'd be a different story.

I think they should also put carp and snakeheads in the gamefish catagopry. I am the only fisherman in Ga. that I am aware of that fishes for snakeheads. I love the looks I get from the Game Rangers when I ask them if there are any new outbreaks of snakeheads (they are an introduced species from Asia, and considered a pest, but they are delicious). They look at me like I should be commited.

Semper Fi!

This has been an ongoing discussion in the northeast for quite some time. I don't know if that would be a good thing honestly. The fishery seems to be stable and building at the moment. Regulations are strict and followed. Off Cape Cod you can find bass everywhere. They run the Hudson in NY every year. If we limit the catch even more, what effects will it have on other gamefish? In the balance of nature, something else will have to decline in numbers for the bass to increase. Will it lead to a crash in the fishery if an overpopulation issue is created? When money starts to lead the reasons for a decission to be made, no good can come of it.