February 7, 2014 — Rockfish have been under discussion quite a bit since several popular fishing locations had poor results in 2012 and 2013. The doom-and-gloom crowd is predicting a complete collapse of the fishery, while the more realistic folks see the current situation as cause for concern, but not panic.
First a little history. In 1976, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Committee formed the State-Federal Striped Bass Advisory Committee to examine the problems with that species. Each state from Maine to North Carolina was included in this group. I was selected to represent Delaware recreational fishermen, and Roy Miller was the representative from Delaware’s Division of Fish and Wildlife.
At our first meeting in Salisbury, Md., I discovered everyone on the panel knew exactly what was wrong with the striped bass. The problem was everyone believed the decline in striped bass had nothing to do with them. Recs blamed commercials, commercials blamed the recs and everyone blamed the government. Sound familiar?
By the time we realized that Pogo was correct when he said, “We have met the enemy and he is us,” the stock had fallen to a point where only a complete moratorium could save the rockfish. Gov. Hughes from Maryland started the moratorium in his state, and Delaware quickly followed suit. It took a while for the other states to join, with the Commonwealth of Virginia kicking and screaming until the last possible second.
There is no question the moratorium worked, and the strict laws that followed have kept the rockfish population at all-time highs. Now we have had two poor reproductive years with one the lowest in history and the other below average. The good news is the class of 2011 was one of the highest ever recorded.
Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age. Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. He has been the regional editor for Salt Water Sportsman, Field and Stream, Outdoor Life and the Fisherman Magazine.
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