April 23, 2015 — The news is not quite so good for the striped bass.
Once touted as one of the great conservation success stories of the 1990s, the popular game fish has seen a precipitous drop in numbers in recent years, prompting the state Department of Marine Fisheries to tighten restrictions on recreational anglers.
In years past, sport fishermen have been allowed to land two striped bass of at least 28 inches in length every day. This year, they can land only one a day, and commercial fishermen will see their take reduced by 25 percent.
The striper population has been hit by a combination of overfishing and a decline in “spawning stock biomass,” the total weight of all mature fish. Females have been producing fewer eggs, and there have been general smaller fish.
"We're down 50 percent from what we were catching a few years ago,” Patrick Paquette of the Massachusetts Striped Bass Association told reporter Christian Wade (Page 1, the Times, Monday, April 20.)
Fishermen and conservationists, however, are in agreement on the need for stricter limits, and we agree. It’s a good call for the fish and the state $475 million striper fishing industry.
“They’re a major economic asset to the state,” said Skip Montello, a charter boat captain out of Rockport. “If people can’t fish for striper, they won’t fish.”
Read the full opinion piece at The Gloucester Daily Times