April 10, 2019 –Many angling old timers remember the days 30 years ago when keeping striped bass was off limits because of a moratorium on the species.
Even more will remember the benefits that later came from shutting down the fishery.
Striped bass action was spectacular for years.
Lately it’s been been anything but. Catches have been on the decline the last few years and blame can be dished out to anyone and everyone involved with the catching of striper.
So guess what? Change is coming and likely sooner rather than later.
The fisheries management staff at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission has recommended an emergency shut down of the spring trophy seasons that start in May. The VMRC will meet April 23 to discuss the possibility.
The move is being looked at as a way to proactively get ahead of reductions planned by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission for next year. In its 2018 stock assessment, the ASMFC determined that striped bass are overfished.
Read the full story at the Virginian-Pilot