November 20, 2013 — When anglers talk of the fishing being “hot,” that’s usually a good thing. But not if it’s striped bass offshore this winter.
The Coast Guard said Wednesday it will step up efforts this winter to stop illegal fishing for striped bass in federal waters, where the prized fish often seen in New Jersey’s bays and surf move offshore in colder weather.
Striped bass came under strict conservation rules after the fishery collapsed in the early 1980s, and one of those measures has been the ban on catching or possessing the fish in federal waters — between three miles off the beach and 200 miles offshore, also known as the exclusive economic zone or EEZ.
The longstanding rule still frequently is misunderstood or even ignored, so much so that last winter, the Coast Guard mounted Operation Striper Swiper, which frequently boarded and inspected commercial and recreational boats off Virginia and Maryland.
Fishermen caught with illegal striped bass are subject to civil fines.
Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press