SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] February 9, 2015 –The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board approved a plan that achieves a 25% reduction in harvest from 2013 levels for the East Coast fishery and 20.5% reduction in harvest from 2012 levels for the Chesapeake Bay fishery.
Given the wide range of options being considered, the Board recommended neighboring states and jurisdictions work together to implement consistent management measures, especially on shared water bodies. This recommendation was also supported by the Commission’s Law Enforcement Committee. Additionally, the Board reminded states there is greater certainty in the percent reductions of simple management measures (i.e., changes in bag or size limits) relative to more complex measures (e.g., slot/trophy fish and mode-specific options).
The Board also tasked the Technical Committee with expanding the exploration of stock-specific reference points to include the other producer areas, such as the Delaware Bay and the Hudson River stocks, in addition to the Chesapeake Bay. The Board will review progress on the stock-specific reference points at its Spring Meeting in May.
States and jurisdictions must have plans in place that implement these harvest reductions by the start of the 2015 fishing season.
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.