May 7, 2024 — With errant states falling in line with new striped bass catch curbs, East Coast fishery managers agreed last week to consider imposing still more limits on recreational fishing later this year to help the struggling fish recover.
The striped bass management board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which regulates inshore fishing for migratory species, accepted revised plans May 1 from Maryland, Pennsylvania and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission for making required cutbacks in recreational and commercial harvests.
The board had rejected the three jurisdictions’ plans in March, putting them in jeopardy of having the federal government shut down all fishing for striped bass if the deficiencies weren’t corrected.
At issue for Maryland and the bi-state Potomac fisheries agency were their plans to delay action until 2026 if their 2024 commercial harvests exceeded the reduced level ordered by the Atlantic States commission.
The commission in January had ordered reductions in recreational and commercial catch amid concerns over an unexpected jump in recreational catch along the coast and surveys finding poor reproduction in the Chesapeake Bay, where most of the coastwide stock is spawned.