Striped Bass Changes Article

[Gerry Zagorski]

Originally Posted by Capt Sal

Overfishing in the eighties caused the decline? WRONG!! Commercial netting did it from North Carolina to Montauk to Mass. In the eighties they would put a big net out in the surf and haul the bass onto the beach and throw them in pick up trucks and off to the market. This was common practice in Montauk. Hook and line fishermen take the blame for what the commercial sector did.Fact not fiction! I am old enough to have seen this with my own eyes!

That very well could have been the case in the 80s Sal but commercial landings have gone down over time as you'll see below.

A few things have happened in the more recent past ...
- Commercial quotas have been lowered starting in 2015
- Here in NJ there is a ban on commercial fishing for Stripers
- Farm raised Stripers have become popular therefore they've filled some of the demand that used to be filled by the commercials.