Striped Bass Changes Article

[Billfish715]

ASMFC Striped Bass Report

http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInp...nt_Aug2019.pdf

This has a lot of data to digest but you will be able to glean some tidbits about a variety of topics and form your own opinions. The image of beach haul seining will always be etched in people's minds. It did happen during the migratory seasons and its continuation was championed by Billy Joel. It really was a seasonal thing, but the commercial harvest of stripers continued throughout the spring, summer and fall by the "pin hookers" who fished with impunity with all sorts of hook and line devices. In total numbers, the hook and line fishermen still outcaught the netters. As long as wild stripers could be sold to restaurants and fish markets, stripers would always be under attack. As long as there were liberal bag limits for recreational fishermen, the same was true.

We are where we are now because of a lot of things. One thing is for sure.....if we want to keep catching large stripers, we have to conserve our resources. How that is done will continue to be debated but it's in all of our interests to modify our greed and egos.