Striped Bass Closures in Nov and Dec

[Lido-Gambler]

How may others have commented? My comments are succinct and to the point.

1)These proposals are another measure intended to hurt the recreational anglers and the"for hire" sector which is perceived to wantonly just kill stripers. Further restrictions would greatly harm shore economies. Example- Striped Bass Fishing makes up 25-35 percent of our business and drives tourism post summer.

2)Be proactive not reactive-look to fix the spawning issue in the Chesapeake and not base decisions on harvest estimates like MRIP or sporadic state trawl surveys.

3) It was reported by ASMFC that seasonal closures are not supported by NOAA or State Agencies as they are too hard to enforce, why even propose them?

4) Bass are migrating further offshore due to Ocean Temperatures and Geography. The New York Bight and New Jersey Coast sees larger numbers bait and hence larger numbers of striped bass. Others states are driven to push this overly restrictive agenda as a result of poor fishing in thier region.

Capt. Chris Lido
FV Gambler
Point Pleasant Beach NJ

[dales529]

Originally Posted by Lido-Gambler

How may others have commented? My comments are succinct and to the point.

1)These proposals are another measure intended to hurt the recreational anglers and the"for hire" sector which is perceived to wantonly just kill stripers. Further restrictions would greatly harm shore economies. Example- Striped Bass Fishing makes up 25-35 percent of our business and drives tourism post summer.

2)Be procative not reactive-look to fix the spawning issue in the Chesapeake and not base decisions on harvest estimates like MRIP or sporadic state trawl surveys.

3) It was reported by ASMFC that seasonal closures are not supported by NOAA or State Agencies as they are too hard to enforce, why even propose them?

4) Bass are migrating further offshore due to Ocean Temperatures and Geography. The New York Bight and New Jersey Coast sees larger numbers bait and hence larger numbers of striped bass. Others states are driven to push this overly restrictive agenda as a result of poor fishing in thier region.

Capt. Chris Lido
FV Gambler
Point Pleasant Beach NJ

Well Said!

[jasm1n8]

This is what I emailed them:


I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed closure of striped bass in November and December for 2025. Based on my personal observations over the past few years, particularly in 2024, striped bass populations have been robust and increasing. I believe that closing the striped bass fishery in November and December, when populations are at their peak, is an excessive measure. While I understand the need for sustainable fishing practices, I urge the committee to consider alternative, less restrictive regulations, such as different month or alternate days during each month.

[SNAPS]

Yes we need to stress that closure is not an option, and will kill businesses but at the same time, we need to make them see, that maybe the science is flawed, and if they think the numbers are down, that it may be due to natures way. As some one else said here,they aint getting it done, for various reasons. Water temps current etc. How the eff do they know the biomass is down?? Did they take a head count??? What about natural predators???

[WhaleFart]

this fishery needs to be closed for harvest for at least 5 years. The fish you are seeing the last 3 or 4 seasons are the same fish. The breeding rates for bass is totally crashing. The fact is there are NO fish behind this class of fish that even hold a candle to the current biomass which still even isn’t that great considering .

It’s time to start treating bass like tarpon IMO.

[JSBlue26]

If the “Striper population is down” then why not CLOSE the Commercial fishery for stripers instead of closing the recreational fishery ??
The recreational fishery takes a fraction of what the commercial fishery gets annually. Closing the fishery for recreational anglers in Nov./ Dec. 2025 only benefits the commercial entities and will only ensure that charter and party boats up/down the coast would be devastating for them !!! Does this get taken into account when monitoring the biomass ?? Full closure would be the final straw and unfortunately guarantee putting numerous vessels out of business and both owners/employees losing their livelihood……… does that mean anything to these guru’s monitoring the fish stock “whale fart” …….??? Just mind boggling when the Fall 2024 run has been a great run that’s still going past mid-December !!!!
You can’t fix STUPID …….

[hartattack]

DEC NY RELEASES 2024 STRIPED BASS YOUNG-OF-YEAR SURVEY RESULTS​
Second Consecutive Year of Poor Juvenile Production in the Hudson River​
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced the 2024 Hudson River striped bass young-of-year survey results for 2024 depict a second consecutive year of poor juvenile production in the Hudson River. The index value, which provides an estimate of annual juvenile production for striped bass in the Hudson River, is generated through a beach seine survey at 13 sites in the lower Hudson River conducted bi-weekly from July to November. This is the 45th year of the survey, which provides important long-term monitoring information about striped bass and other fish species in the Hudson River.
“DEC’s annual juvenile striped bass survey conducted in the Hudson River is a critical method for measuring the reproductive success and potential future abundance of the striped bass population along the Atlantic Coast,” said DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar. “Given the challenges striped bass are experiencing in other spawning areas and the poor results of the 2023 survey, this year’s below average index value in the Hudson River heightens the concerns of the future availability of this critical resource as we approach the next decade.”
The 2024 value for the DEC’s Hudson River striped bass young-of-year index was 7.85 fish per haul. This value is below the long-term average, and for the second consecutive year, survey values were below the 25th percentile. The survey can be viewed at: Striped Bass
Juvenile production is an important part of rebuilding the coastal striped bass stock and is heavily dependent on environmental conditions in estuaries along the Atlantic Coast. The recent low values in the Hudson River add to concerns about striped bass production in other Atlantic coastal estuaries. The Maryland young-of-year index in the Chesapeake Bay also posted poor results in 2024, extending a string of poor annual reproduction events in the Chesapeake Bay to a sixth consecutive year.
New York State works cooperatively with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) to manage striped bass. In response to projections from the 2024 Stock Assessment Update, the ASMFC Board will meet on Dec.16, to consider adjusting 2025 management measures to reduce fishing mortality and increase the probability of rebuilding the coastal stock of striped bass (meeting details).