Farragut Conservation View
Mr. Robert Beal
Fishery Management Plan Coordinator
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
1444 Eye Street NW, 6th Floor
Washington, DC 20005May 31, 2000
Subject: Comments to Amendment Six of the Striped Bass Management Plan
Dear Mr. Beal,
I am the President of the Farragut Striper Club, a New York surf fishing club founded in 1966. The majority of our members have been fishing since childhood. Most have been fishing for striped bass in some capacity for at least 20 years.
Some of our members are also supporters/members of Coastal Conservation Association-New York, Long Island Beach Buggy Association, Recreational Fishing Alliance, and the Montauk Surfcaster’s Association.
Each year, we spend many thousands of dollars throughout the state, and throughout the region on everything from hooks and bait, to fishing rods, to campers and lodging. In the summer, many of us plan vacations around striped bass fishing in places like Montauk, Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Block Island. In the fall, we dump a small fortune into Long Island’s East End economy, as many of us book lodging for a month or more.
As an organization, we have seen the best of years, and the worst of years. Despite numerous reports declaring the stock fully recovered, we are concerned about the future of the striped bass fishery.
Our concerns are not new.
We never supported the liberalized size and bag limits that were put in place for New York anglers back in 1995. We are particularly concerned that current harvest levels will never allow the population to assume a more natural age and size distribution. We feel that this fishery should be managed for quality, resulting in a more natural age and size distribution, rather than a maximum sustainable yield of mostly smaller fish, as is the case today.
We feel that the importance of the striped bass to the recreational angling community is so great that no-sale, or gamefish, status is a reasonable request.
At the same time, we feel that recreational anglers must continue to do their part in helping to restore this resource - bag and size limits should be rolled back to 1 fish at 36 inches for all coastal anglers.
We have all heard about the concept of a slot limit, reportedly designed to protect one or more year classes of spawning-aged fish. In theory, the slot limit might make some sense. In practice, however, ill conceived slots threaten to shift mortality to other year classes, resulting in an increase in overall mortality.
Therefore, we could only support a slot that:
(1) Was endorsed by the Striped Bass Technical Committee,
(2) Would reduce mortality on spawning aged fish,
(3) Would not increase mortality on any other year classes, or the population as a whole.We also feel that release mortality might be reduced through education, or through regulation of any tackle or technique with an unacceptable release mortality rate.
Overall, we feel that the striped bass, and all other fisheries for that matter, should be managed from a resource first perspective - we should concern ourselves with the health of the resource first, and deal with user related issues, such as allocation and economics, second. As we all know, the health of the resource is the driving influence in angling interest, which in turn drives business activities. Its time anglers, and related businesses, strive to become a more positive influence in the health of the resource.
Sincerely,
John W. Papciak
President, Farragut Striper Club
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