Three years have passed since the publication of the book, The Mortal Sea, but its impact continues. The 378-page history of the dramatic decline of fish in the western Atlantic took 10 years of investigative work to write.
Aiming for more uniform management of striped bass fisheries along the Atlantic coast, the state Division of Marine Fisheries will not seek an alternative to new regulations approved last year by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
New regulations aimed at increasing the coastwide population of striped bass have been approved by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The rules will reduce recreational catch limits by half and commercial quotas by 25 per cent.
New regulations aimed at curbing mortality rates among striped bass are focusing on the larger, spawning females whose numbers have fallen in recent years. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is collecting comment.
Tighter conservation measures for striped bass are on the table for discussion this month. A weeklong series of public hearings in Massachusetts begins today on Nantucket on a plan to lower catch limits for recreational and commercial fishermen next year.
Many striped bass fishermen are reporting a poor catch early in the season. The commercial fishery opened June 23. New rules are in place this year with lower daily bag limits and reduced fishing days.
On Thursday night the Massachusetts marine fisheries advisory commission set the new commercial striped bass season to open on June 23 this year. Commissioners dropped the daily bag limit from 30 fish to 15 fish per fisherman. Rod and reel fishing permits are limited to two fish per day.
What are needed to save the striped bass in this state and coastwide are not minor logistical adjustments, but rather wholesale changes to the overall management strategy.
On Tuesday, the state Division of Marine Fisheries held a public hearing in Vineyard Haven. Discussions centered around commercial fishing season length, reducing fishing days, bag limits, bass tagging systems, and stricter licensing rules for conch fishermen.
