No slot 2016?

[No Ragrets]

I saw this on facebook today.

The Maryland Saltwater Sportfishing Association would like to announce some pending changes in the 2016 striped bass fishery. Please note that all decisions must be approved by the The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). These changes were voted on by the Maryland Sport Fish Advisory Commission (SFAC) and will be submitted by the Department of Natural Resources.

Trophy Season:
By a unanimous vote, the SFAC approved a change in the Trophy season to a 1 fish/person minimum 35" (season length remains the same; 3rd Saturday in April to May 15)

Summer/Fall Season:
The SFAC voted to approve two options for the summer/fall fishery for the Department to advance:
1.) Status Quo: 2 fish per person, minimum 20 inches (2 fish/person 20"-28" OR 1 fish 20"-28" and 1 fish 28" or more)
2.) Captains Choice: 2 fish per person, minimum 20 inches (2 fish/person 20"-28" or1 fish 20"-28" and 1 fish 28" or more) OR 1 fish/person minimum 18" Captains choice (everyone on the boat will have to comply and Agree on size limit)

Coastal Fishery:
2 fish/person 28-36" or 44" and above

What do you guys think?

[Gypsy Danger]

I know many charger captains have different views however I'm all for a slot limit again in 2016. Last trophy season I caught so many fish right in the slot limit and to be honest it didn't bother me but then again I'm mainly a catch and release guy. My thoughts are the fishery is starting to rebound if we maintain the previous slot limit that it would only help in minimizing the threat of slowing down the rebound. I don't have any scientific data to back this up but to me it just seemed to me the slot limit worked.

My ultimate goal is to sustain a health fishery not just for the present but future generations of fisherman!

[B-Faithful]

ASMFC wanted us to have a 1 fish 36"+ last year. It should have gone that way before some in MD wanted to mess with it. Now those that fought for the no-take slot dont want it because most fish were in the slot and it severely hurt charters being able to keep fish. To be quite frank it doesnt matter much for conservation because our harvest on big fish is a pimple on the elephant as far as the take on big fish goes up and down the coast. We took less than 3% off of the spawning stock biomass even when we had 1 fish @ 28"+. The coastal reductions will have far greater effect on the health of the stock here.

I dont think we should even be asking the ASMFC to look at the capts choice. I think it stands little to no chance of getting board approval and it takes away from us asking to change both the trophy season and coastal seasons. (They dont really like change after reductions have been implemented because it makes it harder for them to determine effectiveness of reductions). Besides the stock assessment update is due out this year and we hopefully can go back and ask for an 18" min again next year. I was surprised no one took up conversation about having a split summer season mentioned by the DNR striped bass representative.

I dont care about the coastal regulations but think it is odd that we will have the same regulations as a neighboring state we dont have license reciprocity with and different regulations than the state we do have license reciprocity with. In other words under a MD license you can fish VA and MD waters and have different regs for each state. However you cannot fish DE waters with a MD license but our regs conform with theirs. I dont care about it. Just odd.

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If I were king for a day, I would find a way to extend the season until Dec 31st. I would explore having 3 seasons, Trophy, summer and fall...

Trophy 1 @35"+
Summer 2@18"+ (1 allowed to be 28"+)
Fall (maybe Oct 1 - Dec31 ) 2 @ 22" + (1 allowed to be 28"+) or whatever it would take to get the 18" summer fish and get the season to go to December 31st.

I personally would even go with a 1 fish per person creel after Nov 1 to get to the end of the year. Much harder to book C&R only trips vs even having a 1 fish creel.

[Mako mike]

Bring back the slot limit!! Yes I released a ton of slot fish and it made me feel good to do so. We are protecting the breeding stock and what's the problem with that. Granted I am just returning from fishing many years offshore, the striper slot limit is nothing compared to what the bluefin tuna fishery has gone through. When targeting them you had to check regulations daily as the Feds could change the regs daily. So what, I've done charters offshore for years and the people that booked months in advance understood that once they showed up in the morning the fishery was either closed or slot limits had changed. I can't understand why a bay charter captain or recreational fisherman wouldn't agree with regulations that would possibly sustain a species that is their bread and butter for the future. If someone could explain this to me rationally I would love to hear it. Could just be me but don't understand the mentality. Sure beats another moratorium. If they want to reduce mortality go after the factory ships that are sucking up all the bait they eat instead of worrying about what you can and cannot keep and kill! No bait no fish!

[Chessie27]

I throw pretty much everything back anyway. If people on my boat want to keep fish, I certainly allow it. Personally I've eaten fish twice a year for the last 3 years. If it were left up to me, we would have fish so thick, even Parker owners woud catch fish!!!

[5th Tuition]

Mike,
I think what Greg is saying with the "pimple on an elephants ass" comment is that our trophy season (normally only three weeks long) is not reducing the breeding population by very much.
I have no problem releasing fish. If another slot limit would GUARANTEE another great YOY index, I would support a slot for the next couple of years.

However, I think the main problem is that the breeding stock NEVER gets a break. They get hammered everywhere they go. Let's start with Maryland. They enter the bay to spawn in late March and DNR tries to set the Trophy season date after they have spawned. In most years, this works out pretty well (last year they arrived late). They spawn in early to mid April, and we fish for them until they leave the bay.
But then, those breeders are fished all the way up the coast as they head for their summer grounds. Once they reach Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, etc.; they are fished until they start their trip back to warmer waters. Once again, they are fished all the way back down the coast until they reach their winter grounds (either Va. or N.C.). If they don't remain outside the 3 mile limit, they are fished all winter.
Finally, they start their trek back up the Chesapeake to spawn, where we hit them again for about 3 weeks.

I will agree that I sometimes wince when a fat pre-spawn cow goes in the box. But if all works well, more spawned out females are harvested.

So............, our three week season doesn't reduce the breeding stock by a large number. A 32-43 inch fish (breeder) is never going to breed again no matter whether she is harvested in Md., Del., N.J., N.Y., Conn., Rhode Island, Mass., Maine, Va., or N.C.!!

What I would love to see is a one year C/R restriction on the breeding stock. I still want to fish for them; but maybe everything over 38 inches would be protected (for one year only). Can you imagine how many breeders that were released in every State, would enter the Chesapeake to spawn the following year? How large would the YOY be then?

I HOPE that because we released the slot fish, the YOY was high last year. But we can't be certain that was the main reason for the YOY index. Perhaps, the environmental conditions (water temps and water quality) were perfect for allowing the eggs to hatch and the fry to live. I know we didn't have any major flooding last spring (which normally turns the bay to a muddy mess). Perhaps, the combination of C/R and environmental factors was the answer.

We could do another slot, C/R 75-80% of the breeders; and have environmental conditions kill the eggs or fry resulting in a poor YOY.

Personally, I love catching them. I could accept a season of all C/R. The only problem with that, is DNR has so polluted the process of setting regulations, that I don't trust them to be able to effectively manage the stock. When DNR was asked (by the Charter Boat industry) to ELIMINATE Pre-Season C/R fishing for the few of us who engaged in it; DNR told us with a straight face that we were harming the fish by 1) dragging them behind the boat, 2) forcing them to release their eggs, 3) stressing them out so badly that if the eggs weren't released, they wouldn't fertilize, 4) and finally, the most outrageous claim; that we were "educating" the fish so that they wouldn't take a lure once the C/K (catch/kill) season came in Additionally, all the while DNR was trying to stop us from C/R trolling the main stem of the bay, they were allowing C/R on the susqahanna flats (the true spawning area)

Then, last season, DNR (at the request of the Charter Boat industry) imposes a "slot limit" on the fishery. This slot forced 75-80% of the pregnant cows to go through all of the horrendous things listed above. And what did we get, a great YOY.

Now, DNR has been asked (by the Charter Boat industry) to set the limit at 35 inches and above for the Trophy season. Why don't we save ourselves a lot of taxes and just let the Charter Boat industry set the regulations DNR has lost all of my respect (not NRP). Lobbyist run the roost in Maryland. Those with the deepest pockets set the regulations. They have to convince the Atlantic Marine Fisheries Commission of their actions, but there is no denying who has the ear of Md. DNR.

This is a rather pessimistic view of DNR, but last year, we had to go to them and explain why their passing of the "three rod rule" for tidal waters was a problem. Remember, they had this passed into law After we explained to them the difference between tidal and non-tidal waters (yes, really) DNR had to set in motion a plan to repeal the law in July; and allow NRP to not enforce the law until it got changed (WTF).

So this is what we are dealing with when DNR sets the legal limits for the seasons in Maryland. What a mess.
5th

[longtrav]

Why can't I keep a smaller fish in trophy season? I rather release a 38" fish and eat a nice fat 28" maybe that should be the captians choice? Unless science says all the big fish are transient.

[5th Tuition]

Originally Posted by longtrav

Why can't I keep a smaller fish in trophy season? I rather release a 38" fish and eat a nice fat 28" maybe that should be the captians choice? Unless science says all the big fish are transient.

First, there are few 28" fish caught during the Trophy Season. As the Trophy season winds down, and the big females have left, you may find more males in the 28-32 inch range.
But, the answer (in my opinion) is a question of mathematics. Because there are so many fish in the 36-40+ inch range during the Trophy season; DNR has to find a way to "save" a percentage of these fish. Rec's as well as Charters TARGET the larger fish. We aren't running 6 inch shads, we run 9 inch shads for large fish.

I agree whole heartedly that a 28 inch fish tastes better than a 38 inch fish; but I want to land a big fish, take a photo, and then have the OPTION to put her back if I want to.
5th

[Gypsy Danger]

I just wonder how they come up with 35" this year when the previous season was a slot trying to protect specifically anything 36" to 40".

Just want to know the reason behind how they make their decisions!

[B-Faithful]

ASMFC wanted Maryland to have a 1 fish @ 36"+ for last year. They don't like slots scientifically, because they create greater levels of uncertainty in effectiveness of reductions, or for law enforcement reasons, because they create higher levels of violations. (Maryland DNR surveyors noted that they measured and weighed a notable amount of illegal fish during last years trophy season and NRP issued far more citations and warnings than normal). As a matter of fact, I was at last year's ASMFC winter meetings where Maryland bucked the system and requested the no-take slot option from the Striped Bass Management board and that request came only minutes after the ASMFC Law Enforcement committee recommended against the use of slots.

Last year we got the no-take slot from the Southern Charterboat capts. They thought that it was more important to maintain the 28-36" fish, particularly late in the trophy season when the bay seems to have more smaller males in it, for a reasonable chance at keeping fish (some thought it would protect more spawning fish too). Unfortunately the regulations resulted in a big uproar, especially from the charterboats, because the 25% reduction ended up seeming like 75% reduction. I know even with my 4-5 people parties, a limit was tough to come by. I think during the trophy season I kept more over 40" fish than under 36" fish. This was devastating to a large portion of the charter fleet who was getting complaints from clients, who may only take one trip or so a year, that it seemed as if keeping a fish for table fare was unreasonable (I spoke to one well-known charter capt out of Chesapeake Beach in the spring who got skunked by the no-take slot and his party wanted a refund or another free trip later because they couldnt keep a fish). Yes, being able to keep a fish is a HUGE draw to sport fishing, especially those who charter or only make a few trips a year.. (ie the masses). They dont want to pay for a trip or buy licenses, gear, etc. and not have a reasonable chance at taking a fish home, especially a fish that has such high table fare value that we have an enormous commercial harvest of the fish. I think those of us that fish all the time and enjoy catch and release fail to recognize this.

This year the same people who initiated the no-take slot at the last minute now have requested that we go back to the initial pre-approved regulations by the ASMFC. Somehow it ended up at 35" to meet the 25% vs last years 36" but you get the point.

I know some who think about conservation and protecting the fish in the 36-40" range may be upset with the change. Heck, I advocated for it for a while myself (see my post here from 2013, two years prior to last years regulations: http://www.tidalfish.com/forums/show...=1#post2039561 ). However that is before I had met with some people who told me that they are frowned upon on a management level and I supported the 1@36"+ for last year. You have to remember that as far as conservation goes, the trophy season and big fish take is not a plank in the eye of Maryland fishermen. We only made up less than 3% of the take of the spawning stock biomass even when we had 1 @28" min. The reset of the Atlantic take made up over 95% of the harvest spawning stock fish. Therefore even if we didnt change our regulations we didnt matter much in the grand scheme of things. These fish are harvested from Maine to North Carolina along the coast and even commercial fisheries in Massachusetts only target the big fish all summer long vs or few weeks with a 1 fish creel per person. The coastal reductions will have a far greater influence here. I still think the no-take slot can be an effective tool if implemented up and down the coast to protect specific year classes if absolutely necessary. However Maryland's efforts alone with such regulations wouldn't amount to much.

I am not going to lose sleep no matter what the regs end up being as long as there is a reasonable opportunity for success and we dont lose available days to fish with a creel (opportunity to take home).


There are two big things to look at as far as fisheries management goes for striped bass
1. is the ASMFC winter meetings next week in Alexandria. I think Maryland is one of the only states asking to change their regulations. They are definitely asking to change the coastal regs to match Delaware's and asking to change our trophy season to simalar regulations pre-approved for us last year (1@35"+). What remains to be seen is if they ask the management board to change our summer fishery to the "capt's choice" option. I hope they don't because I HIGHLY doubt it will pass. The option goes before the technical committee tomorrow and I am hoping it gets shot down there. If it does, I doubt Maryland will even request the option from the management board next Thursday.
2. ASMFC is doing a stock assessment update on striped bass that is due out later this year. This should give an updated look at the health of the population. If it is good and Maryland charter boats struggle for limits again this year with a fair number of fish in the 18" range, Maryland may be in a better position to ask for relaxing our summer fishery regs to give relief to the charter industry. Let's face it, out of all the states on the Atlantic coast no other state's sport fishery is so dependent upon this one species.