EASTON, MD - Maryland is introducing an option to their pilot program. It's aimed at providing relief to charter boat operators facing challenges due to new striped bass regulations.
The program offers a modified and optional regulation for striped bass, following the decision by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to reduce the catch-and-keep limit from two fish to one per day. While some view the new option, an addition to the electronic reporting pilot program, as a compromise, charter boat captains remain skeptical.
Shannon Pickens, captain of 'The Working Girl', says rockfish season has not yet begun and his bookings are significantly down.
"The negative publicity has certainly put business on the downslope. The regulations as well, certainly that doesn't help," Pickens added.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources acknowledges the impact of these new regulations and has introduced what they call a flexible variation. As an incentive for charter boats to report their catches electronically, participating boats will be allowed to keep two additional fish.
"The incentive to signing up means that as a captain and a mate aboard the boat, they each—not just the clients but the captain and the mate—can now keep one fish per captain and per mate," said Mike Luisi, Associate Director of Maryland Fishing and Boating Services with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Luisi added, "We realize that there are impacts when the Atlantic States Commission decided to go the direction that it did; we were not supportive of that."
Under the new option, if a charter has six guests, a captain, and a mate, the boat can keep a total of eight fish, a practice not allowed in the past. However, Captain Shannon Pickens doesn't believe this will make much of a difference.
"Certainly, thanks for the compromise, but is that going to save my business or save the industry? No, I don't think so," Pickens stated.
The pilot program is set to go into effect on May 16th.
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