KENT ISLAND, Md. - Choppy waters may lie ahead for many anglers who rockfish. Earlier this week, Virginia canceled its trophy rockfish season amid concerns of overfishing. A recent report showed the rockfish population has been overfished since 2010 and spawning female striped bass, or rockfish, were falling short of the desired threshold for over six years. Virginia is calling the canceled season a "proactive" measure and is urging neighboring states to do the same. But some say closing more future seasons could reel in more disaster.
For charter boat captains, like Tyler Nonn, it's a struggle to stay afloat these days.
"Fishing is terrible," Nonn said. "It's so bad last year that I canceled the last 18 days in April."
Nonn says, year after year, he's watched the population sink throughout the Chesapeake Bay. He says canceling the trophy season in Maryland too may be a good idea.
"We probably need some kind of federal act or legislation to really put the hammer down and save the rest of the fish we got left," Nonn said.
Virginia's canceled season so far only applies to recreational fishing. Commercial harvests are still okay. But Nonn believes commercial watermen should be held accountable too.
Rob Newberry with the Delmarva Fisheries Association disagrees. He says commercial watermen already report and comply with fishing regulations unlike recreational anglers.
"Where the problem lies is with the recreational fishery. It is not with the commercial industry," Newberry said. "If it is a conservation measure that has to be addressed, I think targeting specifically the spawning fish is one. Limiting the fish or shortening the season would be a good idea."
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) meets next Tuesday in Washington D.C. to discuss ways of saving rockfish.