TILGHMAN ISLAND, MD - In a move aimed at addressing declining populations of striped bass, commonly known as rockfish, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) approved new regulations, effective immediately, drawing criticism from the angling community. The regulations, which impact recreational fishermen, reduce the allowable catch for anglers and impose a new slot size for keeper fish.
Under the previous rule, recreational anglers were allowed to keep two striped bass per-person, with a size requirement falling between 19 and 31 inches—a range commonly known as the slot size. The newly approved regulation limits anglers, including charter boats, to one keeper fish, within a revised slot size of 19 to 24 inches. The intention is to leave the larger rockfish for reproduction.
Charter boat captains are expressing discontent with the sudden implementation of these measures, claiming they were enacted hastily and without warning. Despite holding commercial licenses, charter boats are required to adhere to the same limits as recreational anglers, leading to concerns about the impact on their livelihoods.
Captain Shannon Pickens of the charter 'The Working Girl' voiced his concerns, stating, "I've got trips already booked with customers under the premonition of us being able to keep 2 fish per person. And now we're at one fish per person within a slot limit as well, so we've taken over a 50 percent reduction here if you look at the number of it."
According to Allison Colden, Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Maryland Executive Director, the regulatory changes are a response to a significant drop in the striped bass population over the past five years. She says, "The Maryland Department of Resources' juvenile striped bass survey has shown record low numbers consistently for the past 5 years so we know we're seeing low re-production as well as too many spawning adults being removed from the coast wide population."
Colden defended the rapid implementation, saying, "While that is a quick turnaround, we think that this is critically important to make sure that the conservation measures that we need to see in place for striped bass are in place as soon as possible."
Part of the rationale behind the slot size change is to protect breeder fish, as those exceeding the new 24-inch maximum are now considered crucial for reproduction. However, charter boat captains argue that the lack of reporting practices contribute to skewed population data, as they log and report catches daily, recreational anglers don't.
Jason Seman, charter boat captain of 'The Marylander' and Vice President of the Maryland Charter Boat Association, emphasized the need for better data collection, stating, "From a recreational standpoint it's generated based on estimated and that leads to insufficient data. With better data we can make better decisions in Maryland."
Opening season for rockfish begins in May. CBF says they believe there could be additional actions taken in the future to protect the fish. These new rules affect fishermen all along the east coast.
For commercial watermen, their quota will be cut by 7%.
