ACTION REQUEST- ASMFC Winter Meeting – Feb. 4, 2020
ACTION REQUEST– ASMFC Striped Bass management board will meet to consider Addendum VI and review state implementation plans and conservation equivalency proposals.
The time is NOW! Tomorrow, Feb. 4, 2020 from 11:15 AM to 3 PM, the ASMFC Striped Bass management board will meet to consider Addendum VI and review state implementation plans and conservation equivalency proposals. Conservation Equivalency (CE) shouldn’t be part of the management plan to restore the Striped Bass stock that has already been declared overfished and experiencing overfishing. CE is nothing more than a way for states to circumvent the mandatory 18% reduction and also severely complicates the ability for the TC to measure and track the rebuilding process. ACT NOW and email your ASMFC representative with your thoughts (ASMFC Representatives). Make your voice heard and push the ASMFC to get back on track with Striped Bass management. Full meeting details can be found here (http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-winter-meeting) and a registration link for the live-streaming of the meeting is available here (https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3853611638258510347).
Draft Addendum VI was initiated in response to the 2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment, which indicates the resource is overfished and experiencing overfishing. The Draft Addendum explores a range of management alternatives designed to end overfishing and reduce fishing mortality to the target level in 2020.
The Draft Addendum proposes management options for both commercial and recreational sectors in the ocean and in Chesapeake Bay in order to reduce total fishery removals by 18% relative to 2017 levels. The proposed measures include reduced quotas for commercial fisheries, and changes in bag limits, minimum sizes, and slot size limits for the recreational sector. Since catch and release practices represent a significant component of overall fishing mortality, the Draft Addendum also explores the mandatory use of circle hooks when fishing with bait to reduce release mortality in recreational striped bass fisheries.
Draft Addendum VI is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/StripedBassDraftAddVI_PublicComment_Aug2019.pdf  Fishermen and other stakeholders are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addendum VI either by attending state public hearings or by providing written comment.
Please contact us at striper@stripersforever.org with any questions.
