ACTION ALERT – Don’t Kick the Can Down the Road
Having endured seven hours of ASMFC striped bass meetings between October and December two things are clear: striped bass are in trouble and the people charged with managing the species are unwilling to admit they have failed to protect them. The options on the table for 2025 are unlikely to succeed and the current ten-year rebuilding plan is already four years behind schedule. And with six straight years of spawning failure in Chesapeake Bay the future looks bleak, but that’s where you come in.
We can’t in good conscience endorse any of the options that will be discussed at the December 16 emergency meeting. Many are inequitable and none are bold enough to reverse a quarter-century of mismanagement. We urge you to continue to speak up in favor of an equitable coast-wide harvest moratorium. We know it made a difference in 2021, and since then some delegates have reluctantly admitted it may be an inevitability. By continuing to speak up in favor of that idea, we can give courage to those who know it is the right thing to do—and the only option left with a chance of succeeding.
The documents provided by the ASMFC (links below) are very complex and do not provide the usual breakdown of options as we would typically see in an amendment or addendum. As you write your comments to the ASMFC here are some key takeaways from the two documents provided by the Striped Bass TC (technical committee) and SAS (stock assessment subcommittee). Your comments should be directed at these points and also clearly state that an equitable coast-wide harvest moratorium is the only proven way to rebuild the stock.
- Move Forward With Caution – The board needs to air on the side of caution when moving forward with management decisions. The overfished status of the stock coupled with failed recruitment (spawning) in Chesapeake Bay means the board needs to make the most conservative reductions. We cannot predict when the current trend of failed recruitment will end, maximized reductions in effort and harvest give the stock the best chance of rebuilding by 2029. How those reductions occur is a bit more complicated.
- No Targeting Closures – For several reasons we cannot support any no targeting closures as they are currently outlined. First off, the law enforcement committee clearly stated, and on multiple occasions, that no targeting closures are unenforceable. If a regulation is unenforceable, then we immediately question any benefit that it might have. Tasking the TC (technical committee) with taking such an in depth look at no targeting closures was a gross mismanagement of valuable resources. In addition, the no targeting closures as they are currently being presented, are inequitable and allow for misuse by states who wish to avoid said closures. As with our call for an equitable coast-wide harvest moratorium, any regulation must be considered for it’s fairness and impact to local economies and stakeholders. As it currently stands, no targeting closures will create more negative impact than they would positively impact the rebuilding of the stock.
- No Harvest Closures – We do support no harvest closures but not how they are currently being considered. As with no targeting closures, equity is the key issue. If seasonal (time based) harvest closures are put into place, they must consider state by state seasons and existing harvest impact on the stock. We truly believe that everyone must make compromises in order to rebuild the stock, but they must be equitable. We cannot allow states to pick and choose, the ASMFC must be in control of those decisions, using sound science as the driving force.
- Adjusting the slot – Stripers Forever has, going back many years, been an advocate for the protection of larger breeding size striped bass. Fecundity (fertility/ egg production) increases in conjunction with the age of a striped bass. Therefore, protecting bigger spawning fish is very important to rebuilding the stock. Especially when we are facing six straight years of poor recruitment in the Chesapeake Bay (the #1 contributor of juvenile striped bass on the Atlantic coast). The board should be considering revising the slot limit, particularly shrinking and dropping the size range down to do everything it can to protect the 2015 and 2018 year classes. Any and all spawning fish need to be protected, they provide our one and only chance at rebuilding the stock.
The deadline for submitting comments is 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, December 10, so please share your feelings ASAP. Kicking the can down the road is not an option. Insist that the ASMFC move forward with equitable and effective regulations that rebuild the stock. And consider copying your state delegation as well. We’ve come too far to stop now!
Informational Webinar to Review Technical Report
On Thursday, December 5 at 6 p.m. the ASMFC held a informational webinar to review the management options developed by the Technical Committee and provide the public with sufficient background information to inform the development and submission of public comment by December 10. For those who were unable to attend the ASMFC has added that meeting recording to its YouTube Channel. You can find that link below and we strongly encourage everyone to watch it so that you can make informed comments.
MEETING & COMMENT INFO
December 16, 2024 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Description
The draft agenda and meeting materials for the December 16th Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board Meeting are now available HERE or on the meeting page at https://www.asmfc.org/home/December-2024-AtlStripedBassBoard-meeting.
The Board will meet in-person and via webinar on Monday, December 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to consider changing 2025 management measures to increase the probability of rebuilding the stock by the 2029 deadline. The meeting will be held at the Westin Crystal City, 1800 Richmond Hwy, Arlington, VA 22202. The Advisory Panel Report and all written comments received by December 10 will be posted no later than December 13.
The meeting responds to the results of the 2024 Stock Assessment Update, which indicates the resource remains overfished but is not experiencing overfishing. Short-term projections estimate an increase in fishing mortality in 2025 due to the above average 2018 year-class entering the current recreational ocean slot limit combined with the lack of strong year-classes behind it. In this scenario, the probability of rebuilding by 2029 is less than 50%. Under Addendum II to Amendment 7, the Board can change management measures through Board action, instead of developing an addendum, if the stock assessment indicates a less than 50% probability of the stock rebuilding by 2029. As a result, the Board will meet December 16 to consider changing 2025 management measures to reduce fishing mortality and increase the probability of rebuilding to at least 50%.
Webinar Information
The meeting will be broadcast via webinar; to register for the webinar, please go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4124340027335222108
(Webinar ID 586-838-579).
If you are joining the webinar but will not be using voice over internet protocol (VoIP), you can may also call in at +1.562.247.8422, access code 389-192-580. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, press the # key when asked for a PIN.
The webinar will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting so people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter. If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio related issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.
Meeting Process
The Board Chair will ask both in-person and virtual board members if they wish to speak. In-person members can simply raise their hands at the meeting without logging on to the webinar, while virtual members will raise their hands on the webinar. The Chair will work with staff to compile the list of speakers, balancing the flow of questions/comments between in-person and virtual attendees.
The Board Chair will also provide the opportunity for comment at the meeting, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda. The Chair has the discretion in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities. This could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition of a motion until the Chair is satisfied further comments will not provide additional insight to the Board.
Public Comment Guidelines
The Commission anticipates a large volume of written public comments will be submitted for this meeting. In order to compile and provide the comments to the Board in a timely manner before the meeting, written comments may be submitted via email to comments@asmfc.org by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, December 10. Comments received after this date will not be included in the Board’s materials.
Per the Commission’s public comment guidelines, the Board Chair will provide the opportunity for comment at the meeting, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda. The Chair has the discretion in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities. This could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition of a motion until the Chair is satisfied further comments will not provide additional insight to the Board.
