Chuck Furminsky of Fly Fishing Show shares letter to ASMFC

Chuck Furminsky of Fly Fishing Show, who is a avid striper fisherman, shares a letter he wrote to the commissioners of the ASMFC. Below is the content of the full letter:

November 11, 2014

The last several years I’ve fished harder and smarter, but my
success in catching stripers has not improved. It’s been so
disappointing my frustration has me analyzing the management of
the fishery and talking to many people who know way more than
me. I’d like to share some of my thoughts and experiences.
For the record, I am not an educated biologist with a PhD, nor do
not have access to the latest statistical fishery data. But I do spend
an in ordinate number of hours fishing for stripers and keep
updated with other passionate fishermen’s results.

There are common denominators that appear in regards to the
striper fishery on the East Coast. Although, I fish mostly from my
home in Ocean City, NJ, I travel to Cape Cod, the Vineyard and as
far south as North Carolina. Those excursions allow me to see
with my own eyes, hear directly from fellow striper fishermen, and
– probably most influential – discuss the striper fishery with the
fishing shops and charter captains. Sadly, everyone agrees. We
are in trouble.

The good years we experienced were so good, now that they are
gone everyone feels the loss. It’s no surprise the millions of
dollars spent for travel, motels, restaurants, boat investments,
hiring guides, chartering boats, tackle, and much more has
plummeted. The reason being we all invest in something we love
to do, but if the end result vanishes, there is no incentive to look
for sad experiences. Those who have the opportunity to make the
fishery work must realize we are depending on them to do
something. There have been meetings where the public can
address their views, but only a select group have the power to pass
the rules, establish catch limits, and manage the sport in a fair way
for sport fishermen and commercial fishermen alike.
There are many reasons – both simple and complicated – that have
damaged the fishery. Some are not able to be controlled, like
weather patterns, physical changes in the striper waters, as inlets
and beaches, and numbers of fishermen that seek out and harvest
stripers. However, these can all be influenced by proper
management to counter-balance the uncontrollable
happenings. Government fishery boards that have the
responsibility must act. It’s been too bad the process has been
slow and stagnant in many situations.

It seems that due to the range that covers the striper fishery, both in
spawning periods, and basic migration patterns, not one
management board can present an isolated plan. All the states
should work together with a plan that benefits everyone, not just
their state. The fish do not stay in one place, so their rules of
survival must be diversified and enforced over their entire range.
I don’t claim to have all the correct answers, but a few obvious
changes need to be implemented ASAP. Size and numbers of
stripers must be regulated for everyone, both recreational and
commercial fishermen. We can’t keep harvesting a dwindling
stock and pretend it won’t have a serious influence.

A friend and noted fishermen, who does have a doctorate in
biology, once quipped to me, “We don’t kill and eat the horse that
wins the Kentucky Derby, so why do we do it to the largest stripers
that could have produced tens of thousands of offspring?” It
makes you wonder whether perhaps a less productive younger
striper would be better than a cow female to harvest.

The period to respond to the striper fishery is now. In many cases,
it’s already passed. I would like nothing better to be wrong. But
we can’t sit on our hands. We also need to consider and hear
everyone’s voice. Too many politically-motivated decisions are
made that are beneficial to an influential, but powerful
minority. There is too much at stake for everyone where stripers
are part of their lives.

Not to be sarcastic, but there are bean counters who recommend
the final decisions. My suggestion is for those responsible to pass
the regulations to go out and speak to the passionate striper
fishermen. Every community has a person who lives the sport, a
shop that knows the daily facts on the striper fishery, and they will
have no reason to be dishonest or political. Someone sitting in
their office working on charts and statistical surveys on their
computer is only part of the decision process. Let’s consider every
opinion and stop analyzing and waiting.

Stripers and those that support the fishery need help. Now.

Sincerely,

Charles Furimsky
Fly Fishing Show Director