Massachusetts Legislature To Hold Hearings On Two SF Sponsored Bills

• SB476 (SD225) – An Act relative to the conservation of striped bass, which would restrict participation in the commercial striped bass fishery to those individuals with an historically significant (1,000 lbs average for previous five years) catch.
• HB667 (HD3042) – An Act relative to the conservation of striped bass, which would establish a special commission to study the economic impact of both the recreational and commercial striped bass fishery.

• Are a guide or charter captain who has lost clients or trips as a result of the fishery’s decline
• Are a recreational angler who has made fewer trips to the coast because of the fishery’s decline
• Are an angling-related retailer who has lost revenue because of a decline in interest in the fishery

Here are some statistics and talking points to help you plan your testimony:

• Relationship of Striped Bass Catch and Saltwater Recreational Fishing Trips 2000- 2015
• FBJ Report on Revenue and Tax Impact of Declining Striped Bass Trips in MA 1 Nov 2015

• Declining catches – the recreational catch of striped bass has declined steadily and dramatically in the early 2000s reflecting on average declining year classes along with continued pressure on the resource including both legal and illegal sale of adult striped bass.
• Poor year class trends – in the 10 years from 1996 through 2005 the average young of the year in Chesapeake Bay was 22.2. From 2006 through and including 2015 it is 11.1 or exactly half. This calls for dramatic adjustments in harvest levels that have not been made. The quality of fishing is suffering.
• Poor apparent survival of year class members – the 2011 year class at 34.6 was easily the largest of the last 10 years. The coast should be swimming in 20-inch fish. Instead these fish are scarcer than they would be from a normal year class. Either there are considerable problems with how that year class was measured or the young fish did not survive as expected.
• Less fishing trips and people fishing in MA – nearly a decade of declining catches has reduced the number of MA saltwater fishing trips since 2006 by 50%.
• Empty assurances from ASMFC – the ASMFC has constantly offered upbeat forecasts for striped bass abundance that have been completely wrong. A more conservative management philosophy than currently exists is needed since the recreational fishery thrives on good fishing and not on high harvest levels.
• Neglect of clear evidence that much more money in managing for a high quality rec fishery – Most current fishery management within the stripers range is focused on maintaining the commercial harvest. The commercial value of striped bass is really incidental to the recreational value of the species, but that seems lost on the ASMFC and most state fishery directors.
• Difficulty of many commercial fishing participants in making money as evidenced by Peros article this year – SB476 is designed to immediately remove the weekend warriors from the MA commercial striped bass fishery. Only fishermen with proven commercial levels of landings will be allowed to continue in the fishery. This will help the real commercial fishermen remaining in the fishery to make a better return while also conserving the resource.