The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is considering new restrictions on striped bass for 2026, proposing a 12% reduction for the recreational sector, which would require additional seasonal closures to achieve the reduction. The closures even consider “no targeting,” which prohibits anglers from fishing for striped bass, whether harvesting or practicing catch-and-release.
Additional seasonal closures are not needed, says the American Sportfishing Association. Strict recreational fishery management using a narrow slot limit has effectively reduced fishing mortality to a 30-year low, which is well below both the target and threshold needed for rebuilding, according to ASA.
ASMFC is reacting to short-term swings in recreational catch estimates from the Marine Recreational Information Program, a survey that NOAA Fisheries admitted overestimates fishing effort due to design flaws, according to ASA.
ASA says the case for the proposed 12% reduction is based on a difference of 0.01 in fishing mortality — well within the margin of error and scientifically indistinguishable from the current management approach.
The recreational striped bass fishery drives billions of dollars in economic activity, supports tens of thousands of jobs, and sustains countless small businesses along the Atlantic coast. An additional 12% reduction would devastate the recreational fishing economy while doing very little to improve the health of the fishery, the ASA says.
Tell the ASMFC to support status quo management. Comments are due no later than Oct. 3.
