Time for change in Chesapeake Bay with stripers
The thought struck me hours after the glistening silvery bass with vivid black stripes shattered the glassy Chesapeake. What if that was the last rockfish I’d ever catch? This piscatorial doomsday scenario popped up intomy lizard brain as I hurtled headlong into the gloaming at the end of my 30th rockfish season.
It’s not a fear of some pending morbid outcome but rather because there won’t be enough rockfish to catch. Admittedly, it was a very odd thought. Such wackiness occasionally clangs around insidemy head.
Although it’s a high unlikely scenario, it’s not one untethered from reality. If you fished for rockfish the last time the Orioles won theWorld Series then you recall the striper shutdown from 1985-90. Lately I’ve been ruminatingonthe 30th anniversary of the re-opening of rockfish season after the moratorium, mainly because over the past decadewe’ve witnessed a troublesome skid of this marquee fishery that’s heralded as a shining example of our ability to bring a species back fromthe brink.
According to the professional fishery biologists and managers from Maine to North Carolina who collectively make up the Atlantic StatesMarine Fisheries Commission, stripers are being overfished. The slide has been gradual yet almost insidious: One spot after another, where I once consistently caught stripers, produced fewer and fewer each season. Add the fact that the cow stripers are getting hammered from all sectors and the Chesapeake’s young-of-the-year index, which tracks spawning success, has been below the long-term average nine of the last 15 years, and trouble is most certainly brew
ing
Reversing the troublesome decline of the East Coast’s premier gamefish is perhaps the top fishery priority for the ASMFC and many coastal states, including Virginia and Maryland. For the 2021 season, Maryland Department of Natural Resources will again implement a summer closure, most likely from July 16-31 when the upper Chesapeake suffers its worst water quality. These oxygen-deficient “dead zones,” combined with poor fishreleasing practices, results in too many dead stripers.
Mandatory circle hook use can help mitigate this problem when they’re used properly. Yet, it’s common knowledge that not everyone is on aboard.
Case in point: Last August, after a nearly year-long sting conducted by the Maryland’sNaturalResourcesPolice, six charter boat operators were charged with numerous striper violations, including catching more than the limit and failure to use circle hooks. At least four of these cases have already been adjudicated, and despite the seriousness of the crimes, the outcomes were disgustingly weak, basically slaps on wrists meted out at the local level by district judges.
That stretch in July is also peak season for tackle shops, charter captains and guides, as well as sport anglers who target rockfish, particularly in the upper bay. A July closure, many have told me, would be a killer. Their frustration is palatable. The pain must be shared equitably across all user groups. If sport anglers can’t fish for striper in July, neither should hook-andliners and pound netters. Fair is fair.
DNR’s leadership is well aware of the tightrope it must walk between taking action to curb stripers’ descent and not wrecking people’s livelihoods. Rebuilding the rockfish biomass as quickly as possible is key to securing the long-term viability of our fishing economy. We entrust them with stewardship over our public resources, which to me means putting the health of our fisheries above politics. In recent years, that has not always been the case.
John Neely, chairman of the governor’s Sport Fish Advisory Commission, understands this dynamic yet also realizes the pressing need for a July closure. Shared via email, he suggests “at other times during the season a one-fish per day limit for both recreational and charter boat anglers. These are minimum steps needed for a healthy and sustainable fishery.”
The recreational fishing community needs to make clear what we expect from our fishery management leaders and politicians. No easy task coalescing so many varied opinions.
For me it boils down to this: I’d gladly return more rockfish to the water in exchange for more fish to catch. Your preferences may differ. Do you want more days on the water or more stripers in the box? Keep July open but shut down in November? Are you good with the spring trophy fishery, or should it be done away with entirely? What about size and slot limits?
To glean better insight into angler preferences DNR could ask us directly. A survey tailored to recreational anglerswho fish the bay and nearby coastal waters could provide DNR with a clearer picture of stakeholder-constituent priorities that would help steer strategic planning, including where to best direct funding, resources and staff, and could address areas needing improvement. A template already exists. Earlier this fall, DNR’s Wildlife & Heritage Service pinged more than 5,700 hunters in a comprehensive survey. The feedback will help guide that division’swork for years.
Simultaneously, theASMFCis currently working on Amendment VII, which will guide striper management for at least the next decade. The last time the ASMFC adopted such a sweeping planwas 2003.
Martin Gary is the executive secretary of the Potomac River Fisheries Commission and vice chair of the ASMFC’s striped bass board. He cut his professional teeth during the moratorium and has been working on fisheries issues ever since.
“Amendment VII is our striper road map,” he told me. “It’s a huge opportunity, and we’re likely not going to get another shot at this.” A draft for public input could be released as early as thisFebruary, and an adopted plan could be in place by 2022.
Rebuilding the striper fishery is going to take years and will require sacrifices from all stakeholders. We also need to recognize warming coastalwaters, a result of climate change, may be influencing migration patterns.
Galactic leaps in technology — fast, reliable boats that can cover scores of miles in all kinds of weather; sophisticated fish finders; social media and text networks — have propelled fishermen’s angling efficacy compared to just 10 years ago.
Take all of these factors together andwe may need to prepare ourselves for a new 21st century striper paradigm.