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Anglers say expanding striped bass fishing area would needlessly upset system that's working
(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association January 2004 Newsletter)
Shore area striped bass anglers came away from Tuesday's scoping meeting on opening federal waters to the harvest of striped bass wondering why the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is so interested in the proposal.
If the commercial quota of 3.8 million pounds is currently being filled, why open additional harvest area and risk landings confusion, quota abuse and attrition of big spawners?
About 50 anglers spoke against the proposal at the National Marine Fisheries Service meeting held in Toms River, and their comments revealed that management arguments for opening all waters beyond three miles from shore to the harvest of stripers were unconvincing.
Frank Zappella of Betty and Nick's Bait and Tackle, Seaside Park, spoke against the opening and succinctly summed up many anglers' feelings: "If it's not broken, don't fix it."
Speaker after speaker stressed that the EEZ, or exclusive economic zone, should remain closed to striped bass harvest, if for no other reason than it would be a reckless experiment.
NMFS and ASMFC officials say opening federal waters would not be linked to seeking higher commercial landings, but would reduce waste in other fisheries and provide additional opportunity for recreational and commercial fishermen.
If that is the case from a commercial aspect, utilizing bycatch of bass from other fisheries in the EEZ would only fill the overall striped bass quota faster, deprive traditional inshore gill netters, haul-seiners and pound fishermen of quota and further upset the market.
From a recreational standpoint, occasional voices have been raised to open closed areas such as Five Fathom Bank off Cape May and allow the landing of the fish trolled or jigged on the edge of the Mud Hole, but those voices were not heard at Tuesday's meeting.
Thomas P. Fote, one of New Jersey's representatives to the ASMFC, said the sad part of the proposal is that the stocks are in good shape, the commercial quota is being filled and the recreational fishery, though not restored to historic levels, is healthy.
"The system is working fine," he said. "Why change the rules now and put the whole thing in jeopardy?"
Fote reminded that the ASMFC's rush to pass Amendment 6 to the striped bass management plan in 2002 (which New Jersey opposed) restored the commercial fishery to 100 percent of its traditional 1972-1979 harvest level.
This was done while the recreational fishery remained the same. Several states are still at a one-fish limit and New Jersey is only at 20 percent of what it was in 1972-1979.
"Some of these states haven't implemented Amendment 5, let alone Amendment 6," Fote said. "For that matter, they haven't implemented Amendment 4, which was passed in 1991. That provided for two fish at 28 inches.
"They declared the fishery was recovered in 1995 without all of the states going to two fish at 28 inches," he said.
Greg Hueth, president of the Shark River Surf Anglers, said he is concerned about the effects on the big spawners in the EEZ, if those waters were to be opened to striped bass fishing.
Hueth pointed out that so many of the big spawners migrate offshore to the wintering grounds off North Carolina and Virginia that a fishery more than three miles off the beach could jeopardize all of the conservation gains made in the last two decades.
Anne M. Lange, who represented NMFS at the meeting Tuesday, pointed out that the scoping meeting was one of several to be held by the service as it prepared an environmental impact statement on the possible reopening.
What she did not say was whether or not the financially strapped agency was prepared to do the studies to answer Hueth's question about the effect of the fishery on the migrating spawners. This would be costly and consume time, but it would seem to be an integral part of an environmental impact statement on, in effect, opening up a new fishery.
Hueth said the striped bass fishery is too important to the recreation of anglers and the industry that depends on it to ignore or dismiss the possible effect with a bureaucratic wave of the management wand.
Ed Cherry, chairman of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association's striped bass committee, pointed out that the proposal to open the EEZ is being pushed by four states -- Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina and Rhode Island.
"Only four states voted to consider the recommendation," he said. "Five states opposed it. . . . only two votes cast by the two federal agencies (NMFS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) decided the issue."
It is remembered by insiders that when the subject came up in the meeting prior to the final one, the two services abstained and the proposal to reopen the EEZ was shelved.
