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by Ed Cherry
Chairman JCAA Striped Bass Committee
(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association December 2004 Newsletter)
I attended the striped bass advisory panel meeting as proxy for New Jersey representative Al Ristori. The panel reviewed the stock assessment as follows:
Stock Size: The estimate of total abundance for January 1, 2004 is 56.7 million age-1 and older fish due to the strong 2003 year-class. This estimate is about 11 million fish higher than the average stock size for the previous five years and 23.8% higher than the 2003 abundance.
Spawning Stock Biomass (SSB): The female spawning stock biomass for 2003 is estimated at 30 million pounds which is above the recommended biomass threshold of 28 millions pounds (12,726 mt). However, most TC members expressed concern over the current estimates of spawning stock biomass.
Recruitment: Recruitment of the 2003 cohort for all stocks combined is 21.6 million age-1 fish and is the highest observed in the time series. Preliminary survey indices for young-of-the-year striped bass for 2004 in Chesapeake Bay indicate that the 2004 year-class is of average strength.
Fishing Mortality Rates: Based on VPA results, average age 8-11 fishing mortality in 2003 is estimated at F=0.62 (a 77% increase compared to 2002), exceeds the Amendment 6 target of 0.30, and is above the threshold of 0.41. However, all technical committee members expressed concern over the terminal year estimate of F from the VPA and, hence, the conclusions derived from this estimate.
Commercial harvest (0.86 million fish) and discards (0.27 million fish) accounted for 24% of the total 2003 catch.
Based on the ADAPT VPA estimates, the technical committee cannot say with certainty that overfishing is not occurring and that the population is not over fished. However, since harvest increased compared to 2002, and the F estimates have been over the target since 1997, there is certainty that the target is still being exceeded. Until the uncertainties and divergences between the VPA and tag-based models are more fully investigated, the technical committee recommends that no liberalization of regulations occur at this time.
We reviewed the Menhaden workshop recommendations and these were approved as noted by similar response within the striped bass management board meeting. The AP approved a change in the methodology used to estimate the Chesapeake Bay fishing mortality rate. Rather than rely on estimates of fishing mortality from the summer-fall tagging program, Maryland will estimate the bay-wide fishing mortality rate using the spring tagging program.
The AP approved New York’s proposal to change the management measures for the Hudson River striped bass recreational fishery and the Marine District striped bass recreational and commercial fisheries. All of the options included in the proposal were found to be conservationally equivalent to the standards of Amendment 6. The Board also approved Delaware’s proposal requiring the use of circle hooks in the striped bass spawning areas during the spawning season and to modify the commercial fishing seasons for the gillnet and the hook and line fisheries.
Anne Lange reviewed the current state of the EEZ plan. It appeared as the progress was halted by the inconsistent mortality data and the recommendation of the technical committee not to expand the striped bass fishery in 2005.
No position or recommendation on this issue was made to the board.
