The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is considering allowing the transfer of ocean commercial quota for striped bass from one state to another through Addendum I to Amendment 7 of the Striped Bass Management Plan. The fate of this proposal will be decided at the ASMFC meeting which will be held on Tuesday, January 31st from 3:30-5:00 PM. Those interested may sign up for the webinar via the link below. The comment period has ended so the committee chairman has discretion as to whether further comments will be allowed at this time. JCAA’s previously submitted comments are below. There is also a chart showing the tabulation of all the comments that were submitted. Those who commented were overwhelmingly opposed to allowing the transfer of the quota so we will just have to see if the comments mean anything to the commissioners. I am cautiously optimistic that in this case they will do the right thing. Here is the link for the ASMFC Winter Meeting.
The Jersey Coast Anglers Association is association of fishing clubs throughout New Jersey. Allowing the transfer of unused commercial quota from one state to another will result in many more stripers being killed at a time we are trying to rebuild the stocks. Though overfishing is not occurring, the stocks are overfished. Recruitment has been poor in recent years and yet while recreational fishermen have been forced to establish slot limits, commercial fishermen are allowed to harvest the larger breeders. That is counterproductive! Many of the clubs who belong to JCAA have members who are avid striper fishermen. They hold an element of distrust towards our fisheries managers and even considering transfers at a time like this has further raised their ire. Therefore, the Jersey Coast Anglers Association supports Option A - (status quo) Commercial quota transfers are not permitted. JCAA urges you do the right thing by rejecting any transfers.