Coastal angling conservation group Stripers Forever is calling for a 10-year moratorium on the recreational and commercial harvest of striped bass, the group announced.
The push came in answer to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s request for public input on managing the striped bass fishery.
“Bold, decisive action is needed to prevent a collapse of the fishery like we saw in the late 1970s,” said Mike Spinney, a member of Stripers Forever’s national board of directors. “An emergency moratorium was adopted in 1984 and is the only approach proven to work. We are calling on recreational anglers, conservationists and anyone who depends on a healthy coastal ecosystem for their economic well-being to stand with us and demand that a moratorium be adopted now.”
In addition to the moratorium, Stripers Forever is also calling for a ban on gill nets, a $25 striped-bass conservation stamp, a ban on targeting stripers in spawning areas and other measures intended to preserve the population.
Click here for Stripers Forever’s full analysis of the ASMFC document.
