Stripers Forever News

[JakeF]

Originally posted by: Jackbass
_________________________

Striper Coast members – recreational catches of striped bass have fallen by 50% coast wide in the last two years. Striped bass are in trouble and need our help right now. The pressures put upon striped bass at the request of commercial fishing interests are going to destroy recreational striped bass fishing. for all of us. As we speak, they are trying to increase the coastal commercial fishery quotas by another 25%. We urgently need your help to pass the Massachusetts Striped Bass Game Fish Bill. Here are the e-mail addresses of the legislative members from Cape Cod and Islands. These legislators are receiving heavy pressure from the rod and line commercial community to allow them to continue to kill more than 75,000 prime breeding-age female stripers. It is vital that we show these legislators that the recreational fishery means big business to Cape Cod and the Islands. No matter what state or town that you live in, if you fish and spend money out on the Cape and Islands, these legislators need to hear from you.

· Rep.SarahPeake@Hou.State.MA.US (Rep.SarahPeake@Hou.State.MA.US)
· Rep.DemetriusAtsalis@Hou.State.MA.US (Rep.DemetriusAtsalis@Hou.State.MA.US)
· Rep.JeffreyPerry@Hou.State.MA.US (Rep.JeffreyPerry@Hou.State.MA.US)
· Rep.TimothyMadden@Hou.State.MA.US (Rep.TimothyMadden@Hou.State.MA.US)

Here is how you can help:
· E-mail these legislators and tell them about your fishing on the Cape and Islands. Please put in as much detail as you can. Where do you stay? How many are in your party? Do you go out to eat in the restaurants? What guide do you fish with? How much do you spend in Massachusetts? (after preparing your e-mail just copy and paste it in to e-mails for the other legislators)

If you are a Massachusetts resident, and have not yet contacted your legislator, please do so today – or do it again. Legislators who are supporting the game fish bill tell us that getting e-mails from our members has been pivotal for their support. Here is the link to find your legislator http://www.mass.gov/legis/ (http://www.mass.gov/legis/). As we prepare to schedule a legislative committee hearing, it is absolutely vital that your legislator knows what you think about this issue.

P.S. Please send this e-mail to your fishing friends and encourage them to take action. To continue to help make striped bass a game fish, make sure we have your current e-mail address. Go to stripersforever.org and select Become a Member. It takes less than one minute and is free.

[Doublerunner]

I recently sent an email letter to Massachetts Governor Duval Patrick's office and I got the standard reply attached below. We need to get more people to contact their Governor's and Legislator's to make our voices heard. 1 person at a time is a start but hopefully more recreational fishermen will realize that the way to be heard is to join together as a group.

The commercial fishermen have a loud voice because of their involvement as a group with regards to fishing legislation. While we all need to co-exist we also need to keep our fisheries alive and strong. I would like my kids....and also soon to be grandkids....able to enjoy the wonderful sport of striped bass fishing

Dear John,

On behalf of Governor Deval L. Patrick, thank you for your recent correspondence regarding the striped bass quota rollover. We have forwarded your letter to Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for further review. If necessary, please be assured you will receive a response as quickly as possible. We are committed to addressing your concerns promptly.

Again, thank you for contacting Governor Patrick's office and please feel free to contact our office in the future with any questions or concerns you may have regarding other matters.

Sincerely,
Governor Patrick's Constituent Services Office
617-725-4005
www.mass.gov/governor/contact

[Doublerunner]

Stripers Forever members – the Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission is having meetings at the Hyatt Regency Newport Hotel and Spa at 1 Goat Island Newport, RI beginning on Nov. 2. http://www.asmfc.org/ (http://www.asmfc.org/)




Here is the agenda of the Striped Bass Management Board :


1:15 to 3:15 PM Nov. 2


Welcome/Call to Order, M. Gibson
Board Consent - ACTION


Approval of Agenda
Approval of Proceedings from August 18, 2009


Public Comment
2009 Stock Assessment Update, G. Shepherd - ACTION


Technical Committee Report, W. Laney, Advisory Panel Report, K. Place
Consider Acceptance of Assessment Update for Management Use


Draft Addendum II - FINAL ACTION


Overview of Options and Public Comment, N. Meserve, Technical Committee and Advisory Panel Reports, W. Laney, K. Place
Consider Final Approval of Addendum II



Other Business

At this meeting they will decide whether or not to allow the commercial quota rollover provision that is very opposed by the recreational community. This is a good opportunity for you to make public comment in opposition to this proposed provision. There will be many members of the recreational fishing public there who will agree with your sentiments. Full details can be seen in the link above. Be there early to make certain you have a seat.

[JakeF]

Why the hell would they have this meeting at 1:15 on a Monday afternoon?

Oh,,,, wait,,,, I know. Because that's the least likely time people like US would be available to show up and speak our piece. :angry5:

[Mark P]

You are 100 percent right Jake. The only people who can show up are laid off or commercial fisherman. 1:15 in the afternoon is ridiculous. The ASMFC is a farce!

[Doublerunner]

Yeah I just talked to Brad at stripers forever and he says you have to be independently wealthy to follow them around for their meetings and the times. Ridiculous

[Mark P]

Thanks for posting this DR I try to keep up with posting it. Unfortunately lately I have been a bit pre-occupied with other pursuits. :icn___clap:

Stripers Forever is a great advocacy group, 100percent of donations go to the cause. It is a group run by volunteers that believe in saving fish. The Catch and Release video on their site was produced by Jason.

[Doublerunner]

Stripers Forever members - read below the CCA's account of the today's vote by the Atlantic States Fishery Commission to deny the request to roll over uncaught commercial quota from one year to the next. Stripers Forever sent two bulletins to our members asking you to oppose this measure. The first message at the beginning of the public comment period asked members to write to the ASMFC, and the second asked members to write their state governors to direct their fishery managers to vote against the measure. Many members reported that they had followed through with emails and writtten communications that advocated against the additional commercial fishing measures. We think that without this pressure the votes might well have gone in the wrong direction.


Simply denying more commercial increases won't reverse the decline in the striper fishery that so many are reporting to us, but puttimg the ASMFC on notice that things aren't so great with the striper is a necessary starting point.


Stripers Forever suggests that our members write the governors of the states that voted for the commercial rollover (RI, CT, NY, NC) to complain about the actions of the their state directors. Stripers Forever will register a complaint with NMFS for their support of this measure. The commercial fishing proponents will not give up their attempts to increase their catch, and it is up to us to diligently oppose them. Here is the CCA recap of the meeting:




ASFMC Denies Increase in Commercial Striped Bass Harvest
Anglers rally to defeat proposal for commercial sector to kill more fish
Coastal Conservation Association commends the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) for denying a proposal to increase the commercial harvest of striped bass at its meeting this week in Newport, Rhode Island. The proposal would have allowed commercial fishermen to add at least half of their uncaught commercial striped bass quota to their quota for the following year. Many anglers from CCA Maine made the journey to Newport to express their concern over the status of this important fish, and their voice made a difference.
"The Striped Bass Board understands that anglers at the north and south of the striped bass range are not seeing the numbers of fish they saw even just a few years ago," said Richen Brame, CCA’s Atlantic States fisheries director. "There is cause for concern and we commend the ASMFC for taking a conservative approach."
In its formal comments before the ASMFC against the proposal, CCA cited several disturbing trends in the striped bass fishery, including a dramatic decrease in the number of striped bass caught and released by recreational fishermen, particularly in the northeastern states of New Hampshire and Maine, the prevalence of the fatal disease Mycobacteriosis among the Chesapeake Bay spawning stock, and a Fish and Wildlife Service annual survey that encountered the fewest striped bass in the survey’s history.
“While officially the stock is not overfished and not undergoing overfishing, there are signs that the overall abundance is declining,” said Brame. “The proposed action to allow the commercial industry to take more fish was not a remedy for any of the problems we are seeing with striped bass. Increasing abundance is what will fix those problems.”
While the motion was defeated by a vote of 8-6, the margin of the victory means recreational anglers will have to maintain vigilance at the ASMFC to protect the recovery of striped bass.
“After the vote on the original motion, there was immediately another motion to allow the commercial sector to rollover 25 percent of their uncaught harvest to the next year, which was also defeated,” said Brame. “We will continue to see efforts like this and it was very encouraging to hear Board members remark on the number of comments they received against this proposal from the public. Our members will have to be ready to stand up for conservation.”
The following states voted against the rollover proposal: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware,Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. Voting for the proposal were Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Potomac River Fisheries Commission, North Carolina and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The Fish and Wildlife Service abstained.

[frankiesurf]

Thanks alot John!

I would say it is encouraging news but it really isn't. With how close the vote was the CCA is right, our diligence is still necessary. I will be writing to my NY ASMFC administrators and the legislator in charge. Not to mention my local legislator and the Governors office.

I suggest all of you who fall under those who voted for it also get out your pens and find out why and how that can change.

I wonder why the NMFS would vote for this proposal? They seem to do alot for the conservation and sustainability of the fisheries.