The new year will bring new regulations and new problems for fishermen, both commercial and recreational. Striped bass will possibly see the most drastic changes.
I sat in on the report from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Scientific and Statistical Committee, and it was not quite as dire as I had expected. While they did include the possibility of a moratorium of sorts with a no-contact rule, they also suggested a slot limit that would vary to protect different year classes.
I have no idea if the public comments will have any effect on the final decision, but as usual, I sent mine in anyway.
I said the striped bass is much too valuable a resource to make it impossible to catch. I cited the Thursday in November when I went on the Golden Eagle out of Shark River, N.J., and when we arrived at the fishing grounds, inside three miles from New York City, there were well over 200 private boats as well as at least six or seven big head boats all fishing for the chance to catch one striped bass between 28 and 31 inches. When you add up the cost of fuel alone, each one of those stripers is well worth several thousand dollars. Then you consider tackle, food, travel expense and the absolute joy of catching stripers, for which there is no price tag, and these fish have a value beyond any other.
The ASMFC will meet later this month to hand down the final rule for striped bass for the 2025 season. The commission has to do what it thinks is best to bring the striped bass population back to a healthy level before 2029, a goal the commission invented. The last time the striped bass young-of-the-year levels in the Chesapeake Bay were below the 11 average, it took 17 years for them to return to normal. So far this time, it has only been seven years, and it is more than possible they may never return to what was the average.
Right now, we are seeing more and more adult striped bass moving to the northern rivers like the Hudson and the Raritan. My friend Gary Caputi has fished those waters for more years than he would care to admit, and he is seeing more big fish each year as the water warms and becomes more attractive to the spawning females. Meanwhile, the Chesapeake watershed has become less inviting due to a lack of snowfall. This is all due to global warming.
There are no estuaries to our north like the Chesapeake Bay. If the bay becomes unsuitable for spawning striped bass, there will be a decrease in the number of stripers along the East Coast. It’s as simple as that. If the ASMFC continues to use the young of the year in the Chesapeake Bay as a benchmark as to the health of the striped bass population, they will be chasing a diminishing number.
Close to home
You may have heard that Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has granted all the permits required for US Wind to run cables from the wind farm off the coast of Maryland to the power plant in Millsboro. This will require the cables to come ashore at 3R’s Road, enter Indian River Bay and run under the bottom of the bay to Millsboro. These cables will be buried and will not be visible, but what exactly they will do to the fishing has yet to be determined.
There is some data that shows the electromagnetic fields generated by the cables have a bad effect on bottomfish such as summer flounder. I have not heard how far from the cables this effect travels. If it’s just a few feet, that won’t be so bad. On the other hand, if it fouls the entire Indian River Bay, that would be a disaster. No matter what they do, one thing is for sure, they are coming.
Fishing report
Yes, fish have been caught in spite of the nasty weather on most days.
Lewes Harbour Marina reported the Katydid had a limit of tog and a 165-pound bluefin tuna Dec. 10. The Grizzly also had a big bluefin that day.
Old Inlet Bait and Tackle told us that tog were caught Dec. 10 on green crabs from the rocks that line the inlet. Stripers were taken from the North Jetty early in the morning and from 3 p.m. until dark.
Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em told us they saw 40 to 50 bluefins come across their cleaning table Dec. 10. All were caught on private boats. The Judy V and the Captain Bob had decent numbers of sea bass.
-
Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age. Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. He has been the regional editor for several publications and was the founding editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman magazine. Eric is the author of three books: Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast, The Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing and Fishing Saltwater Baits. He and his wife Barbara live near Milton, Delaware. Eric can be reached at Eburnle@aol.com.
