Rockfish

Striped Bass, or Rockfish as they’re known locally, have long been a staple of the commercial and recreational fishery. As with many other species, there have been some contentious conversations over population management and the species wide range adds complications of jurisdiction. In the most recent stock assessment, it was determined that the spawning stock biomass (SSB) was below threshold, indicating the stock is overfished, and that mortality rates are above the threshold, indicating that overfishing is occurring. As a result, states up and down the Eastern Seaboard have been exploring various management strategies in order to correct this trend.

An overview of the most recent stock assessment can be found here. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is expected to vote on new management guidelines at their Annual Meeting in late October 2019.

On September 25, 2019, representatives from the Delmarva Fisheries Association attended a meeting hosted by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The purpose of the meeting was to allow stakeholders to ask questions about the ASMFC’s Draft Addendum VI to Amendment 6 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass. Those that made public comments were largely divided between Option 2 and Option 3, an 18% reduction for both the commercial and recreational fishery (2) vs. a 1.8% reduction for the commercial and a 20% reduction for the recreational folks. DFA supports Option 3 largely due to the fact that the recreational fishery is responsible for 90% of the dead discards and our members feel as if the reductions should be commensurate with the size of the respective fisheries.

Representatives from the Delmarva Fisheries Association attended the April 30, 2019 meeting of the ASMFC to hear the debate on coast-wide management options. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources released a statement following the ASMFC meeting outlining their position. To view the ASMFC’s press release and motions summary for the Striped Bass meeting, please click here. To view the full ASMFC Spring Meeting Summary, use this link.