BOSTON — Massachusetts fishermen descended on the State House Tuesday to renew debate over a controversial proposal that would ban commercial fishing of striped bass, creating a rift between recreational and commercial anglers.
Concerned about indications of a dwindling striper population, a national conservation group called Stripers Forever initially sought a game-fish designation for the species in 2010. The proposal has led to a series of emotional debates over several legislative sessions.
“We understand that this is a politically contentious issue, yet the welfare of the bass must come first or there will be nothing left to fight over,” Dean Clark of Stripers Forever told the Legislature’s Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.
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