February 27, 2024 — It’s going to be a lean year for those who like to catch or eat Atlantic striped bass — with still leaner times perhaps to come.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which regulates inshore fishing for migratory species, has ordered new curbs, starting May 1, on both recreational and commercial catches of the popular finfish, also known as rockfish in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Amid persistent signs of trouble with the species, the commission’s striped bass management board decided Jan. 24 to limit all anglers in the Chesapeake and its tributaries to landing one striper a day, and only if it’s between 19 inches and 24 inches long. Ocean anglers likewise can keep just one fish a day, but with a narrower legal-size window of 28 to 31 inches.
Maryland and Virginia watermen, meanwhile, face a 7% reduction in their allowed commercial harvest of the fish.