December 2, 2014 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:
The Maine Department of Marine Resources will be conducting an informational meeting to discuss an Addendum to the interstate striped bass fishery management plan recently approved by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). The addendum directs coastal states to reduce the harvest of striped bass by 25 percent from 2013 beginning in 2015.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 9 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Yarmouth Log Cabin at 196 Main Street, Yarmouth.
The meeting will provide an opportunity for department staff along with Commissioner Patrick Keliher to discuss and solicit input on management options approved by the ASMFC designed to achieve the reduction.
Maine has a year-round recreational only striped bass fishery. There are special regulations in effect from December 1 through June in the Kennebec, Sheepscot and Androscoggin Rivers and tributaries. Current regulations in Maine allow a person to take and possess 1 fish per day. The fish may be from 20 to 26 inches in total length, or 40 inches or greater in total length.
Options approved by the ASMFC for discussion will include a range of bag and size limits that would result in harvest reductions between 26 and 31 percent. After receiving input the Department will bring a preferred option out for public hearings in January.
The Addendum responds to results of the 2013 Atlantic striped bass benchmark assessment which indicated that mortality in 2012 was above the target, and female spawning stock biomass (SSB) has been steadily declining below the target level since 2006.
According to the ASMFC, this means even though the stock is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring, SSB is approaching its overfished threshold and stock projections show SSB will likely fall below the threshold in the coming years. In addition, a similar decline has been observed in total harvest.
The ASMFC Striped Bass Technical Committee will review proposals by the states and present their findings to the ASMFC Striped Bass Management Board which will review and consider approval of those proposals at the Commission’s Winter Meeting in February.
For more information on the meeting, contact Bruce Joule at 633-9505.