Keep One

Preserve stripers now, says conservation group

To keep a healthy population of stripers, anglers are urged to follow the “My Limit Is One” campaign this year.

It calls for three steps by all recreational fishermen – limit their personal harvest to one fish per day, release fish under 24 inches long, and let fish measuring more than 36 inches go.

Coastal Conservation Association Maryland's initiative draws attention to the need to limit how many striped bass are caught in 2014.

The resources online at www.mylimitisone.com stress conservation.

According to the Jan. 6 news release, Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources has increased commercial harvest this year by 14 percent.

“Recreational anglers have an incredible opportunity to help out in a meaningful way,” said Tony Friedrich, CCA Maryland executive director, in the release.

On the website, Friedrich said, “The motivation behind this surprise move [by the DNR] is the abundant 2011 year class becoming legal harvest size. It also flies in the face of a 14 to 2 vote by interstate managers to cut harvest in January 2015.”

The usual limit for stripers for recreational fishermen in Chesapeake Bay after the short spring "trophy" season, when only one fish longer than 28" may be kept, is two fish over 18", only one of which may be over 28".  CCA is proposing that recreational fishermen voluntarily reduce their take to one per day.  I'd like to see the numbers on this before I decide whether to participate.  Will is save a signficant number of fish?  Will the state award any "shortfall" in the quota to the commercial fisherman and negate the gift that the recreational fishermen are giving to the stock?  I fear so, witness their awarding more to the commercial anglers this year due to the year class boom.

I often catch and keep two, so it would matter to me.