Mid-Shore officials are rallying behind their fishermen, expressing the opposition to recent
rockfish regulations imposed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). Kent County leaders have taken a stand by sending a letter to the state, explaining the detrimental impact these regulations could have on the local economy of the eastern shore.
Under the previous rule, recreational anglers were permitted to retain two striped bass per person, falling within a slot size range of 19 to 31 inches. However, the ASMFC's new regulations allows only one fish within the 19 to 24-inch range, with larger fish over 25 inches designated as breeders. County leaders are urging the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to reopen negotiations with ASMFC, emphasizing concerns raised by charter boat captains and business owners regarding the adverse effects of these regulations on their livelihoods.
Charter boat captain Jason Seman voiced his distress, noting the significant impact even before the start of the fishing season. "Even out-of-state customers from Delaware, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey have opted for alternative activities," lamented Seman, who serves as the Vice President of the Maryland Charter Boat Association and captain of 'The Marylander.'
Queen Anne's County Commissioner Phil Dumenil echoed these sentiments, highlighting the statewide repercussions. "We've got charter boat captains that work across the bay and some that work out of southern Maryland. You've got them that work out of Talbot county and Worcester county and Dorchester county." remarked Dumenil.
In solidarity with their Mid-Shore counterparts, Queen Anne's commissioners announced their plans to draft a similar letter, urging reconsideration of the regulations.
DNR expressed doubts about ASMFC revisiting its decision. However, they say they are looking at ways to help charter boats. "We're trying to work with them to determine to some degree different ways to mitigate these impacts," says Mike Luisi Associate Director of Maryland Fishing and Boating Services with Maryland's Department of Natural Resources.
Secretary Josh Kurtz with DNR replied to Kent County's letter. Basically it states, DNR is doing everything within it's power to help fishermen but says they're handcuffed. They say ASMFC's rules must be followed or the state could face a full commercial and recreational rockfish moratorium.
Rockfish season is slated to begin on May 16. The Queen Anne's County Commission intends to finalize their letter on Tuesday. DNR remains committed to supporting fishermen within the confines of ASMFC regulations.
In addition, Charter boat captains are lumped in with recreational regulations. They say this is not fair because they have to report their catch everyday, where as recreational fisherman do not. So they have been asking for a sector separation. This would separate them from recreational guidelines and hopefully they would have their own. DNR says they are willing to take this under consideration.
I strongly suspected the change from 2 fish to 1 fish per fisherman for charters would be a serious hardship for the charter operators. Charter customers never make economic sense, it's much cheaper to buy fish at the market (trust me on this). But cutting the potential pay off in half (in fact, more than half, by further restricting the maximum size too) makes a charter trip even more of a luxury item. I don't know what kind of bone DNR can possibly throw to the charters to help make their services. I'm becoming more and more convinced a Striped Bass moratorium is in our future.
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