URGENT Striper Fishing Changes Chesapeake Bay and Potomac

[johnkn]

Guys, the Striper regulations in the Bay are changing for 2020, delayed season, reduced catch, etc. . I'll post a link to them.

Most important for me, if you fish the Potomac River for Stripers, please go to PRFC.US and see the (3) new options being voted on March 4. If the Potomac River Fish Commission elects option 2 or 3 in March, THEY WILL CLOSE THE POTOMAC FOR STRIPER FISHING either much of July/August with option 2 or all of July and August with option 3. That means NO STRIPER FISHING in the Potomac, not even catch and release, July and August.

Please go to the site, and email [email protected] by March 3 with your vote. Spread the word.

At 65 I've been fishing the Potomac for Stripers for 50 years, generally put 1000 fish on the boat each season, and I elect to release every fish. That will potentially will be taken away from me / us.

thank you

 

[albiejunkie]

I was at the RI fisheries meeting last Monday and the talk is similar here. As a commercial fisherman I have personally seen a lack of 25"-32" class fish for 2 years now. Doesn't bode well for upcoming breeders. No offense, but catching and releasing 1000 fish does transfer to some mortality issues. I went through the 80's around here when you couldn't find a bass to save your life. A year or two of conservation practices could easily bring back the stocks, if we do it in time. M2cw

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[MadGar]

The biggest issue with the Potomac (and Chesapeake) is that Omega fisheries have destroyed the menhaden population in our area to produce fish oil/vitamins. The continually over fish their quota and pay a small fine but leaves that fisheries raped. Without the menhaden, the main food source for rockfish, there is no need for them to come up the bay except to breed.

Also, and I do feel for most commercial fisherman, the ones we have here destroy the rockfish with nets all season long and during the breeding migration. If you notice the new regulations don't hurt the commercial catch at all. I can assure you that all the recreational fisherman combined are not hurting the rockfish population as bad as one commerical fisherman on the potomac. Honestly I just wish they would change the regulations to mirror the Red fish regulations (red drum).

It definitely has become a sad sight but John, one good thing you should try to start fishing for. The cobia population in the chesapeake has become quite big in August and September. I just started fishing for them this year and am having a blast. I use basically the same gear with rubber eels and catch plenty of Cobia, of course you can only keep 3 per boat but thats all you need.

 

[johnkn]

Last year on the Potomac sucked for me. The ~1000 fish I generally put on the boat each year casting with light tackle and quickly releasing doesn’t comparison to the impact I would inflict by fishing with my adult daughter or friend and keeping 500 fish a season.

What really sucks about option 2 or 3 and what really pisses me off is that each of these options are targeted to reduce the sportsman’s harvest by 18+% while only reducing the commercial catch by ~1%. How is that fair? All while I watch commercial fisherman pull in gill nets loaded with hundreds of big stripers.

1000% agree with Omega destroying the menhaden population effecting the Stripers.

Hopefully option 1 is adopted on the Potomac and Maryland adopts some common sense measures to bolster the fish population in the Chesapeake Bay.

 

[bigmac]

it a rap the d n r will not change there mind,I set on the board.

 

[johnkn]

Which board? Governance on the Chesapeake Bay Striper regulations or on the PRFC (Potomac River Fish Commission) which regulates Striper fishing in the Potomac River?

Thanks