In Florida, striped bass populations that thrive in the northern part of the state are decommercialized, which means that they cannot be commercially harvested and cannot be sold. Now Massachusetts lawmakers are considering similar conservation measures to protect their valuable stocks of the popular gamefish.

A bill to end all commercial harvesting of wild striped bass in state waters and to manage the resource for recreational fishermen has been introduced in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

The new Massachusetts Striped Bass Conservation Bill also prohibits the sale of wild striped bass in the Commonwealth and sets a recreational daily bag limit of one striper measuring between 20 and 26 inches, or alternatively, one fish of 40 inches or greater per angler. Stripers Forever, www.stripersforever.org was instrumental in proposing the new legislation. Stripers Forever is an internet-based organization which advocates managing wild stripers as gamefish, everywhere on the Atlantic Coast, by eliminating all commercial fishing for the species,

“According to a study by noted wildlife socio-economist Rob Southwick, the recreational saltwater fishery for wild migratory striped bass in Massachusetts generates more than $1 billion annually in economic activity for the economy of the Commonwealth,” says Brad Burns, president of Stripers Forever. “By contrast, the commercial fishery generates about $24 million. Yet recreational angling success for stripers in Massachusetts waters has decreased steadily in recent years while the commercial striped bass quota has remained constant.”

“The economics of commercial striper fishing in Massachusetts just don’t make sense,” according to Burns. “By eliminating the commercial kill and managing stripers as gamefish for the 600,000-plus resident and non-resident anglers who pursue these fish, over 2,800 full-time equivalent jobs would be added to the Massachusetts economy.”

The new conservation bill specifies that the current striped bass quotas granted to Massachusetts commercial fishermen by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission would not be added to recreational fishing quotas, but would instead be set aside as a conservation reserve to strengthen the striped bass resource.

For further information, contact Brad Burns by e-mail at stripers@whatifnet.com.