Written by:
8/5/2019 9:02 AM 

If you care about rebuilding our striped bass stocks to provide the great fishing we enjoyed in the early 2000s, please copy this letter, add your own info in place of mine if you wish, and send it to your state ASMFC representatives from the list down below. Please do this immediately. The ASMFC is meeting on these issues on Thursday August 8. Even if you only send to one of the reps, it will be helpful but we need EVERYONE to participate in order to ensure we are successful. NUMBERS COUNT!! Let’s not let them squander our fishery any further. 

"Dear 

Science has indicated that Striped Bass are overfished and overfishing is occurring.  

Amendment 6 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass requires the ASMFC to reduce fishing mortality to a level at or below the target within one year, and to rebuild those stocks within 10 years. We hope that you will act accordingly and in good faith by fulfilling your  responsibilities. I am angry that the ASMFC has failed to act before we found ourselves in our current position and I am frustrated by the ASMFC’s lack of accountability and failure to act in accordance with their mission and legal responsibilities. 

I ask that you move to initiate or support an addendum to the Atlantic Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan to address these issues. We need to end overfishing and rebuild the stocks within ten years and we need to protect the strong Young of Year classes as they grown to sexual maturity and beyond. 

I am strongly against lowering the target and numbers through a proposed addendum process to allow a smaller population of striped bass in our waters. We had sufficient numbers and wonderful fishing after striped bass stocks were declared rebuilt in the early 90’s and there is no biological reason why we can’t enjoy the high numbers of the early 2000’s again. A restored recreational fishery would greatly benefit the economy through increased tackle sales, guided fishing and head boat trips, as well as the hospitality and tourism industry and a myriad of other businesses including the hundreds of small lure and tackle manufacturers. Lowering the bar on our striper stocks would obviously have an inverse affect on the economy.

Finally, I find it impossible to accept a plan as proposed that has only a 50% chance of success. That is another way of saying it has a 50% chance of failure. Not sure about you but I would not cross a bridge if I knew in advance I only had a 50 % chance of making it to the other side.   

The ASMFC’s lack of effective action over the last several years has led us to our current sad state of affairs and I personally am appalled by proposals to lower the target and threshold numbers that were set to trigger action and rebuild our fishery. I ask you to think deeply about this and act in accordance with the law, the mission of the ASMFC and your duty to the recreational and commercial fishermen in the state of Massachusetts and the entire Striper coast. 

Respectfully,

Name

Physical address

Email address" 

DR. MIKE ARMSTRONG ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYST 

EMAIL: MICHAEL.ARMSTRONG@STATE.MA.US

PHONE: (617)727-3336 x109

FAX: (617)727-3337

POSITION: CHAIR

REP. SARAH K. PEAKE 

EMAIL: SARAHKPEAKE@GMAIL.COM

PHONE: (617)722-2210

FAX: (617)722-2239

POSITION: COMMISSIONER LEGISLATIVE

DAN MCKIERNAN DEPUTY DIRECTOR 

MA DMF 

BOSTON MA 02114-2119

EMAIL: DAN.MCKIERNAN@STATE.MA.US

PHONE: (617)626-1536

FAX: (617)626-1509

POSITION: PROXY, ADMINISTRATIV

RAYMOND KANE OUTREACH COORDINATOR 

EMAIL: RAY@CAPECODFISHERMEN.ORG

PHONE: (508)367-1693

FAX: 

POSITION: COMMISSIONER GOV. APPOINT

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