Recreational fishing is doing good with the opening of commercial striped bass fishing season. For a period of about six weeks, beginning on July 12, a few thousand Massachusetts fishermen will head out on the water in pursuit of striped bass. But the season comes under fire recently, largely due to concerns over the health of the overall striped bass stock.
The main reason behind such concern was the economic value of the striped bass that extends deep into various industries here on Cape Cod. Yet recently there has been growing concern over the number of juvenile stripers, which has dwindled according to observations made by many fishermen. However, the recreational fishery is not getting off the hook either. According to a recent ASMFC striped bass stock assessment (2007), recreational fishermen harvested approximately 2,774,542 bass.
The commercial harvest was 1,049,587 fish. Estimated commercial discards were 216,753 striped bass. So in conclusion, according to the ASMFC, recreational fishermen killed over 4 million more fish that year than commercial fishermen. The impact that both groups have on our striped bass population is undeniable.
