Disappointing News on Striped Bass Spawning

by: David Sikorski

With another year of disappointing news on striped bass spawning success in Maryland, I’m reminded how important It is for anglers to get involved and demand something better for the future.

No, we can’t demand that striped bass spawn successfully, but we can demand that managers stand up and do right by the resource, and all who rely on it, not small special interests.  After all, these fish are a public resource, not one that belongs to any one group or portion of a fishery.  Will future leaders at DNR start managing fish instead of people?

What we can surely change is our impact on these fish and our Bay, and demand that policies enacted by state and regional leaders can lead to more success in the future.  Whether it be planting trees in the watershed, fixing well over due issues with sewage outflows, building a resilient system of now lost hard bottom habitat and grasses, or restoring streams to their more natural settings, we can improve the habitat these fish and so much more rely upon.   We at CCA are deeply invested in rebuilding lost habitat in the Chesapeake Bay, and are laser focused to ensuring future leaders in Maryland recognize the value of our partnership and why bureaucratic barriers to future habitat growth must be fixed, and fixed now.

Chesapeake Bay managers can also be proactive in setting catch limits and controlling fishing mortality across all sectors, something it is clear that striped bass managers have failed to do for far too long.  Limiting access where no mortality exists is a mistake, and ignoring looming increases in mortality in some portions of the fishery is unacceptable.

Now, with 4 years of poor spawning success in Maryland, it doesn’t take a scientist to know that the abundance of striped bass available to the Chesapeake Bay public will dwindle and so might the sportfishing and boating communities that rely on this marquee species. This is unacceptable.

Charlie Witek, a longtime conservation advocate, shared this helpful explanation of what recruitment issues mean back in 2020, the second year of this current 4 year streak of failure.  I recommend you give it a read.

I’d also recommend you take some time to watch the three part series that CCA and our many partners developed with the crack team at Fish Talk Magazine.   Links are below.

Most importantly, I hope to see you at a future event, and at least logged on to future ASMFC Webinars. I am honored to represent you on the Striped Bass Management Board, and encourage those of you who can, to log in and follow the upcoming meetings and discussions surrounding what current science tells us about striped bass now, and into the future.

Yes, this information can be complicated and frustrating, so if it’s not for you, simple renew your membership and come out to an event.  We at CCA and our many valued partners are on watch and hard at work, and we will continue to be for as long as we have your support.

Other helpful links:

Maryland DNR – Young of Year / Juvenile Abundance Index Release

Virginia Institute of Marine Science – Young of Year/ Juvenile Abundance Index

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission – Annual Meeting Agenda (where striped bass assessment update info will be posted next week)