Stripers Forever - H.R. 1286 Reintroduced as H. R. 2059

New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone's office recently informed us that the Congressman has reintroduced his national striped bass gamefish bill this session as H. R. 2059. Click on the attachment HR 2059 to view a PDF of the bill. The other attachment is a press release from the Congressman's office. Note that his office refers to the Southwick Study. While Stripers Forever is working on a number of avenues - including state by state efforts as well as keeping the EEZ closed - to accomplish our ultimate goal, HR 2059 is exactly what we would like to see. The ASMFC would be responsible for managing striped bass populations, but all striped bass caught in state and federal waters would be for personal use only, and they could not be sold. We feel that without the constant pressure of commercial interests to bring more fish to market, striped bass would instantly become more conservatively managed. The quality of the fishery would increase dramatically, and our country would achieve the benefits outlined in the Southwick Study - $1.79 billion in new additional economic impact and 14,400 new jobs. These benefits would cause the clout of the recreational community to increase dramatically, and we would be far more able to influence habitat, fishing access, and forage issues.