The attached document taken directly from the NOAA - parent of National Marine Fishery Service - website chronicles the decline in the recreational catch of striped bass in Massachusetts from its high in 2006 until the end of 2011. The decline of 84% is absolutely alarming, and there are no good year classes coming along to reinforce the population of breeding sized fish for at least another 7 or 8 years. Clearly we need to act now to conserve the large fish left in the population.
Stripers Forever's MA game fish bill will be heard in committee on Feb. 28. For more information go back to the home page of this website and find the article under recent news on the right side. We urge all SF members to e-mail the members of the Joint Environment Committee that will hear this bill. Here is a LINK to their website. Tell them that striped bass are important to you, that the fish are in trouble, and that we must stop commercially fishing for them and manage them with a greater conservation ethic. Please, do it now, and get all of your
fishing friends to do the same thing.
