Stripers Forever - the 2004 striper season is nearly over. As we did last year we are surveying our members on their opinions of the trends in striper fishing. We are using essentially the same form and questions to make sure the information is comparable year to year. The form has been improved for readability and ease of answering. Because so many people now have software that blocks attachments we are sending you two e-mails. One will have the document which is a simple word document as an attachment, this one has it cut and pasted in
below the main message. I will send both messages at the same time.
If you answer the cut and pasted document, it is very important that you cut and paste it back into a word document and send that back to us an attachment. If you just hit reply and fill out the form we sent you it takes about 5 minutes for it to print, and really causes us a headache. With the number of responses that we anticipate we cannot process anything but separate word documents. PLEASE We want your response, but it must come back to us as a word document. Please send your return e-mail to stripers@whatifnet.com.
With the Southwick Study on the socio economics of recreational versus commercial striped bass fishing right around the corner - see our website www.stripersforever.org for more information - and the poor stock assessment that stripers have just received, this years survey results could be very helpful in our battle to make stripers a gamefish.
This is a great way to bring new members into SF. Please forward this e-mail to your fishing friends and ask them to go to our website and join Stripers Forever. Membership is still free. We will make sure that all responses entered in our data base come only from SF registered members.
Brad Burns and George Watson
My Name: e-mail: Town: State:
Note: For questions 4 – 23 -- select your preferred answer by deleting all the other choices. return e-mail to stripers@whatifnet.com
State of the fishery:
1. I fish mostly in the following state __________ town _________________.
2. I fish from a boat ____ percent of the time
3. I have fished regularly for stripers for _____ years
4. In my opinion striper fishing in the past five years has changed as follows:
much worse worse stayed the same improved somewhat improved greatly.
5. The average size of the stripers I catch now has changed as follows:
much smaller somewhat smaller no change somewhat larger much larger
6. The number of stripers I catch per hour of fishing time on the water is:
many fewer fewer about the same more many more
7. Because of the changes in the striped bass fishery, my inclination to take a professionally guided striper trip has changed as follows:
less likely about the same more likely
Conservation/Bag and Size Limits
8. Forgetting current striped bass regulations for a moment and starting with a clean slate, I think recreational anglers should be allowed to keep at least one “schoolie” striper per day, probably measuring between 18 and 28 inches, depending on individual state regulations, for personal consumption. Yes No
9. If you answered yes to Question 8, should this “schoolie striper” be allowed instead of, or in addition to, a bass of some larger size? Instead of In addition to
10. If you answered no to Question 8, what should the minimum size be? (choose the size closest to one of the following minimum measurements you believe is best ) 28” 32” 36” 40”
11. .Do you think we should have a slot limit for recreationally caught stripers that would prohibit the taking of some year classes of striped bass that are considered prime breeders? Yes No
12. If you said yes to Question 11, please choose the slot size that is closest to your preference.
20”-26” 22”- 28” 24”- 30”
13. When commercial fishing is ended, what percentage of the current commercial quota should be earmarked as a conservation buffer? [The rest of the commercial quota would be used to liberalize the recreational harvest].
25% 50% 75% 100%
14. Would you favor legislation that creates a striped bass stamp costing between $10.00 and $25.00 per year with the funds earmarked to buy out the current commercial fishery? Yes No
15. If you answered yes to Question 14, should this stamp program end after a fixed number of years, or should the fee continue to fund enforcement and striped bass enhancement programs. End Continue
[Note that SF has no position on this concept but wants to hear member opinions].
16. My personal comments on aspects of striped bass management not covered in the questions above are as follows:
Guides Only Section [Note for Guides -- your answers to questions 1-16 above are also appreciated]
17. How has your guiding business for striped bass changed in the last six years?
worsened considerably worsened a little not changed improved somewhat improved a great deal
18. How important to your clients is keeping a striped bass?
not very important somewhat important very important
19. How important to your clients is catching a lot of stripers per trip?
not very important somewhat important very important
20. How important to your clients is catching a really large striper?
not very important somewhat important very important
21. Which is more important to your clients – catching a big fish or catching a lot of fish?
Big Fish Many Fish
22. Are you more likely than you were 5 years ago to make new investments in equipment for your striped bass guiding business? Yes No
23. Here are my personal comments on how the management of striped bass has effected/is effecting my guiding business:
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