Bass Anglers’ Sportfishing Society

Fighting for Bass and Bass Anglers’ since 1973

Massachusetts pushes for gamefish status for Striped bass

All is evidently not well across ‘the pond’ . . .

Stripers Forever has an important article in the Boston Globe that begs for an immediate response from our concerned membership. 

This is a simple opportunity for you to send a strong and clear message to our legislators, many of whom until now have ignored our pleas to save wild striped bass. This article brings the debate into the public arena and public opinion matters to politicians.

If you sincerely care about the future of wild striped bass-and you should-you need to add your comments in agreement to this article and express your support for saving striped bass. Follow this link: Chasing wild striped bass into extinction – to the article and please share and leave your comments.

Clicking the “Comments” button at the conclusion of the Globe article is your opportunity to weigh in with your opinion. Your message should be clear and respectful. Be succinct and focus on the premise that the Legislature needs to step in and declare striped bass off limits to commercial harvesting. Without the temptation of market dollars to encourage over-harvesting which is what’s ruining this fishery, and with protection of game fish status, the regulators will instead manage stripers for recreational success. That means more, not fewer, fish in the ocean, resulting in a healthier and more robust fishery.

By clicking on the “Share” button at the top of the article you can easily email a copy of the article to your state senator and state representative so that Beacon Hill takes note of this issue. This is equally important.

Game fish designation for striped bass means a restoration of our billion-dollar recreational striped bass fishing economy and associated jobs; it means protecting striped bass for future generations; and it means that striped bass will no longer be overexploited, undervalued and under appreciated. But it depends on each of us making sure our voice is heard.

One, simple, short letter from you will have a direct and positive impact on the welfare of wild striped bass. Please do it now and as always thank you for your support.”

Fred Jennings and Dean Clark, Co-Chairs, MA Stripers Forever