Stripers Forever a not for profit organization in USA is dedicated to making the striped bass a gamefish by eliminating commercial exploitation in the Number 1 recreational saltwater fishery on the east coast of America.
[photo – a striped bass weighing approx 10 lbs, caught June 2005 by Steve Binckes at Chatham Light, Chatham, Cape Cod, USA – photo courtesy Jamie Griffiths]
The latest study commissioned by Stripers Forever makes fascinating reading. Many UK bass anglers are aware that the striped bass is already mainly managed for Recreational Sea Angling (RSA) with some American States reserving the resource entirely for Recreational Sea Angling i.e. no commercial fishing at all. Stripers Forever is campaigning for Federal legislation to make the species a game fish. In the USA, Gamefish Status means ‘no selling’. (NB. Red Drum and Snook already enjoy Game Fish status in the USA).
Those of you interested should read the Southwick Study Roadmap, as well as, the very important and informative study The Economics of Recreational and Commercial Striped Bass Fishing , both by Stripers Forever. Your attention is also drawn, in the latter document, to the list of all the tackle companies in the USA who contributed towards the costs. What a contrast to the UK & European tackle trade!
[NB. If you do not have a copy of Acrobat reader on your computer, a free download is available from the Adobe website.]