11-04-2003, 01:33 PM
Can we change our stripes?
First published: Thursday, October 2, 2003
Normally on Oct. 2, area sportsmen would be most concerned about the small-game season opening with the annual big-game season to follow.
But this year, what the upcoming hunting forecast looks like can wait a week.
Instead, surprisingly, we need to focus on striped bass because potential changes in the recreational fishing of this prized species are in the wind for next spring.
Driving possible change in the rules and limits, baits and techniques allowed is the requirement of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, of which New York is a member. The commission wants all member states to come into compliance with Amendment 6 of the Commission's Striped Bass Fisheries Management Plan.
That amendment reads, "For all jurisdictions, recreational fisheries will be constrained by a two-fish creel limit and 28-inch minimum length."
The management plan also makes a number of recommendations regarding recreational fishing in spawning areas -- which applies to the length of the Hudson estuary -- designed to reduce the mortality rate during spawning when the fish are more easily exhausted.
Some of these suggestions under discussion, notably a possible closure of the striped bass season after May 15 when presumably spawning has begun, has got the fishing community reasonably worked up.
Although there are strong indications from those who will be making the actual rule changes, if any, that closing this premiere season on May 15 is a remote possibility. Highly unlikely.
Less remote but still only a possibility under exploration is going to catch-and-release only after May 15, or advocating artificial baits only, or a combination of the two.
But because New York has been quite conservative in its recreational limits in the past, and because the river stock continues to be very healthy, I am also told there is a distinct possibility very little needs to be changed.
Technically, biologists tell me New York is close enough to compliance right now that it could petition the multi-state commission and very likely keep the status quo.
But we'd be pushing it. And to maintain New York's conservative fishing pressure tradition, a few tweaks to the present situation seem appropriate.
For example, on the table for discussion simply is to increase the minimum size limit to 28 inches, as required by the commission, but keep the creel limit at one. I don't believe that will pose much of a hardship on most fishermen on the river, who rarely would keep anything under 28 inches anyway.
However, it will put pressure on fishermen to be more careful catching and releasing fish in order to keep mortality low.
With mortality in mind, there are proposals to eliminate treble hooks for bait fishing. Again, treble hooks do a lot of damage and I know of few fishermen who use them for striped bass. Also, under discussion would be a requirement for bait fishers to use circle hooks.
As a prominent bait dealer in town mentioned, these hooks are effective for catch and release, but they're expensive compared to traditional J-hooks.
Also up for discussion to meet the commission's mandate or come close are size limits of 24 inches or 26 inches, a one-fish limit in each case, and all sorts of combinations of sizes and numbers.
On Wednesday at New Paltz High School Auditorium, an informal meeting was scheduled, hosted by the Department of Environmental Conservation, to go over all these options and to take in public comment as part of the DEC's rule-making process.
Nothing will happen right away.
But my guess is that option No. 1 eventually will prevail. That is, one striped bass a day with a minimum length of 28 inches. If we were to do just that, we would likely be in a state of grace with no other action necessary, especially the part about maybe closing the season when many of us are still actively working at it.
Not that offering the possibility of a closed season after May 15 is necessarily a bad concept to discuss. For one thing, the chance of losing the fishing in mid-month reminds us how precious it is.
Plus it serves also to remind us how more fragile stripers are during the spawn, and perhaps some fishers will choose to stop or modify how they fish striper late in the season.
A voluntary movement to cut back when the bite starts to dry up anyway would be a proper beginning to a broader education program designed to minimize unintended striped bass mortality. Which, after all, is what all this potential rule changing is all about.
Fred LeBrun's outdoors column is published Thursdays. To reach him, call 454-5453. [url "http://ads.timesunion.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.cgi/www.timesunion.com/aspstories/storyprint.asp/storyid=175593/28357/x01/ReportCard-061203/03reportcard120x600.jpg/61376136326535333366613761396330"]![[Image: 03reportcard120x600.jpg]](http://ads.timesunion.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/ReportCard-061203/03reportcard120x600.jpg)
[/url] ![[Image: transparent.gif]](http://www.timesunion.com/graphics/transparent.gif)
The ever changing rules. Chief
[signature]
First published: Thursday, October 2, 2003
Normally on Oct. 2, area sportsmen would be most concerned about the small-game season opening with the annual big-game season to follow.
But this year, what the upcoming hunting forecast looks like can wait a week.
Instead, surprisingly, we need to focus on striped bass because potential changes in the recreational fishing of this prized species are in the wind for next spring.
Driving possible change in the rules and limits, baits and techniques allowed is the requirement of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, of which New York is a member. The commission wants all member states to come into compliance with Amendment 6 of the Commission's Striped Bass Fisheries Management Plan.
That amendment reads, "For all jurisdictions, recreational fisheries will be constrained by a two-fish creel limit and 28-inch minimum length."
The management plan also makes a number of recommendations regarding recreational fishing in spawning areas -- which applies to the length of the Hudson estuary -- designed to reduce the mortality rate during spawning when the fish are more easily exhausted.
Some of these suggestions under discussion, notably a possible closure of the striped bass season after May 15 when presumably spawning has begun, has got the fishing community reasonably worked up.
Although there are strong indications from those who will be making the actual rule changes, if any, that closing this premiere season on May 15 is a remote possibility. Highly unlikely.
Less remote but still only a possibility under exploration is going to catch-and-release only after May 15, or advocating artificial baits only, or a combination of the two.
But because New York has been quite conservative in its recreational limits in the past, and because the river stock continues to be very healthy, I am also told there is a distinct possibility very little needs to be changed.
Technically, biologists tell me New York is close enough to compliance right now that it could petition the multi-state commission and very likely keep the status quo.
But we'd be pushing it. And to maintain New York's conservative fishing pressure tradition, a few tweaks to the present situation seem appropriate.
For example, on the table for discussion simply is to increase the minimum size limit to 28 inches, as required by the commission, but keep the creel limit at one. I don't believe that will pose much of a hardship on most fishermen on the river, who rarely would keep anything under 28 inches anyway.
However, it will put pressure on fishermen to be more careful catching and releasing fish in order to keep mortality low.
With mortality in mind, there are proposals to eliminate treble hooks for bait fishing. Again, treble hooks do a lot of damage and I know of few fishermen who use them for striped bass. Also, under discussion would be a requirement for bait fishers to use circle hooks.
As a prominent bait dealer in town mentioned, these hooks are effective for catch and release, but they're expensive compared to traditional J-hooks.
Also up for discussion to meet the commission's mandate or come close are size limits of 24 inches or 26 inches, a one-fish limit in each case, and all sorts of combinations of sizes and numbers.
On Wednesday at New Paltz High School Auditorium, an informal meeting was scheduled, hosted by the Department of Environmental Conservation, to go over all these options and to take in public comment as part of the DEC's rule-making process.
Nothing will happen right away.
But my guess is that option No. 1 eventually will prevail. That is, one striped bass a day with a minimum length of 28 inches. If we were to do just that, we would likely be in a state of grace with no other action necessary, especially the part about maybe closing the season when many of us are still actively working at it.
Not that offering the possibility of a closed season after May 15 is necessarily a bad concept to discuss. For one thing, the chance of losing the fishing in mid-month reminds us how precious it is.
Plus it serves also to remind us how more fragile stripers are during the spawn, and perhaps some fishers will choose to stop or modify how they fish striper late in the season.
A voluntary movement to cut back when the bite starts to dry up anyway would be a proper beginning to a broader education program designed to minimize unintended striped bass mortality. Which, after all, is what all this potential rule changing is all about.
Fred LeBrun's outdoors column is published Thursdays. To reach him, call 454-5453. [url "http://ads.timesunion.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.cgi/www.timesunion.com/aspstories/storyprint.asp/storyid=175593/28357/x01/ReportCard-061203/03reportcard120x600.jpg/61376136326535333366613761396330"]
[/url] The ever changing rules. Chief
[signature]