Outstanding video capturing both sides of the issue! The dwindling population is everyone's problem so everyone needs to compromise and contribute to the solution. Once they're gone, they're gone. No more stripers in the seafood store, no more charter trips, no more surfcasting to escape life's stress. We all lose, point the finger at each other and tell our kids how awesome catching stripers used to be before we all got selfish. The video did not mention the negative impact of poachers. We see them all the time and can't do anything. They don't abide by any rules and are allowed to take as many fish of any size because there's no state enforcement. That needs to be stepped way up with severe consequences. Hope to see more of these videos.
The treble tail hook makes sense. I caught my first striper at the Chattahoochee River in Smyrna/Atlanta and it was a good 8.4 pounds. Unfortunately the crank bait I was using gutted it to the point where I had to put it down. It was good but still, I usually would release a big fish, especially that being my PB. I’ve since removed that tail treble hook.
Many recreational fishers also tend to keep up to their limit, or illegally, over their limit. As an example, in most places in south-east Australia, we are allowed to keep up to 5 trout per day. We only need to keep like 3 fish at most but many people will keep every big fish (5+ pounds) they catch. Lets not forget that there are also poachers who keep above their limit of fish, even if they are below or above the legal size range (bc they are stupid and greedy). This is a silent killer of fish populations and not much can be done because some people are very good at doing the wrong thing and there are not enough wardens to go about and stop or catch poachers. Very sad.
Dude great video So much better than the short form content. Although I know it gets Views But I gotta say this was a great video content delivery everything. I'm down here in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay And I can definitely see why they say recreational is contributing to it. Especially when you consider charter boats, recreational fishing. I fish for striped bass probably once a week from may to January and even with bringing other people on the boat with me if I take. 20 fish all year. That's probably a really heavy harvest year . By comparison, the charter boats are still allowed 2 per person for their customers and can take 6 people out at a time and can make 2 trips a day. Giving a single boat the opportunity to take 24 fish a day. That's just too much. I understand their problems with reducing it. Thinking that people won't go out on the charters if they can't bring more than one fish home per person. But I don't know how true that is. Has someone who has spent thousands of dollars to go out on billfish trips? Knowing that I can't take a single fish home. The tug is the drug. Meat is just icing on the cake.
This is an outstanding project thank you for putting this together. Excellent takes from everyone involved. This should be featured in On The Water. Striped bass are at risk. Spawns need cold snowy winters to thrive and they haven’t been getting that. The destruction of eelgrass beds isn’t doing them any favors either. Limit the number of treble hooks on your plugs, use circle hooks when fishing live and cut bait, and handle your catch safely and cautiously if you plan to release. Hunting is conservation and I think fishing can be too. Tight lines.
I have been fishing for over 50 years. Striped Bass fishing and striper populations are about as high as ever. You must get paid by people who want to end fishing.
I haven’t caught anything in the last 7 days going out for 6+ hours a day. Everything is overfished. There’s too many people taking and not enough people conserving. everyday I go out I just see a wall of illegal immigrants fishing on the jetties. I’m also not a fan of catch and release. People who go out and just try and catch anything they can for fun end up killing a lot of fish. I like catching / keeping what you need and that’s it.
Fishery management is a perfect example of how incompetence has taken a very serious systemic hold on society. To my mind, fixing a fish population is a pretty easy task. The incompetent bureaucracy is slowly destroying EVERYTHING for us slowly and surely day in and day out.
This video is so interesting. I love these stories. I do them regularly on my own channel as well (though not nearly as good as these.) Really got to know more about one of my favorite fish to catch.
This is an awesome video brotha, this season on the South Shore of Long Island was some of the best bass fishing I've ever seen. So many floaters / dead bass on the surface sadly bc people have no idea how to handle fish. There's really no need as a recreational fisherman to harvest more than one fish in the slot range per day, so personally I don't mind the regs. Everyone's just gotta do their part in keeping the fishery sustainable for future generations.
What if you have a big family and one fish doesn't feed them? how about the cost of a fishing trip going so high and keeping fish is a way to cut that down? fishing has gone up in price over 200% in my lifetime. There are reasons to keep more than one...I only fish one or twice a year so that's all I take...you probably fish many times a year. Your comment is riduculous! You sound like a communist or Nazi. How about what others feel? You are very selfish.
@@jbones2422the plastics literally have cancer causing chemicals and dioxins that can harm reproduction so how did you come to that idiotic conclusion.
It’s not lures. It’s millions of tons of nets, bottles, bags, and other bullshit. Striped Bass are thriving in my area, but we don’t allow commercial fishing of sportfish. Even our commercial Bluefin fishermen are only allowed to harvest a single Bluefin a year. We’re allowed to keep one Yellowfin during season, and three Stripers. We have a thriving population. So much so that with European market fishing and being out competed by Stripers in the mating season, our once world class Atlantic Salmon fishery is mostly dead. I caught 7 on fly last year. I use to catch hundreds in a summer. I could fly fish off my dock while I had my morning coffee. Now it’s rainbows and Striper. Our annual Striper Cup is coming up in late May, and I can’t wait. One of my favorite tournament events of the year.
Considering marylands YOY chart is the one thats widely accepted as the cause of concern for the striped bass it should be noted their commercial regs only allow harvest of fish between 18-36". So of those bad spawnings year classes starting in 2019, commercial guys this year will be allowed to take the 2019, 2020 and 2021 year class just the same. Mass and its 600-700k lb pounds comprised of fish over 35" takes way less individual fish than marylands 1-2M lbs of 18-36" fish.
I downloaded the mortality study and examined it. Here are a few key points and observations. Both mine and theirs. The fish were juvenile, sized from 10.5" to 22.5". All fish were tagged, one group of fish were penned and not fished for, the other group were the catchable group. (Some other sample divisions occurred to study the effect of the tagging. The target fish were not fed and they depended upon the natural foods available in the closed salt water pond. Temperature and oxygen levels were closely monitored both factors remained steady during the experiment. The fish were caught by anglers using 3 methods: 1) bait on a single barbed hook either live seaworms or dead sand eels. 2) A single barbed hook rubber jig 3) Hard lures with one to three treble hooks. Anglers were categorized by their experience levels and assigned a level # to judge the effect of experience. As anglers we can foresee the results and they were not surprising. Fish that were caught on bait were more deeply hooked and had a higher mortality.265 Other deeply hooked fish, by other means had a slightly lower mortality. Lightly hooked fish had the best survival at 3% Overall Average mortality at 9%. Conclusion of study. "Hooking Mortality cannot predict population mortality unless experimental conditions represent those encountered in the wild. "Our present model would not be sufficient foe estimating coastwide hooking mortality of striped bass." My words- There are too many factors to consider to establish an accurate mortality rate. The hook type was not defined in the study. However, after many years of using circle hooks, I've only had a small number of fish get deeply hooked. Along with this 9% death estimate, the FW estimates the number of anglers, the number of hours fished, and the success rate of anglers. They can get the number of NOAA registered anglers. BUT, I have fished for nearly 60 years and have had hundreds of fishless hours on the water, and thousands more either working or couch fishing!
@@stonehorn4641The St Lawrence estuary has a distinct population of striped bass that overwinters in the river. This population became extinct and has been reintroduced with fish from NB. The fish you are catching in NB are part of the Atlantic migratory population. The same species but regulated differently as they represent different breeding populations.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I feel like if they use the hooks to take every fish into the boat I don’t see how they could actually release breeding size fish. The hooking of them in the side is definitely more damaging than catch and release would be. I‘m mostly catch and release but you should always release trophy/breeding size, female trout can breed until they die
I didnt like the guys statement that you have to prove commercial fishing is a sizable portion of your income. I understand the sentiment, but its dangerous territory
My theory is that there are commercial boats sucking up bait fish out the ocean and turning them into feed for fish farms. Less bait equals less bass, it also explains why so many of the bass I have caught are so thin.
You mentioned in the video that young of the year survivorship is very low, and I’m wondering if this too is a contributor to the problem. larval striper (which would be planktonic) obviously won’t be targeted by recreational or commercial fisheries, so perhaps there is an environmental stressor messing with the survivorship that should be investigated.
@@stonehorn4641This is true, but even with low survivorship associated with offspring there are still normal levels of recruitment. I think he’s implying that there is less recruitment going on, which could be due to overfishing and environmental factors. We are starting to see declines of stripers here in NC despite rigid management plans, and the one thing going on is that the sounds are getting saltier and warmer due to climate change creating longer, drier summers.
It’s impossible to know how many fish are swimming in the ocean, how many are born, and how many are killed each year. Even though sound science is used to generate those numbers, they are still just estimates. Yet, when the fishery managers make decisions on what the regulations should be, they seem to operate on a very thin margin of error. More conservative approaches should be taken in my opinion, recognizing that there isn’t a perfect math formula for determining what will work and what won’t. If there were more accountability towards fishery managers, then we may see better regulations. Unfortunately, the ASMFC doesn’t have hard performance standards for rebuilding depleted fish stocks similar to the Magusen Stevens Act.
I definitely think there should be much more research. I also think that the population should see a slight increase in the next years because some states are recognizing the problem. Like how New Jersey made the slot limit 7 inches smaller in July 2023.
@@Steve-ev6vxyou must’ve missed the part where they estimated 2.3 million pounds harvested by recreational anglers as opposed to 600k by commercial guys. NY took the slot limit from 28-35” to 28”-31” and alllll the fish in the 31-35” range now swim free which would absolutely reduce the amount of fish taken
@@Steve-ev6vx they said the study that measured death of catch and release was pretty much bullshit using the same fish in a small salt pond being caught repeatedly. The numbers of actual fish killed based on harvest are something we know for sure and can act on. No current studies have been conducted gushing the mortality rate after release from recreational fishermen because those fish go back into the ocean likely never to be seen or caught again so idk how anyone can produce relevant data on that
You believe the government statistics. I have a bridge to sell you for only $1 Trillion Dollars. Anything to increase bureaucracy. You live off taxes? @@jbones2422 How many times did you vote for president in 2020? Ten? Twenty? 100?
I know a lot of charter captains are doing their best to safely handle the out of slot fish these days. I don't know if it's too little too late. I don't think the commercial rod and reel even puts a dent in the populations, especially not compared to the net fishing that goes on at Striped Bass central....The Chesapeake Bay.
The biggest problem is improper handling of fish after catching and then releasing the fish. People keep them out of water way too long in order to get a picture. Improperly putting their hands in gill plates, damaging the gills, and also failing to properly revive the fish when releasing. Charter boats are the biggest problems when it comes to improper handling of fish. Watch too many charter boats throw fish back after catching and not properly reviving the fish first. Charter are also able to do multiple trips a day with 6 plus people leading to 12 plus fish caught per trip.
Absolutely ! even well handled fish can die from over-stress. the trouble with a short time programme is that it may take a while for a fish in good condition to go back so far as to die after capture. I am absolutely sure that there is little point in returning fish taken from deep water. Once they have blown out their swim bladders, even venting them is not going to save them.
If other states are like NC. Then the commercial fishing industry has regulating bodies in their pocket. How they can tell rec guys not to keep breeders and then allow commercial guys to keep everything and then turn around and say it’s the rec guys fault for declining numbers of crazy talk. If they close the season for rec guys they should close for commercial guys as well. Commercial guys can easily pivot to another species. But they all cry about losing their income as if they can’t catch any other type of fish. Let the population recover for a few years and then when you open back up leave the breeders alone.
The biggest problem at the moment is the bad spawns and not over fishing. Young of the year striped aren’t surviving or even being hatched at the moment
Thanks for sharing! I live in rural West Texas and we have to travel several hours one way just to lake fish! We go at least once a year to the Gulf Coast to fish and the regulations and studies are outdated at worst. I know for a fact that utilizing single barbless hooks result in much higher survival rates no matter what the specific location or the species. I know anglers will lose fish but they stay alive!
I find it extremely hard to believe that recreational fishing is the main problem here... But contrary to popular opinion I think C&R should not be allowed. It is the only form of fishing that kills fish without using them as food, so it is a complete waste. But you are acting as if catch and take recreational fishing is some sort of devil - it is no more harmful than your operation - probably less, how many recreational fishermen do you know who take home 365 fish per year?
My grandpa showed me pictures of striped bass he caught at Race Point in Cape Cod in the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. They were absolute slobs and all caught from shore. The current state of affairs is a joke. I’ve been fishing since 90’s and I hardly waste my time in the Cape anymore. I know the canal still produces. As much as I like fishing, the stripers and other game fish need a serious break. Always use circle hooks.
2 big issues. The commercial quota hasn’t changed in 30 years specifically in MD. It needs to adjust based on population fluctuations. All artificial lures need to be barbless. Rockfish needs to be changed over to a tag system. Each angler gets a certain number of tags per season. I spoke for a very long time with the biologist that headed the MD striped bass program and it is very complicated but there is a very high mortality for rec releases fish. The charter boats need to be restricted as they handle the fish poorly and account for a large portion of the mortality.
I know a few commercial fisherman that constantly complain about people keeping short fish or more than one…..however they have nice boats get a commercial license take out friends and keep a lot of fish over 35 inches….they both have businesses unrelated to fishing and very wealthy. To me it’s so wrong and hypocritical
It would be really cool if you could get someone from management to give their input on the subject. I get that they're cagey about talking to the public about it but I would imagine that there are people who would love to redo that 96 study but just can't get the funding for it.
I would outlaw commercial fishing of Striped Bass . In New Jersey this season you can only keep one fish between 28 to 31 inches. No trophy permits allowed and anyone using bait must use an inline circle hook .
Recreational fisherman, as soon as you pull a fish out of the water hold your breathe, and hold it until your fish goes back in the water and gets to breathe again. This puts it in perspective how much you stress and kill these fish for your stupid fucking Instagram picture lol. Quick releases! If it’s a 26” doink stop sliding them up the beach and measuring them and taking pics just unhook it in the surf and be happy you experienced the catch
I can only be sure of what ive personaly seen after 25 years of doing it. Never underestimate the ignorance and ego of an uneducated fishermen or poacher. They have no concept of delayed mortality or stress on the fish that catching them has. As long as they see it swim away its a clean release which is BS. The evolution of the cell phone camera along with social media is responsible for a substantial amount of DM in what would have been healthy fish if released properly. After that fish fighting to exaustion, a minute or 2 out of the water for a dozen pics and short video is a death sentence, especially for the trophy fish. Ill prepared anglers are aspect as well, especially on jettys. Its a pain and expensive to wear corkers and dry gear, but there is no other way to reliably land fish on a jetty without them. Carelessness is a problem too. Guys go to flip fish over or near a crevace of the jetty and the fish ultimately winds up falling into one way or another. The bottom line is the fishery is unsustainable and if you truly love the sport, you must realize the fish come first. We all, recreational and commercial guys have to make sacrifices if there is to a fishery in the future.
You know it's coming. Treble hooks will become obsolete in our lifetimes. They just need to do it now. If you're a decent fisherman, single hooks are fine.
A very simple review of that chart shows recreational take, and mortality from recreational release, accounts for at least 90% of the total annual removal. Instead of "hero" pics and sloppy release techniques, the daily limit needs to be reduced and a lot of effort put into education on how to properly release a fish.
overfishing is mad but the fact that you need legal size to kill it makes it less of problem then small fish getting caught and injured to may survive but to be caught again thats why you need to use barbless or barbed singles to not mess the fish up and that apply to both sport and commercial fishermen .
everyone is talking about the striped bass but the cod (once the most abundant gamefish of the northeast) is in far worse shape. It seems that people only care about what effects them, and not what effects the ecosystem and that applies to both recreational and commercial fishermen.
It's important to remember that regulations vary widely between state. For example, here in the Chesapeake bay, one of the major problems is Omega and their over-harvesting of menhaden and damaging practices. Additionally, a point to make about recreational fishing, it seems more reasonable to protect natural resources, like fish, for the individual to catch for their personal use, opposed to commercial fishing where billions of pounds of fish are discarded every year. Moreover, when you think about the damage per fisherman, commercial fisherman are, in fact, doing more damage and harvesting more fish than recreational fisherman, per person. While the number for overall harvest might be larger for recreational fisherman, think about how much was harvested per person and the amount of that fish that was put to good use, compared to the estimated 50% of seafood that is discarded annually from groceries in the US. I think recreational harvesting should be protected above commercial, because I am confident those fish are put to better use and there is less waste when the fisherman eats the fish they caught themselves.
I'm all about catch and release but we should let go of triple hooks. Two sets of triple hooks increases the mortality rate. John skinner made a video about 6 yrs ago on how to replace the triple hooks with singles. If you don't feel the need to replace the triples at least bend the barbs. I remember my 1st trip on a party boat the captain looked at me and said no triples. Mind you I was throwing a krocodile spoon. I ended up snipping the triple down to double. Some of the videos I see posted on RU-vid has the worst release/revive caught on camera.
Worldwide, I think regulating entities need to be more proactive about preserving fish stocks through various means. The way that the data is used is too reactive. Fish stock trends can often be used to predict future populations years in advance based on breeding numbers, and I think that it needs to be used in that way, rather than predicting the annum. Look further ahead with your regulations based on data you have now, and you'll be in a better position to respond to surprises that come from the stocks, good and bad. Everyone remembers the Atlantic cod crash. We need proactive regulations if we want to avoid that for more species.
I feel one obvious thing they can do asap is putting size limits on the fish and stop issuing permits for striped bass and let the few guys that need it for their families(and can prove it)
Correction to one of my post notes. Its not 600k lbs they are saying for rec poundage. It's over 2 million they are saying. Which is even more way far off. He said the qouta for them is 600k . Thats what was 700k + but same thing still applies what I said about numbers.
I live in upstate NY and the only convenient opportunity I get for stripers is when they run up the hudson in the springtime. Easily the best fishing experience around here behind a good salmon day up at Lake Ontario, and its sad to see how they are getting hit so hard without the regulation to help them out some. I feel that a season should be put in place for saltwater anglers, obviously you can still target them as a game fish whatever time of year but you simply dont need to keep that many. We can make a few stripers last a whole year with a vacuum sealer and a deep freezer, no need for a fish a month even.
I'm always the type of fisherman that catch and release my fish but if I were to catch a bluegill that is small enough to be on a fishing hook then and only then would I use it for live bait which I did that at a private pond of course now if I'm fishing at a public lake or a public pier or up in Gatlinburg TN I can 777% guarantee that I'll be releasing any fish I catch no matter how small or big they are I'm releasing that fish back and I unfortunately had one fish died on me from releasing it back and I was using a single fishing hook but sometimes bad things happen that's totally out of your control and this is coming from a 24 year old man with Autism
I am not really sure where this video left me feeling ~ I have been deep in the weeds on this discussion and the thing I agree on is the finger pointing needs to stop and the solution building needs to start. Also pretty funny ~ at 5:04 in the video ~ I am actually on that beach at the same time as that sampling lol
Resources need to be set aside from both groups to invest in striper hatcheries in all coastal states that use the resource, education about safe catch and release
Great video showing both sides. I personally don't like commercial bass fisherman but at the same time you can't really just shut them down, so I'd close the permit thing for stripers as well as further limiting the amount of fish commercial anglers can keep.
