(ARLINGTON, VA)—In order to reduce fish mortality and restore a thriving striped bass population, today the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) voted to begin developing changes to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for the striped bass harvest coastwide. Chesapeake Bay Foundation Senior Regional Ecosystem Scientist Chris Moore released the following statement.
"Bold action is needed to bring back a thriving population of this iconic fish, and conservation should be a shared responsibility for all who benefit from this important resource.
"The ASMFC has taken a necessary step to begin addressing the decline in the striped bass population along the Atlantic Coast. That includes the development of a wide variety of options to reduce harvest beginning with the 2020 fishing season. This will provide ample opportunity to weigh in on how fisheries management changes should be enacted to reverse the downward trend in the striped bass population."
