# Changes in striper regs next year???



## Tom Powers (Aug 2, 2001)

It looks like there will be a 20% reduction in stripers next year in the VA waters of the Chesapeake Bay. It will do no good to gripe about it. It will happen. 

I am going to be on a committee that will deal with this issue and make recommendations to VMRC. There should be representives from several different areas of the bay. If someone here wants to put their name in the hat as a representive of shore based fishermen let me know privately and I will see if you name can be considered. However, . . . 

The options include three basic things. Nothing is final so do not quote me on this.

1. Increasing the minimum size from 18 inches to 20, 21 or 22 inches and having from 5 to 20 closed days between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31.

2. Going to a modified slot limit with one fish 18 to 28 (or so) and one fish 18 or larger with 3 to 7 days closed between Nov 1 and Dec. 31.

3. Starting the fall season sometime in early to mid November.

Sooooooooooo Blast away on the options, your opinions and how different ones would impact the shore/pier based fisherman.

Tom


----------



## Kajun (Jul 13, 2003)

doesnt matter what we think VMRC will do what they plan on doing anyway....the shorefishermen might as well start bending over now.


----------



## Tom Powers (Aug 2, 2001)

No kajun that is the point. I am on this committee and if it gives a recommendation that is a reasonable compromise there is every chance that it will pass. 

One of the things that I make it a point to say is how bad the shore and pier fishermen took it with flounder. 

Tom

PS. I can not recall the last time I saw a pier/shore fisherman standing before the Commission on a Tuesday afternoon saying please do not forget me.


----------



## Kajun (Jul 13, 2003)

seeing how VMRC hasnt taken shorefishermen into consideration in the past,i'd be hard to believe any other thing until i actually see it....what i've noticed about this area is the ole saying "$$ talks and BS walks"......boaters and commercial fisherman vs shorefishermen..........after catching 200+ flounder this year without a SINGLE keeper..can you tell i'm not a VMRC fan? lol


maybe sand flea could make a poll with your options..that would prob be the best way to get a good answer for ya. good luck and thanks for your time in representing us.


----------



## Sandcrab (Mar 20, 2002)

*Now if you can...*

...Convince them that the harvesting of menhadden is killing the striped bass population....


----------



## Tom Powers (Aug 2, 2001)

Actually I feel like flounder is my best case for keeping an 18 inch minimum. 

Tom


----------



## Digger (Jan 4, 2000)

I have been to a few of the meetings and did say a few things at one meeting. I truely believe what I said was heard. I actualy saw a change in Amendment 6 that follows my comment. If you go and voice your opion it can make a difference. The problem we face is that more boat fisherpeople attend the meetings and respond to the questionaires. 
Sand Flea set these boards up for us Pierandsurf people. Now is the time to get the word out and make sure we are not forgotten. *Remember the squeaky Wheel gets the Grease!!!!!!!!!!*


----------



## Digger (Jan 4, 2000)

Tom I agree with you on the Flounder point.


----------



## Mummichog (May 19, 2003)

I'm curious as to why they feel the need to tighten the limitations...is it becuase of commercials are getting an increase or do they feel there is a damaged population?

Option 1 does not seem like it would make much difference on the short term...most of the fish I've caught so far this year a 20-24 inches. I've not seen many in the 18" size. Maybe this is the problem?

I like option 2 the best out of them all. Fewer days closed and I believe in slot limits. Per days closed...would they just close the fishery on Tuesdays or something?

Option 3 seems like it would have the most dramatic effect on retail side of recreational fishery. People really start to show up in the bay after the season starts so it would seem the indirect effect of option 3 is 3-4 weeks less of tackle sales, hotels, charters, etc.


----------



## Tom Powers (Aug 2, 2001)

The why is complicated. 

Basically, we (MD AND VA) are alotted a total quota in the Cheasapeake Bay that is a proportion of the total harvestable biomass based on a scientific model (the name of which escapes me right now). The model says that there will be less harvestable fish out there next year and that we will need to take this 19.6% reduction. Additionally, last year we went a few percent over our quota. Of course this is all statistics and surveys. The real important number to watch is the year of the young indes (YOY) three years after a good YOY index the fish (now 18 inches) are in the targetable range and count. They continue to count for 3 or 4 more years (when they get above 28 inches) then they move into the coastal biomass numbers. Oh and to complicate things even more we should have had reductions for the past several years but somehow it got missed.

Anyway, the commercial fishery will be taking the same 19.6% reduction but they did not go over quota last year. Theirs is easy. They are given 20% less tags and their season is closed when they reach their quota (which happened before they used all of their tags in Mid December two years ago).

On the days closed it will have to be a block of days just like flounder. If it is 5 days or less they could all be week days.

Tom


----------



## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

Any option that allows the most open fishing days gets my vote. Virginia's season is already too short as it is. I have no problem with a slot size or an increased minimum.

And my vote goes to Digger to represent the shore folks. (He told me about this coming down the pike over a month ago)

As Sandcrab said, the best thing they could do for stripers would be to shut the menhaden fishery.


----------



## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

I like option two out of th three suggestions. I agree my vote is for Digger.

Noticed there is no mention of th spring season. Is that because it dosen't take effect until next fall?


----------



## Mummichog (May 19, 2003)

So, what was the YOY indices for the past three years...are we looking at a slow season this year? or 3 years from now. Also, I more interested in the number of bigger fish that end up in the bay, not necessarily creating more bigger fish for those in NY...so is there any cooperation between state fisheries, will other states follow.

Option 2 then, and I would actually increase the minimum size to 20".

How would this effect the spring season?

I agree with the complaints against the menhaden fishery. But until people stop buying fish oil products...


----------



## Wilber (May 20, 2003)

*I'm with Sand Flea*

Digger would be a good choice as a rep.
I don't like the slot limit. The larger min. size is Ok. The late opening, well I don't know.

I don't keep more than 2 or 3 rock a year, that's all I need. The rest go back. But at my house Rockfish has always been Christmas dinner, with oyster stuffing of course. As long as I get mine for Christmas I'm cool with anything.

But a one fish limit of a single 12 inch Pan Rock Fish would bring back Christmas morning brunch for me. Fry that puppy in an Iron skillet with a couple strips of good bacon and a hand full of onions. OH MY.


----------



## Lars (Mar 24, 2003)

I would not like to see a shorter fall season under any circumstances. However, increasing the minimum size from 18" to 20" (or even to 22" if necessary) would not bother me, as I always seem to find enough of 20"+ fish from which to fill my limit whenever the fish are there. I could even live with a 1 striper / day limit.

If I had to choose from one of the options that Tom Powers listed, I'd probably go with number 2.


----------



## ShoreFisherman (Oct 18, 2003)

I can go for any of the first 2 options. Slot fishing is nothing new to me, redfish in Texas are the same way, you get one 20"-28" and one bull, 36" or better, and that was per year for the bulls, size limit increase is ok, but the question to be asked, is changing the size limit 2-4" going to make that much of a reduction in the harvest?

Slot keepers are ok, people will bitch about them to start with, but when they see what it does to the population of the fish, larger fish, and in better numbers, they usually quiet down. 

The impact taken for us as pier and shore fishermen, is taken 2 fold esp this year, with the limited number of piers to fish from, I feel that the boaters will have a banner year, while we will remain the same if not a lowered harvest this year. and there will be increased pressure on the fish in the spots still available to fish this year.


Just my .02$ esp since I am still learning how to catch 'em


shore


----------



## Digger (Jan 4, 2000)

As I understand the spring season would be gone under all these options. For sure the one's I saw a month or so ago.


----------



## Tom Powers (Aug 2, 2001)

Two quick things. The spring season was gone in the proposals shown last month. However, because of the numbers that is the same as 1/2 a day less fishing in Nov/Dec. Discussing things like that is why we need to work through the different options.

Suggested option 1 is really 8 options ranging from current size limits and a season that opens in the middle of Nov. to 22 inch minimum and a few day closure late in the season. 

Narrowing the options down to about two or three is the job of the group.

Tom


----------



## Advisor (Jan 12, 2003)

Tom,
I haven't even started striper fishing yet and haven't done any surf fishing in years. I was planning on getting started this next week and am very interested in what this change in the regulations is going to do to us. Please keep this thread alive and let me know if there is anything I can do to help. I'm an old retired cuss and have plenty of time available.


----------



## Jimmy (Sep 23, 2002)

I would not mind raising the size to 20" or more. If they are biting I have never had too much trouble getting 2 fish larger than 18", and now that I also fish from a boat pretty regularly I set my own limit of at least 20"(unless my freezer is empty and I really need dinner )


----------



## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

Just to make sure I'm reading this right, there will be no spring season which only gives us from Oct/Nov to Dec 31?

BTW, Tom,Digger are there other states being affected also or just us. Just curious.


----------



## Stingsilver (Apr 5, 2002)

Well, these are only my personal opinions, and coincide with the way i fish:

I'm all for raising the minimum limit because there's really not enough meat on the average 18" striper to justify killing one--at least not the ones i've caught.

I don't like slots because they're complicated; i just want to fish, and i don't want to carry a 10 pound manual with me out in the field.

And i like seasons that start on a certain day and end on a certain day (also less complicated), but if you want to split the season up, then from my vantage point, i usually only fish weekends, so take the days away from the week.

Also, you can do away with the spring season all together, because i target different species at that time.

I guess this has nothing to do with the Bay, but i would like to sea the ocean minimum dropped an inch or two, because i see so many stripers caught below 28" all through the summer, and few that are at or above that size.

When and where are VMRC meetings, because i would go if i could, and i would state the above opinions.

These are all my humble opinions, and i have enough to worry about in my life without pulling out regulations and checking calendars and/or timepieces. And by the way, i don't keep illegal fish and i throw a lot of legal fish back.

Fish on.


----------



## Mummichog (May 19, 2003)

Don't forget, these regs are for taking fish. Does not mean you can't keep fishing...or even catching. 

A little reasearch on the net put forth the oppinion from a few biologists that this year produced a very strong YOY class. So I guess in 2006 we'll see great fishing?

I suggest slots...seems to be working for the redfish. I caught plenty on some flats off Mathews this year. NCDGIF says they are no longer overfished. It's the big fish that reproduce the most anyway...right?


----------



## Tom Powers (Aug 2, 2001)

On the no spring season. It was one of the things that was on the table. I am pretty sure that it is now off of the table. Things like that are why we need to stay involved. If lower bay boat fishing was all that you did doing away with the spring season and all fish less than 24 inches sounds great. Unfortuntely there are many that fish from the shore and in the rivers who would go home with no fish in the cooler most times if they did that.

I would not count on the ocean lowering their size limit below 28 inches.

MD is in the same boat that we are. Altough they did not overfish their quota last year like us they will have a 19.5% reduction in their commercial and recreational quotas. What I do not know is how close to the quota was their recreational fishery. None of the coastal recreational fisheries (including ours) has a quota.

The model to which I referred is for the Chesapeake Bay. 

Yes we did have a good YOY this year and it should help in 2006, 2007 and 2008 when they go through the 18 to 28 inch slot.

Advisor we need to do lunch one day. . . There is lots that can be done if you have the time and patience.

The Commission meetings are generally on the fourth Tuesday each month in down town Newport News. The fisehries issues start after lunch. I will start posting agendas, etc. on this board. The fisheries management advisory committee meetings are generally the third Tuesday of each month starting at either 6PM (a new time) or 7PM. They are also in Newport News. They are held on the 4th floor of the 2600 building which is at 2600 Washington Ave. in Newport News. To get there take I664 to the 26th street exit. The 2600 building is on the right at the second light. There is (cheep) pay parking across the street or on street parking which has no time limits after 7PM. 

Tom


----------



## Digger (Jan 4, 2000)

Ok I lost my post on this one.

I already sent my info to Tom.
I thank you for the confidence in me. 
I will adjust my schedule for the meetings. And try and keep you updated. I will probably try and use the poll's that the board provides. I should set up a data base(gives me a reason to use Access) to register people's opinion's. 

I will ask everyone to let the other pier or shore people know about this. We need to be recognized.

Jake Ace I would like a copy of your logs for this year. Believe me it could make a difference. You may need to check with Claude before giveng it to me.

Tom I will need your help, I don't want to duplicate efforts. And I thank for your efforts.


----------



## Hat80 (Sep 22, 2002)

*Fishing Issues and Maryland Forum:*

This thread needs to be posted in the Fishing Issues and Maryland Forum also. There are a lot of folks that may not read the VA forums. 

As always I will do anything I can to help, to include attending the meetings. Just let me know what needs to be done. As you all know, I will push a cause!....Tightlines


----------



## Digger (Jan 4, 2000)

It will probably be moved to fishing issues but each state has it's own issue's and more importantly processes. What is done in one State may not apply to the other state. I don't know is going on in Md. even though they will have a similar reduction.


----------



## Tom Powers (Aug 2, 2001)

I did forward Digger's name on to the appropriate person to hopefully get him on the committee. I (or he I would expect) will provide feedback when he or I hear something.

The specifics on this reduction will only apply to VA waters of the Chesapeake bay. I have no clue what MD is going to do.

Tom


----------

