SAVING STRIPED BASS BY NICK HONACHEFSKY
“Striped bass nearly extinct.”
Striped bass, once considered nearly extinct, rebounded during the early 21st century. But is another downward trend on the horizon?
That was a true statement among 1980s newspaper headlines in the Northeast. Commercial overfishing, menhaden exploitation and unregulated pollution decimated the stocks. Fast forward to the late 1990s and early 2000s, and that statement seemed near impossible with record-setting catches of stripers both in size and number all along the Eastern Seaboard. It was a true success story, and for anglers, it was almost not even a challenge to score a lifetime trophy 30-, 40- or even 50-pound bass and limit of fish on nearly every trip out. The institution of a moratorium in the mid- to late-’80s, strict commercial regulations and tightened recreational bag and size limits of stripers allowed the stocks to rebound dramatically, but as they say, history has a way of repeating itself. A maelstrom consisting of intense recreational pressure through the late 2000s and early 2010s — combined with illegal harvesting of bass in the Chesapeake Bay — continued commercial fishing pressure, and a new problem of Omega 3 menhaden boats scooping up all the forage for stripers has put striper stocks on a downward trend. Recruiting class numbers have dropped. A relapse appears to be on the horizon, leaving questions. Are we doomed? Must we repeat history and have to save the stripers from the brink of extinction as in the 1980s? Hopefully not, and here are three reasons why. GHOF.org | 93
