ASMFC Board Approves Mandatory Striped Bass Commercial Tagging

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The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board has approved Addendum III to establish a mandatory commercial tagging program for all states and jurisdictions with commercial striped bass fisheries and recommends increasing penalties for illegally harvested fish. These measures are intended to prevent commercial striped bass quota overages and the illegal harvest of striped bass. Both undermine the sustainability of striped bass populations, as well as reduce the economic opportunities of commercial and recreational fishermen who legally participate in the fishery.

The Addendum responds to recommendations of the Interstate Watershed Task Force (IWTF) that conducted an investigation on illegal commercial striped bass harvest within Chesapeake Bay, resulting in over $1.6 million dollars in fines against 19 individuals and three corporations for more than one million pounds of striped bass harvested illegally.

All states and jurisdictions, with the exception of Massachusetts and North Carolina, are required to implement Addendum III's measures by the opening of their respective 2013 commercial fishing seasons. For more information, please contact Kate Taylor at [email protected] or 703.842.0740.