B for the Marine Fish Conservation Network
[dropcap]D[/dropcap]id you ever get a phone call that was so outrageous it forced you to experience confusion, anxiety, and rage, leading to an immediate headache all within about one minute? I had one of those calls a few days ago, and although the headache went away, the fear, anxiety, and rage have not and for good reason. I am obsessed with striped bass. I love to fish for them, eat them, talk about them, learn the science related to them, and yes, I even sort of enjoy sitting in management meetings arguing about them. There are very few people outside of government that have spent more time in striped bass management meetings over the past 10-15 years than I.
The subject of this particular call was to inform me that the members of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Striped Bass Advisory Panel were being polled to set up a conference call with the stated agenda being the “Zeldon Bill.” “What did you just say?” immediately followed by a lot of curse words is an accurate summary of the rest of the call.
Adult bass caught 2 miles from the EEZ. Photo by Derr.
Also known as H.R. 3070, the “Zeldon Bill” was originally called the “EEZ Clarification Act” but was edited and renamed the “EEZ Transit Zone Clarification and Access Act.” The latest version was reported out of committee on March 16 and the complete language can be read here. The reader’s digest explanation is that the bill states the Secretary of Commerce “may” amend current regulations and allow fishing for striped bass in what is known as the transit zone between Block Island and the mainland. This would be the first weakening of the prohibition of striped bass fishing in the EEZ, which has been the cornerstone action within the successful management of striped bass. To allow that door to even be unlocked, never mind cracked open, is quite frankly insane and must be met with complete and utter public outrage.
A very good summary of the issues related to the original bill can be found here.
A description of the recent edits & opposition can be found here.
Based on where they fish, I understand why a small group of charter fishing operators in both Rhode Island and Montauk support the legislation, however pretty much every other organization that cares about the long-term sustainability of striped bass voiced opposition. The President of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association posted his opposition here.
Many of my fellow striped bass advocates thought the recent edits meant that this legislation was going to fade into political obscurity. We should have known better. The greed that drives the effort to open up the striped bass safe haven in federal waters and put the most valuable fish on the East Coast at risk should never be underestimated.
Normal procedure within ASMFC is that a management board, after some discussion, will task its advisory panel to review a subject of interest and report back with some advice. That has not happened in this case, at least not at a public meeting of the Striped Bass Management Board.
I wish I could tell you more, but when I called a friend within the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries seeking some explanation, it turned out that I was actually informing them of something they did not know. What I do know is that on April 4, members of the ASMFC Striped Bass Advisory Panel were informed of a meeting via conference call “to review current status of H.R. 3070 regarding the opening of the Block Island Transit Zone to recreational striped bass fishing, to discuss the Atlantic squid resource as it related to striped bass management, to elect an Advisory Panel Chairman and Vice Chairman, and to discuss any other pertinent current events.”
