Coastal Conservation Association (CCA)

Conservationists Applaud Decision
to Maintain Striped Bass Closure

WASHINGTON, DC – Following an overwhelming outpouring from concerned conservationists, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that it would maintain the 1990 federal closure of offshore marine waters to striped bass fishing. Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) has fought to keep the closure intact and applauds NOAA’s decision to give the stock its best chance to expand its historic age and geographic distribution.

“CCA has always maintained that the striped bass population should be managed for what it is - the most valuable marine recreational fishery in the country,” said Richen Brame, CCA's Atlantic States Fisheries Director. “NOAA decided on a conservative management plan for this species, one that will reap benefits for future generations.”

NOAA closed marine areas between three and 200 miles offshore, known as the Exclusive Economic Zone or EEZ, to recreational and commercial striped bass fisheries in support of a rebuilding plan adopted in 1981 by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). The stock rebounded and became one of the most successful examples of marine conservation, but striped bass are still heavily exploited and fishing mortality rates are still approaching the upper limits. Anglers were rightfully concerned that opening the offshore waters could increase the harvest significantly and could halt the recovery in its track or even reverse it. Keeping the EEZ closed provides a safe area for stripers, especially larger fish which are the core of the spawning stock.

“NOAA should be congratulated for a conservative management plan for this valuable public resource. All participants in this fishery have made substantial sacrifices since 1981 to ensure the future of this species, and this action today ensures that those sacrifices won’t be thrown away,” said Sherman Baynard, chairman of CCA Maryland’s Fisheries Committee. “This is a victory for conservation.”

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