Anglers’ Group Seeks Ban On Commercial Bass Fishing – Quincy, MA – The Patriot Ledger

By Kaimi Rose Lum

GateHouse News Service

Posted Aug 28, 2008 @ 02:26 PM

TRURO — Should striped bass be available to all types of fishermen, commercial and recreational? Or should it be enjoyed by one exclusive group?

That’s a no-brainer to members of “Stripers Forever,” a fraternity of leisure fishermen based in Portland, Maine. They want to ban the commercial harvest of striped bass in Massachusetts and give the fishery over to recreational anglers only.

“Our sole goal is gamefish status,” says Craig Caldwell, the organization’s policy director for Massachusetts. Designating the bass as a gamefish, which the group hopes to do via a bill that it plans to introduce into the state Legislature this fall, would make it off-limits to anyone but sportfishermen.

“Our reasoning really goes toward the long-term conservation of the fish,” he says, reasoning that preventing commercial fishermen from taking striped bass would leave the bigger female fish in the sea and allow more breeding to occur. He suggests that the poor showing of striped bass in local waters these past few weeks may be related to the depletion of big fish by commercial fishermen.  Full Story

Anglers’ group seeks ban on commercial bass fishing – Quincy, MA – The Patriot Ledger