Category Archives: Conservation

Support Striped Bass Conservation With Your Car’s License Plate

Conservation

Only 12 more orders needed to reach the goal of 750. After the next 12 orders, the state will begin making and issuing these plates.

We will have information available at the November club meeting about getting your Striped Bass Conservation license plate from Massachusetts. Proceeds will support:

  • Scientific Studies of Striped Bass Population
  • Habitat Improvement
  • Studies of Fishing Practices
  • Public Education

A plate costs $40 every two years (in addition to normal car registration fees). Go to striperplate.org for more information.

Kathy Strauch ~ Newsletter Editor

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Striped Bass Stock Assessment Public Hearings: Oct. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd

Conservation, Fishing, Legislation and Regulation

Come out to voice your opinion.  Recreational fishermen will be overlooked if they are not as vocal as the commercial fishermen.

October 1, 2019  at 7pm
Urban Forestry Center
45 Elwin Road
Portsmouth, N H
October 2, 2019 at 6 pm
Crowne Plaza Woburn
15 Middlesex Canal Park Drive
Woburn, MA
October 3, 2019 at 6pm
MA Maritime Academy, Admiral’s Hall
101 Academy Drive
Buzzards Bay, MA

To submit comments online:

Email: comments@asmfc.org
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Subject: Striped Bass Draft Addendum VI) 1050 North Highland Street Suite 200A-N, Arlington, VA 22201
Phone: (703) 842-0740
Fax: (703) 842-0741

DMF Contact:  Dr. Michael Armstrong  (978)282-0308, ext. 109

See the document for public comment here.  A few issues particularly relevant to recreational fishing (and PISC) are discussed below.

A statement from the document linked above:  the role of Recreational Catch & Release Fishing on Striped Bass Mortality:

Roughly 90% of annual Atlantic striped bass recreational catch is released alive, of which 9% are estimated to die as a result of being caught (referred to as “release mortality” or “dead releases”). Catch and release fishing has been perceived to have a minimal impact on the population, however a large component of annual striped bass mortality is attributed to release mortality – accounting for roughly 48% of total removals in 2017 (49% in 2018). The current recreational striped bass management program uses bag limits and size limits to limit the number of fish that are harvested. However, these measures are not designed to reduce fishing effort and subsequent release mortality. While the proposed measures herein result in lower overall removals, the majority of them also increase dead releases. In order to address dead releases, effort controls that are better designed to reduce the number of fishing trips that encounter striped bass should be considered (e.g., closed seasons).

Please attend and voice your opinion as to how to protect striped bass from overfishing.  The goal is to reduce overall catch + release mortality (both commercial and recreational) by roughly 20%.  This will be accomplished by changes to allowable keeper sizes.  One of the following options will be chosen.  Be present to voice your opinion about these choices.

Option 1:  No changes to recreational size limits or reductions in commercial catch quotas

Option 3:  No commercial fishing quota reductions and more recreational fishing limits.

Option2:  Choose among several suboptions as detailed below.

There will likely also be discussion of circle hooks and other gear restrictions.  Also note the reference to “closed seasons” in the excerpt above.

Come out to voice your opinion.  Recreational fishermen will be overlooked if they are not as vocal as the commercial fishermen.

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Refuge Cleanup This Sunday! March 24, 2019

Conservation, Service Events

Volunteer Cleanup at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

It was originally scheduled for Saturday, but due to weather, it has been moved to Sunday.

Sunday, March 24, 2019

9am to 2pm

Help us clean up the Refuge beaches! Any help is appreciated!
Meet at Parking Lot 1
Trash bags provided. Wear gloves.
No pre-registration or sign up needed—just show up! Groups welcome!
For more information email: Jean_Adams@FWS.gov

Facebook Announcement by Refuge

Directions to Parking Lot 1Facebooktwitterlinkedin

Legislation to Protect the Merrimack River from Sewage Pollution

Conservation, Legislation and Regulation, Merrimack River Watershed Council, Water Safety

According to the Merrimack River Watershed Council (MRWC) :  Last year, over 750 million gallons of CSO (raw sewage) water was released into the Merrimack — the largest amount since 2011.

The MRWC has informed us of several pieces of proposed legislation in Massachusetts to avoid future sewage releases into the Merrimack River.  Some of the proposed changes are simple and cheap, others are more expensive or time-consuming.

  • Require public notification of sewage releases during big storms
  • Require visible flags indicating water quality in public access points (like boat ramps)
  • Require backup generators at sewage treatment facilities (to prevent sewage releases due to electric power disruption)
  • Set up a commission to review the health of the Merrimack River and propose solutions

There are four sewage treatment plants in Massachusetts (Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell and Fitchburg) that would be covered by this legislation.   Two sewage treatment plants in New Hampshire (Nashua and Manchester) are also problematic.  Unfortunately, there are currently no bills in the New Hampshire legislature to address the problems in Nashua and Manchester.

We encourage all club members to contact their senators and representatives and ask their support of this legislation.

You can read details of the proposed legislation at the MRWC site.

 

Founded in 1976, Merrimack River Watershed Council (MRWC) is dedicated to promoting a clean and accessible Merrimack River and watershed. As “the voice of the Merrimack,” the Council’s mission is to protect, improve, and conserve the Merrimack River watershed for people and wildlife through education, recreation, advocacy, and science.Facebooktwitterlinkedin