Some Atlantic City are fishermen are increasingly breaking the law as they try to land a striped bass.
Violations for striper fishing grew in 2016. Fines were handed out to those fishing for striper further than the 3 miles limit from shore. Over that line becomes federal waters, also known as the Exclusive Economic Zone.
Exclusive Economic Zone: area of coastal water & seabed within certain distance of country’s coastline, to which country claims exclusive rights for fishing, drilling & other economic activities.
Striper follow the food. Their food of choice is ‘bait’ fish like menhaden, which has been travelling well beyond the 3 mile zone. Thus, surf and jetty fisherman have seen a pitiful striper season. Those with boats sometimes cross the line in search of these schools.
From Dave Showell, Abseson Sportsman Center: It’s good to see that there has finally been some official attention to the situation of illegal Striper fishing in the EEZ. (based on recent Press of Atlantic City article )
It sounds like quite a few boat anglers were greeted by Law Enforcement after they did decide to do their end of the season striped bass fishing in illegal waters. The article goes into a limited explanation of why the EEZ is closed. The closure was a very effective instrument in bringing back the striped bass population from almost decimation to today’s levels.
Personally I prefer to fish myself and take my clients in search of Striped Bass in the back bay estuary waters in my relatively small 20 foot boat. The majority of the year I have little interest in pursuing the Line Siders in the Big Pond, however there are times during the fall migration, that these fish prefer to make a straight dash south outside our beaches. At those times if you want to catch Stripers, you have to go where they are.
In 2015 lots of Stripers stayed close to the beach and there was plenty of legal fishing to be had. Almost everyone was happy. In November and December of 2016 this was not the case.
After hanging around the mouth of Raritan Bay and off the deeper North Jersey coastline, mostly inside three miles during the early fall, they were forced out by waether changes. A couple hard cold fronts that made the temperature even more unbearable for their food supply, menhaden. Yes, there were some fantastic blitzes off Long Beach Island, and even sporadic bursts from Brigantine south to Cape May.
On days when striped bass could not be found inside the legal three miles, there were often huge schools tempting anglers just a short ways outside the 3 mile line. There were even larger areas of fish farther offshore. The size and numbers of fish available is enough to tempt many law abiding fishermen to knowingly break a federal stature which was designed to protect the striper population, primarily for the recreational angler.
Boats over the 3 mile legal line were often greater than those who chose to do the right thing and stay to the west of the almost barren waters inside the EEZ.
The action taken which resulted in this article was one of the first enforcement efforts taken since the EEZ was originally closed. As one who has stayed on the “right side” of this line, I applaud the efforts. However in the future, there must be a decision.
If the EEZ remains closed, enforcement must be 100%. Since striped bass fishing outside three miles is illegal, there is technology available that could prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that a boat is engaged in illegal activity. No need for dangerous, physical boarding on the high seas.
Not allowing striped bass fishing outside 3 miles, in effect makes the EEZ a “Marine Protected Area” as far as Striped Bass is concerned.
The R.F.A. (Recreational Fishing Alliance) and other recreational fisheries groups have condemned M.P.A.’s as conservation methods in almost all cases.
I see no reason that the striper population can be effectively protected in the usual methods with open / closed seasons, along with size / bag limits. As there are so many anglers willing to risk legal repercussions to gain access to this fishery I expect that there should be lively discussion to changes in the laws.
Now we know that that violators were issued summonses. So far, there has not been any reporting of names or actual violations. I’m sure some more details will be made public at the next NJMFC meeting during the law enforcement report. But even then, actual names are rarely given out.
Possibly local news orgs could dig a little deeper into this action.
From Dave Showell, Abseson Sportsman Center