Emergency action taken to protect striped bass on the Atlantic Coast
BALTIMORE -- Summer recreational striped bass fishing season begins this week—and it comes with new restrictions.
On May 2, 2023, the Striped Bass Board of Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission took emergency action and began requiring every recreational fishery from Maine to North Carolina, to implement a 31-inch maximum size limit on the striped bass a fisherman may keep, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The Striped Bass Board of Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission implemented the 31-inch conservation measure in order to protect the 2015 class of striped bass fish as they grow into spawning age, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The emergency rule expires on October 28, state officials said.
The Striped Bass Board of Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has scheduled four virtual public hearings on this emergency action. The first one is scheduled for May 17, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The striped bass—also known as rockfish—is the official fish of the State of Maryland.