Interstate Fisheries Management

Striped bass, Morone saxatilis, have formed the basis of one of the most important fisheries on the Atlantic coast for centuries. Early records recount their abundance as being so great at one time they were used to fertilize fields. However, overfishing and poor environmental conditions lead to the collapse of the fishery in the 1980s. Through the hardship and dedication of both commercial and recreational fishermen, the stock was rebuilt and today’s watermen again harvest striped bass in great number. Recreational harvest has grown steadily since the reopening of many state fisheries in 1990, approaching 30 million pounds in recent years. Under the most recent management program, commercial harvest has averaged nearly 7 million pounds annually, for an average ex-vessel value of over 13 million dollars.

The most recent stock assessment for striped bass was completed in 2007. The peer-reviewed assessment indicated that striped bass are not overfished and overfishing is not occurring. Since 1982, the striped bass population has increased from about 7 million fish to an average of 58 million fish during the last five years.

The Commission has managed striped bass since 1981. Amendment 6 to the Fishery Management Plan provides the current guidance to the states from Maine through North Carolina. The management program includes target and threshold biological reference points (spawning stock biomass and fishing mortality), and sets regulations aimed at achieving the targets. Required regulatory measures include recreational and commercial minimum size limits, recreational creel limits, and commercial quotas. States can implement alternative management measures that are deemed to be conservationally equivalent to the preferred measures in Amendment 6. <species profile> <stock status> <UPDATED: commercial and recreational landings> <state regulations> <habitat fact sheet>