Eliminate the nets.
Fix the bait problem.
Amen to that. IMO, the first logical step is to eliminate the striped bass commercial fishery. Not regulate it, eliminate it. There's absolutely no way it can be policed the way things stand. I see "wild caught" bass for sale all the time that aren't legal anywhere, including Virginia and Maryland. From an economic standpoint, it makes sense. The dollars generated by the commercial fishery don't amount to a pisshole in the snow compared to the economic benefits of a healthy recreational fishery. The only reason there's still a commercial bass fishery is that a few well-organized individuals wield far more clout than their numbers entitle them to. On the other hand, the sportfishing lobby, which could be a real force, is so fragmented that you can't even get them all to agree on what day of the week it is. Fact: the commercial fishing industry has either destroyed or greatly reduced the population of every single species it's targeted. You can take that to the bank. They've already hammered the living hell out the inshore cod, the whiting, the pollock, you name it. If there's one striped bass left alive out there, they'll be arguing over who gets to sell it. Enough is enough. Get an education and find a real job like the rest of us.
Yeah, fix the bait. When the bass population crashed the last time, we were still catching a lot of blues, which took up some of the slack. That's not gonna happen again, for the simple reason that the forage biomass has been greatly reduced. Bunker boats and herring boats are hauling every ounce of protein they can get away with taking. If they could get away with taking it all, they would. It's not gonna help to increase striped bass numbers if they're gonna go hungry.
I don't know what the best solution is as regards a reasonable daily limit. One fish over 36" or a slot limit with provisions for ONE trophy fish would probably work. The only problem with the one-fish limit is that a lot of culling goes on - I've even heard guys bragging about it. Maybe one keeper and you're done for the day. Period.
The original question was whether or not the striper population is in decline. I've been at this since I was big enough to handle a surf rod, and from where I stand, we're fishing for remnants of what the bass fishery was 50 years ago. The average size fish today is a joke compared to what it was. When I tell people that an 18-pound bass used to be considered a schoolie, they look at me like I'm speaking Gaelic. And that's not a case of nostalgia - I don't think like that. It's just an objective observation. I used to keep records, but unfortunately, I've lost track of them over the years. It's probably just as well, because nobody would believe me anyway.
Just my $0.02 worth, but you asked.
