BUZZBAIT [CONSERVATION]


A CRASH COURSE IN SAVING A SPECIES BY RIC BURNLEY


FISHERIES MANAGEMENT


S


weat dripped down my brow, slobber dribbled from the corner of my mouth, my breath was labored and my muscles burned as I paddled after a school of striped bass busting bait on the surface. Hard to believe, for the first 20 years of my life, I had never seen a striped


bass. From the early 1980s to the late ‘90s, striper stocks crashed. In 1985, the fishery was closed. No one could harvest any striped bass. Five years later, fisheries managers declared the stock recovered and the fishery was reopened under strict regulations. Ever since then the population has continued to recover and managers have continued to open more opportunities. The striper story was a prologue to modern fisheries management. For the first


time, federal and state officials, scientists, anglers and politicians came together to save a species on the brink.


But where do fisheries regulations come from? How are they decided? And who decides them? We posed these questions to Kate Taylor, Fisheries Management Coordinator at Atlantic States Fisheries Commission. “The process starts and ends with research,” Taylor says. Obviously, it is im- possible to count all of the fish in the sea. Scientists use a variety of methods, from population samples to angler surveys, to collect data. These numbers are crunched in a series of equations that churn out estimates of fish stocks. If the estimates exceed minimums for sustainability, regulations stay the same or are even loosened. If the numbers fall below certain triggers, “management actions need to occur,” Taylor says. Those actions start with more math. “We consider all the options to bring the numbers back into compliance,” Taylor explains, “until we have a suite of manage- ment tools we can take to the public for comment.” Those options may include reduced bag limits or increased minimum sizes for recreational anglers. After the proposal passes through an ethics committee, the regulation becomes law. While the politics of enforcement differ from region to region, managing fish


FISHERIES MANAGEMENT STARTS AND ENDS WITH RESEARCH. SCIENTISTS TAG ATLANTIC STRIPED BASS TO GATHER VALUABLE INFORMATION ABOUT


THE SPECIES’ LIFE CYCLE AND POPULATION. PHOTO: COURTESY ASMFC


stocks is a joint effort between federal and state agencies. The work never stops. “Calculations are continuous,” Taylor says. Not only do managers continue to monitor population indicators, but scientists are always coming up with new ways to count fish. “I wish we could ask all the fish to raise a fin and be counted,” Taylor jokes, “but it isn’t that easy.” Instead, managers are taking into consideration environmental and even soci- etal influences on fish stocks. “We’re starting to consider the effect of everything from disease to pollution to gas prices in our models,” she says, “and managing on a multispecies and ecological level.” “The quality of the work is amazing,” Taylor says, pointing to the recovery of once threatened species and the addition of new species to the management pool. With so many people involved in fisheries management, a lot of work goes into that fish at the end of your line.


B Y T H E N UM BE R S LIGHTEN UP 16 …KAYAK ANGLER SUMMER/FALL 2012


CUT OUNCES TO GAIN MILES BY RIC BURNLEY


» Kokatat Orbit PFD in pounds: 1.5 » Lowrance Mark-4 Fishfinder in ounces: 15 » Garmin GPSMAP 78 in ounces: 7.7


» Aquabound Spindrift Carbon Kayak Paddle in ounces: 24


» Eddyline Kayaks Calypso 12 sit-on-top in pounds: 45


» Surf to Summit KTB102 Tall Back Fishing Molded Foam Seat with pack in pounds:


2.85


» Shimano Stradic CI4 spinning reel and Crucial rod in ounces: 10.7


» Quantum EXO PT casting reel and EXC665F rod in ounces: 9.1


» Generic office storage crate and three plastic rod holders in pounds: 1.5


» Hobie Livewell in pounds: 8.5 » Stiffy Push Pole Extreme in pounds: 1.3


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