Maine striper anglers see plenty of big fish but almost no young ones

Maine's striped bass anglers had a good season catching big fish, but many are worried about what comes next, The Maine Monitor reports. Captain Marco Lamothe of Keeper Charters in Saco told the outlet that of the hundreds of stripers he caught on more than 100 trips this year, only one measured under 28 inches.

Most stripers that reach Maine are born in the Chesapeake Bay, and the young fish need plenty of rain and freshwater to survive. Maryland's juvenile survey, released Oct. 19, showed low recruitment for the eighth year in a row. Virginia's survey found average numbers in the southern bay, though its scientists said low recruitment in recent years remains a major concern. Zachary Whitener of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute told the Monitor that once the big fish are gone, there will be nothing to replace them.

State and federal estimates cited in the story put last year's Maine recreational catch at more than 800,000 striped bass on nearly 1.8 million saltwater trips, with about 61,000 fish kept. Current rules allow one fish a day between 28 and 31 inches, a slot meant to protect the strong 2015 year class. A Falmouth tackle shop owner quoted in the piece called for a temporary ban on keeping any stripers, and the outlet says more anglers are already choosing catch-and-release.

A new, especially thorough coastwide stock assessment is under way. Megan Ware of the Maine Department of Marine Resources said it will show whether the stock can rebuild and what that would take. It is expected to go to peer review in the spring and to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's striped bass board next summer.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: The Maine Monitor (by Delger Erdenesanaa).

Photo: Bob Wiegers, via The Maine Monitor.