New Regs Meant to Save Stripers

            The Striped Bass has always been a prized game fish since colonial times.

            After the Pilgrims struggled during the first winter in Plymouth, they were saved from starvation by the spring spawning run of the Herring alewives, as well as the Striped Bass. More than a hundred years later, the same was true of General Washington’s hungry troops at Valley Forge, who were fed by migrating Striped Bass coming up the Delaware River during the American Revolution.

            As in my illustration, the Striped Bass gets its name for seven or eight dark stripes that run from head to tail along the entire length of the fish. The bass itself has a white meat with a mild flavor and a medium texture. It is extremely versatile in that it can be pan-seared, grilled, steamed, poached, roasted broiled, deep fried, eaten raw, or pickled. This game fish is available year-round, sold in fish markets in sizes from 2 to 3 pounds for cooking.

            The very edible “striper” supports both recreational and commercial fisheries that annually harvest over 175,000 pounds of fish per year. Most stripers in Buzzards Bay come from the Delaware River, and this spring it became so badly polluted that the state Division of Marine Fisheries reported a very serious decline in clean water. They announced that the legal-size limit of stripers had to be raised to 28 inches without further notice and only one fish could be taken in a year.

            The new restriction was labeled as a legal slot-size allowance to be taken from 28 to 35 inches so that bigger Bass still have the opportunity to get even bigger because most stripers over 30 pounds are female and can annually produce 850,000 eggs. The legal slot allows Striped Bass to live up to about 40 years and reach weights of up to 100 pounds. The future of spawning grounds to protect such an important marine harvest could bring even more changes next year.

            For further information, stay informed by the Striped Bass Management Planning Board responsible for leadership in protecting the future of the Striped Bass prized game fish as illustrated and documented for your review.

By George B. Emmons