Chances are that if you’re reading this, you fish for striped bass. If so, please keep an eye out in your email inbox (or your physical mailbox) for a short but important survey to help improve striped bass management along the East Coast!
Post-release mortality—the percentage of striped bass that do not survive after recreational catch-and-release fishing—has a significant impact on the resource, and is estimated to lead to over 40% of striped bass removals annually (nearly as much as recreational harvest).
Coastwide, post-release mortality is estimated to be 9%—that is, 9% of striped bass do not survive after release. However, that estimate is based on a 30-year old study that does not account for a number of factors, including fish size, environmental conditions, fighting/handling methods, and gear type (such as the number and type of hooks), that can impact a fish’s survival.
For the past several years, fisheries scientists at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF) have been working to update the estimate of striped bass recreational release mortality through a combination of acoustic tagging and citizen science.
Acoustic tagging has provided insight into the impact of fish condition (e.g., hook location, bleeding, swimming ability) on post-release mortality, while the citizen science project has enabled scientists to better understand how angling methods and gear type (e.g., bait versus lure, hook type/number, etc.) can impact fish condition.
This survey is the next step in the process and will provide information on preferred striped bass angling methods and gear types and how often they are used across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Results will enable calculation of a better post-release mortality estimate to be used in future striped bass stock assessments and educate anglers looking to improve the survival of the striped bass they catch.
The online survey will be distributed to a subset of private anglers and for-hire captains up and down the coast via both email and a mailed postcard in the coming weeks. By spending just 10 or so minutes to complete it, you’ll help scientists and managers better understand how to best conserve this iconic species.
If you have any questions about the survey, please send an email to stripedbass.survey@mass.gov.