The Middle River Group, LLC

fly fishing, conservation and politics.

Marine

On the Wet Fly Swing podcast

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In September of 2019, I was a guest on Dave Stewart’s Wet Fly Swing podcast.

Dave is great host and we chatted for over an hour. It was a wide ranging conversation and we covered a lot of ground!

Give it a listen and take a moment to like and share on your podcast deliver vehicle of choice!

Virginia takes strong action to save striped bass.

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On Tuesday, Aug. 26, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted to enact emergency regulations for the striped bass fishery. This is welcome leadership from the Commission and deserves the applause and support of striped bass anglers everywhere.

The emergency measures establish a bag limit of one fish per angler per day, with a maximum size limit of 36 inches. The emergency measures also establish a maximum gill net size of 9 inches for commercial fishing in the coastal fishery and 7 inches in the Chesapeake Bay fishery.

The saga of striped bass management by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is a sad one, to say the least. Repeated “can-kicking” of decisions and tepid responses to the looming crisis has led to terrible news for striped bass. We now know the striped bass stock is overfished, and overfishing is occurring.

“Poor management of striped bass over the past decade has caused significant economic harm to Virginians who depend on healthy fisheries for their livelihoods and has reduced opportunities for recreational anglers. I applaud the strong leadership shown today by the Marine Resources Commission and Commissioner Bowman on striped bass conservation and their commitment to restoring this iconic fishery,” said Secretary of Natural Resources Matthew J. Strickler, “We need other states to follow our example and help rebuild the striped bass population starting immediately. Delay is unacceptable and the Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission must take decisive action that will ensure restoration of this fishery up and down the coast.”

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission’s decisive and forward-thinking action today is welcome news. As Strickler notes, more states should quickly follow suit and start taking steps on their own to protect striped bass.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
While Virginia’s leadership and actions are admirable it begs the question; what are the other states and more importantly, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission doing about it?

First, the other States can take actions similar to Virginia’s and should do so as soon as possible. Whether they have the political guts that Virginia has remains to be seen. Time will tell.

The big game is at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and that is where anglers who care about the future of striped bass can make a difference.

On August 8, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board approved the draft of Addendum VI to Amendment 6 to the Interstate Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass. It is now available for public comment.

Public hearings going on from now until October 7, 2019. You can see the schedule  on the FISSUES.org blog. You can offer your comments at those public hearings or providing written comments until 5 p.m. (EST) on Oct. 7, 2019. Send written comments to Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Striped Bass Draft Addendum VI).

Background
This problem for striped bass didn’t happen overnight. The “check engine” light has been on for a while, but it has been ignored. The red lights started flashing earlier this year, and now the ASMFC must act to keep from having a meltdown in the fishery.

Captain John McMurray president of the Atlantic Saltwater Guides Association does a great job of explaining the situation and the options. Rather than paraphrase here, in part, is what McMurray wrote:

“The Striped Bass Board voted at its May meeting to initiate an Addendum to get fishing mortality back on track.  What was conspicuously missing was any mention of rebuilding the stock.  Presumably, curbing fishing mortality to a suitable level, and preventing “overfishing” will rebuild the stock.  And theoretically, it will.  But it was not clear whether or not it would do so in 10 years or less. 

So, to address the fishing mortality issue, in May the Commission’s Technical Committee (TC) determined that an 18 percent reduction in removals would get us back to a place where we were no longer “overfishing.”  But again, it gave no guidance on rebuilding. That is mostly due to the fact that the board didn’t ask for that information. 

At that May meeting the board moved to task the TC with developing a Draft Addendum that would contain a suite of management options (i.e., size and bag limits) that had a 50 percent probability getting us that 18 percent reduction.

Why only 50 percent?  Well, that’s a long story, deserving of its own blog post.  But the short version is that’s the minimal federal requirement for management actions and has kind of become the standard for the Commission.

Getting back to the rebuilding part, just getting the analysis of what it would take to rebuild was like pulling teeth.  I thought I had asked for that at the May meeting, but the interpretation was how long it would take to rebuild with the aforementioned 18 percent reduction.  They did do that analysis, and it turns out it will take 13 years instead of 10.  Getting options in the Draft Addendum for a 10-year rebuilding time frame would have pushed the timeline back to a point where we wouldn’t be able to have new regulations in place for the 2020 fishing year, so that didn’t happen.”

You will see the options ASMFC is considering in the same article.

The 50 percent question
One thing that really got my attention in McMurray’s article was his line about the Addendum having “a 50 percent probability getting us that 18 percent reduction.”

As I told my friend Peter Jenkins at breakfast the morning of the meeting. “would you drive over the Newport bridge if they told you it had a 50 percent chance of falling down?” Peter, of course, said he would opt for the long way through Bristol, as any sensible person would do.

This serious business and a 50 percent chance of failure as a standard is an insult to any sensible person. At this point, as my friend Charles Witek told me, none of the options proposed have much more than a 50% probability and no new, more restrictive regulations will be considered in October.

So, while there in nothing to be done at this time, this bitter pill sticks in the throat. At some point we need to ask the managers to do better. When and where remains to be seen, but I am not the only one who is talking about this.

Keep your eyes out for suggested comments and more information from the Atlantic Saltwater Guides Association, FISSUES and others. Now is the time to get involved and do all we can so future generations enjoy fishing for striped bass as much as we do.

This article originally appeared September 1, in Moldy Chum.

Fish are good for the fishing industry

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Seems obvious doesn’t it. If you sell fishing tackle then you want people to buy it. People buy tackle if they think they will catch fish with it. If there are no fish to catch then you don’t sell tackle.

Logically then, the fishing tackle industry should be doing everything they can to protect and enhance the one commodity that makes it all possible, the fish.

But as you will see from Charles Witek’s excellent article, CONSERVATION IS GOOD BUSINESS FOR THE ANGLING INDUSTRY, that is not the case.

Notably the fly-fishing industry, ably represented by AFFTA, is the exception. Their posture reflects the long-held conservation ethos of those who fly-fish.

Saving our Seas

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11 October Update:The president signed the Save our Seas Act into law. UPI story here.

Recently Hatch Magazine ran an article (below) that I wrote about federal legislation that would reauthorize the Marine Debris Act.

In the article I noted industry efforts  to address the problem of plastic waste in our oceans. Chris Gaggia of Patagonia alerted me to Bureo a business supported by Patagonia Works.

At Bureo, we make skateboards from recycled fishing nets. Our recycling program in Chile, ‘Net Positiva’, provides fishing net collection points to keep plastic fishing nets out of our oceans. Preventing harmful materials from entering the ocean, our programs protect wildlife and supporting local fishing communities through financial incentives.”

Check them out at Bureo.

Here is the Hatch article.

Trash, mostly plastic, in the oceans is a serious problem and visible reminder of our careless attitude toward the planet. In recent years, the fly-fishing industry has dedicated continued energy to address this problem. Through the introduction of cardboard fly boxes, the American Fly Fishing Trade Association has worked to get plastic out of the waste stream. Costa has their #KickPlastic campaign, Fishpond has Cyclepond fabric, and Patagonia is working to address microfiber pollution.

These days most of us rarely look to Congress for good news, but there is a bit of positive news to convey.

Legislation to assist in cleanup of the oceans took a step forward this summer. In a rare example of bipartisan cooperation, instigated by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, the U.S. Senate passed the Save our Seas Act, S. 756 in August of this year. The legislation was introduced by Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska and cosponsored by Senators Whitehouse, Booker (NJ), Coons (DE), Peters (MI), Inhofe (OK), Tillis (NC), and Murkowski (AK). 14 other Senators had joined them by the time the bill was passed.

The legislation reauthorizes, funds and amends the Marine Debris Act. It provides $10 million for outreach and education to address both land and sea-based marine debris challenges and $2 million for better law enforcement related to trash dumped from ships and supports Federal funding for research and development of environmentally feasible improvements to materials that reduce municipal solid waste. It also promotes international action to reduce marine debris including ocean biodegradable plastics research, examining the causes of ocean debris, developing effective prevention and mitigation strategies, and measuring the economic benefits from addressing the challenges.

“Over the course of years and decades, marine debris deposited in the ocean half a world away inevitably finds its way to our coastal communities and ecosystems. Alaska feels the brunt of this crisis with its extensive coastline,” said Senator Sullivan. “I’m heartened that Senators from coastal and landlocked states alike – from both parties – have come together to support the Save Our Seas Act, which is now one step closer to becoming law. I encourage my colleagues in the House to move swiftly, so that we can reauthorize NOAA’s vital Marine Debris Program and enact other measures to clean up Alaska’s waters and protect our marine environment.”

“Plastic garbage and other junk crowding our oceans and shores is more than an eyesore. It’s a threat to vital ocean and coastal ecosystems and our economy,” said Senator Whitehouse. “This bill tackles the marine debris crisis along American coasts. It will also push us to work with other countries on limiting the plastics and other harmful materials that find their way to the ocean. That includes working on an international agreement to stop the flow of trash from land into the ocean, and, if trash does get to the ocean, supporting research into new materials that break down in a way that won’t wreak havoc in our seas. Thank you to Senators Sullivan, Booker, and all the bipartisan co-sponsors for helping to see this bill through.”

Washed up garbage embedded in the turf layer at the high-water mark along a beachfront (photo: Bo Eide cc/2.0).
What is encouraging is the bipartisan nature of this legislation and the fact it is moving through the Senate and not sitting idle and gathering dust. It could serve as a logical amendment to any oceans related legislation that has more momentum should the U.S. House fail to act.

The U. S. House of Representatives does have a companion measure with the same title, H.R. 2748. It was introduced by Representative Don Young of Alaska. Young has attached 39 co-sponsors to the bill so far. The bill is slowly working its way through the committee process, but with the pressing load of other legislative matters, the prospect of passage in the House seem dim.

Considering the almost unfathomable amount marine debris currently plaguing our oceans, this legislation alone is not going to solve the plastics problem, but these days any progress is good progress.

If you want to show your support for this legislation contact your Member of Congress and ask them to co-sponsor the Save our Seas Act, H.R. 2748. Don’t know who represents you in Congress; find out here.

Author’s note: This article first appeared in Hatch Magazine

Keeping ’em wet

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As a fishing guide, a journalist and advocate being on the water, especially fishing, is one of the most rewarding parts of the gig.  Many times that means getting a photo of a happy angler with a fish.

Here’s the rub. The grip and grin, hero shot is great for the angler, but even when it is done right is not great for the fish and when done wrong can be deadly.  I’ve done it and it bothers me, a lot. Sure, I am careful when I set up those shots but I’ve always worried about it. Of course I want the client to have a memento but not at the sacrifice of my business partner the fish.

Enter Keepemwet Fishing. Bryan Huskey and the team are promoting responsible handling, photographing, and releasing fish in the future. And they are doing it the right way.

This is from the website:

ETHOS: WE BELIEVE THAT AS WE LEARN MORE WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO EVOLVE OUR MINDSET AND PRACTICES

Thanks to advances in science, we now have a better understanding of the impacts that handling can have on the long-term health of fish. We believe that anglers have the responsibility to apply this knowledge to their fish handling practices and should strive to minimize the impacts on the fish they release.

Keepemwet Fishing doesn’t believe in casting stones. Instead, we believe in mindfulness and positive progress. We know that we have all been guilty of mishandling fish in the past and recognize that we will likely err in the future, despite our best intentions. Rather than tearing down others for their missteps, we hope to promote this awareness so anglers are better equipped to properly handle, photograph, and release fish in the future.

We encourage our supporters to share this approach, to lead by example, and to serve as positive influences for other anglers.

The website has principles and tips that help anglers do a better job of fish handling. Take a few minutes to read them over.

There is also a link to Andy Danylchuk’s piece The Release – Fundamentals of fish and the path to responsible angling in Patagonia’s blog The Cleanest Line. Andy is a good friend and his experience and research on this subject is excellent. Again, give it a read.

If you are a recreational angler you should care about the resource. Spending a few minutes learning how to be a good steward is part of the program.