In late January the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) will convene for their winter meeting, where they’re expected to finalize Draft Addendum II to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Striped Bass. When ASMFC’s Striped Bass Management Board approved Draft Addendum II for public comment last October their state goal was to “build upon the 2023 emergency action by considering management measures intended to reduce fishing mortality to the target level in 2024”.

Unlike most regulatory proposals, where a specific set of measures is presented and interested parties can either support or oppose them, Draft Addendum II is structured more like a menu of management options that the Striped Bass Board can choose from. Within Addendum II, some of the options could assist with recovering of the overfished stock and strengthen protection moving forward, and others could facilitate enhanced harvest opportunities for certain segments of the fishery or exempt them from participating in recovery efforts entirely at a time when measures are clearly needed. You can learn more about BHA’s priorities for inclusion and our rationale for selecting each of them in our Addendum II Priorities post. Because Draft Addendum II doesn’t actually propose a specific direction it’s difficult to know which way the Board is leaning – so the best way to ensure a positive outcome for the future of Atlantic Striped Bass is to speak up now!

ASMFC is accepting public comments on Draft Addendum II until December 22^nd at 11:59 PM, and here are 3 ways that you can weigh in to help recovery and protect Atlantic Striped Bass:

Send comments using BHA’s Action Alert

THE COMMENT PERIOD FOR THIS IS NOW OVER. 1/26/24

At the bottom of this page there’s an Action Alert that you can use to easily send a letter to the ASMFC Staff, who will aggregate all of the public input to present to the Board during their spring meeting in May. All of BHA’s priorities – which we feel are the best options to recover the fishery now and protect it for the future – will be included. You can also add your own perspective to this letter – tell them why you care about recovering and protecting Striped Bass, how important the fishery is to you, and why they should take action now. 

Send Comments directly to ASMFC’s Staff

THE COMMENT PERIOD FOR THIS IS NOW OVER. 1/26/24

You can draft your own letter to send in to the ASMFC with your top priorities for inclusion in Addendum II and perspectives on how they should manage the fishery. Comments can be emailed to [email protected] with “Striped Bass Draft Addendum II” in the subject line. All comments help, but the most effective strategy is to be specific about exactly which options you would like to see included when the Striped Bass Board finalizes Addendum II in January.

Contact your ASMFC Commissioner

The Striped Bass Board is made up of Commissioners who represent coastal states from North Carolina to Maine. Each state has three Commissioners (and some also have proxies), and they will all get together in May to review the public comments that ASMFC’s staff has received and vote on what to include in Amendment 7. If you live in one of the states that has a seat at the table you should reach out to your Commissioners directly and let them know your priorities. Ultimately, they will be casting the votes that determine the future of Atlantic Striped Bass. You can find their contact information on ASMFC’s website here.