As a personal use striped bass fisherman, I oppose any movement to open the EEZ to the taking of striped bass.

Despite some highly questionable population estimates from the ASMFC, most informed anglers feel strongly that near-shore striped bass recreational fishing has declined significantly in quality over the last few years as commercial quotas have increased. The effects of the most recent round of commercial increases will not be know for some time into the future. What is known is that more than 3,000,000 recreational anglers, as well as a huge guiding and tackle industry along the East Coast, depend on the continued availability of good striped bass fishing. We do not need more pressure on the resource.

The ASMFC petition to open the EEZ was spearheaded by representatives of a few coastal states to make it easier for their commercial fishermen to catch more striped bass. In fact this measure passed the ASMFC as the result of a 6 to 5 vote, hardly a mandate. Every measure of public comment has consistently been against reopening the EEZ. That increase in commercial harvest comes at the expense of the recreational fishing public who are being deprived of a public resource.

In addition to the conservation implications of reopening the EEZ, there have been reports that a large percentage of Chesapeake Bay striped bass carry a dangerous micro bacterial infection. Anglers in the New England states have reported catching diseased fish, so it is inevitable that stripers in the EEZ will also be infected. Further, it will be impossible to police an opening of the EEZ, and stripers landed in the EEZ will pose problems for gamefish states like ME, NH, CT, DC, NJ, PA, and SC which do not allow the sale of fish caught in their waters.

The EEZ has been off limits to all fishing for stripers, and serves as a refuge for striped bass. The fish need this refuge. There is no valid, scientific reason to reopen the EEZ. NMFS is constantly attacked as anti recreational fishing, and for having a poor conservation ethic. Here is a chance for NMFS to do the right thing. DO NOT REOPEN THE EEZ TO STRIPED BASS FISHING!!!

Sincerely;

My Name and address