Personally I think it's about time that our Striped Bass receive sport fish status. This would have many benefits, including added protection of this incredible species.

Please take a moment to vote on the attached poll and feel free to weigh in on this topic by posting a message.

Additionally, here is a link to the latest Maritime Outdoorsman Podcast episode which is focused on Striped Bass

Thanks,

-dave

 

Not really sure why they are not a sport fish.....in status, already. I voted yes.

 

I don't know the reasons why it's not already considered a sportfish, but regardless, I'm on board with every improvement to the protection of the species.

 

Agree 100%!

 

I would love this..the shubenacadie/stewiacke is a world class fishery and this would be a great step for the future

 

You know I am on board brother, my vote is cast. Great idea.

James

 

I voted yes

 

 

spoke to a dfo cheif this AM and voiced this very strongly , I think we may have a long road ahead but I'll walk it with ya all

 

I voted yes as well..but why is it so hard for dfo or whoever is in charge..to get stripers as sportfish??..is it money...?

...

 

I voted No ,

If it were a Sportfish you would not be able to fish for them in the Bay all year for 1 , and (2) they would loose revenue from out of provience as they need a license to angle for sport fish in tidal waters. (3) you could angle for them all year in the Stewiacke and Shubie and all other rivers if they were a sport fish that you are able to legally target all year . These are all major facters into the reasons why they will not change it . They are also probaly going to lift the restrictions in 3 years as their numbers are going through the roof on the Northumberland straight side of things and you are having thousands of anglers along that coast wanting to try to slim the numbers down as they are having them in rivers that they have never seen them in before .

 

I asked the samething but didn't get an answer

 

Honestly, they have no idea. They often have trouble answering basic questions. Fish conservation has almost never been in the top 1000 list of agendas for a national govt. Let alone to have the info filter down clearly and concisely to the folks doing the job. It is not their fault, they are doing what they can. Maybe fisheries should be managed on a provincial level rather than federal?
James

 

I don't see how it isn't on a provincial level???This is a huge country with unique fisheries in every province... I voted yes...

 

Yup they should.

 

my vote is yes because its common sence and i try to live by that rule.

 

I vote yes.

 

Absolutely, should have been a Sport Fish a long time ago. It would seem to be a no-brainer to everyone, EXCEPT those who should have done it.

Terran

 

just to play devils advocate here I just got off the phone with my buddy and he made a good point that I myself had not considered.

Although it would be nice to see them as a sport fish to give them more protection that would also possibly mean that rivers such as the stewy for example would be open all year. This would/could open up an opportunity for the jerks of the world to "go striper fishing" but actually target and kill trout.
As it is we don't have enough co's during the winter months to take care of the waters that are open let alone have to protect another large body of water. It would only work if you were no longer allowed to fish stripers all year. Would everyone be ok with that?

Maybe the best thing is to leave as is but for all of us to be more diligent abt reporting offenses instead of being complacent and assuming that it wont make a difference. The DFO cheif I was talikng to the other day said that the vast majority of busts that we read abt in the paper come abt b/c of tips and info that we responsible anglers pass along, not b/c the CO's were out everywhere looking for it and got lucky to catch someone. Food for thought. I know this has me thinking

 

Hi all, first just want to say how much I love the site. Stumbled across it a week ago and have been checking in every day since

!
Secondly, just voted yes as I wholeheartedly agree that stripers should be classed as sportfish. Cannot imagine why they already aren't. I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure if they were classed as a sportfish it would become a provincially regulated fishery rather than federal thereby giving DNR jurisdiction over it instead of DFO. Maybe a good thing...maybe not.

 

dfo has jursidiction over it all they make the rules and rega and dnr enforces them

 

Would it be regulated in Tidal waters the same as non Tidal waters, should of course it deemed a a sport Fish? Just asking?

Just from my own observations, we as Recreational fishers may want to view how we present ourselves. In my opinion, the Striped Bass fishery is very healthy, at least in the Inner BOF. Also I see some of our other fisheries healthy, this even though some state otherwise. Collectively Recreational Fishers are not represented Provincially, If so we would fall within the NSFAH for example. Although they are less then renounced, they are still the provincial voice. The only Fishing Orgs I have seen , being represented by the NSFAH are the Shelburne Fish and Game Org and the HWWA to a lesser degree and the SMBA. The others are off somewhere else, truly unheard.

I surely hope this is not taken wrong. I am all for Conservation. I am sure this will be torn apart here, however I hope, some will understand what I am leading to, way beyond today. If you want Striped Bass to become a sport fish, then go where you are heard and that cause is filtered to the correct avenue. The Federation, like them or not, is the voice, they actually do get things changed from time to time.

Protect , absolutely, careful however how we get there. Some of the private lands that Striper Fishers are accessing, for example,are becoming garbage dumps, this I can attest to factually. Fishers need to deal will all aspects of our sport, the dumps that are appearing through the Striped Bass Fisheries is just one of many examples. Just saying.

 

I voted yes. I'm wondering if the Turbine project for the Bay has anything to do with not classifying the Stripers as a Sportfish. The Power Dam on the Annapolis seemed to damage the Striper population and natural spawning act...Big Time...

 

Salmonfarmskill you voted no and every reason you gave is not accurate. The way it stands now and even after the proposed change of striped bass to a "sportfish" came into effect anyone resident or non-resident can fish recreationally in tidal waters all year without a license. Everyone must stick to the bag limit and possession limit of 1 fish in non-tidal and or tidal waters. You can fish all night anywhere for striped bass as it stands now as they are not a sportfish by definition in the Maritimne Fishing Regulations. If the proposed change happened then you would not be allowed to target bass in INLAND ie non-tidal waters at night but you would be allowed fishing at night for them in tidal waters ie the bay.

No body can target bass all year in the inland portion of the shubie or stewiacke now or if the change occured. You can angle in inland waters for stripers only when there is an open season for a sportfish ie (trout salmon and smallmouth bass according to the definition). So sept 30 you are done targeting stripers or any other fish in the inland portion of the shubie and stewiacke.

Really the sportfish designation does 2 things:

1) It would mean that all striped bass hooked in a part other then the mouth would have to be released. This would mean that a huge portion of the fish jigged by fishers in the Shubie River up river would have to be released. There are alot of people jigging/foul hooking bass and keeping them.
2) It would mean that you cannot target bass in inland waters at night.

 

Guest DFO management has been asked numerous times from numerous people including fisheries officers to legally designate the striped bass as a sport fish. The answer we get is that it requires an amendment of the Maritime Fisheries Regulations which is a long tedious process (3 years minimum we are told) since it involves consultations across the maritime provinces. This requirement is not one in law but rathar one of DFO policy as far as I can tell which really means they could just have to change the policy and forgo the normal consultation policy requirement. There is no motivation by staff to take on this task which I suspect is the real reason.

So yes to get results this proposal must come from the striped bass angler group and there must be support from anglers. There will need to be requests sent to the minister and regional director and everyone down the line. There is no push within DFO to bring this change so the push needs to come from outside and work through DFO from the top down.

 

I think you, as well as the Fishing Community as a whole would have much more success and be better served (collectively) at items requiring amendment or change, this if there was an amalgamation from the Fishing Groups within the NSFAH. At the AGM's that I attended there was virtually no representation of Fishing Groups at these meetings. Only a couple of very small resolutions submitted as well, relating to Fishing, the one coming to mind as of late was a reduction in the smelt fishing season. I understand many of the Points of Views and possibly the lack of appeal to deal with the NSFAH, however they still have the ear of those that make decisions. This I can guarantee, I sat across the table several times during these high level meetings regarding Hunting related proposals, with Directors, Deputy Ministers and high level civil servants, the ones who make the calls. NSFAH does have the ability and avenues to go direct to those that matter the most.

Whether we are talking Salmon, Bass, Trout it matters not. There is no visible representation at any Provincial level meeting that I have ever attended from Fishing related Orgs. So if there is no Provincial representation and no voice going to the ones making the calls (Provincially), I doubt much will ever change.

 

Salmonfreak your wrong , tidal waters is closed to sportfishing from November 1st to April 15th for all recreational fishing ......unless you are fishing for a non-sportfish .

What is wrong with fishing for stripers @ night ???

These are the things that bug me with rule changes , I will not support anymore of myself as a paying angler giving up anymore of my recreational time on the water . Poachers are poachers and they are out there in full force and by keeping other responsible anglers off the water only leaves to more damage being done to our fish stocks .

 

Poachers are poachers and they are out there in full force and by keeping other responsible anglers off the water only leaves to more damage being done to our fish stocks .

x1000000000000

 

We don't need any more protection for the stripers. All we need is for fisheries to lower the size one fish over 20 inches per day there are millions that size. Also with Sport Fish Status we would get more out of Province fisherman than we get now. I have another idea charge a licence for non-residents.

 

Thats a great point Wingman , they should have a slot limit ....that would leave the big ones that we do have kicking around a little longer . The numbers are there with the smaller ones . No one needs to take a 8lb fish home . Tag system would work as well .

 

No salmonfarms kill I am not wrong. If you read the rules for striped bass page 8 in the book (not northumberland shore population) it clearly says that the season in Tidal water is open all year but the season in inland waters corresponds with that of sportfish. So if they were designated and the regs otherwise stayed the same the tidal season would still be all year around, Now you are changing the reason you voted no to: I want to fish at night and I pay for a license.

Paying $30 for a lisence shouldn't give a person any feeling of entitlement. Its completely insufficent cost to cover the expenses to manage the fishery and habitat properly. Having studied different management strategies around the world its clear In any place where fish populations are still close to their historic numbers (quebec, england) anglers pay more and more is spent on the resource. Or the areas are still remote so that limits fishing as opposed to cost. For $30 a year we pay basically nothing to acces the remaining resource and most of the populations of native fishes are in trouble and not anywhere near their potential based on historical evidence. .