1999 

 OUR LIVING OCEANS 



Striped bass from Chesa- 

 peake Bay. 



bass fishing in any state which ASMFC found not 

 in comphance with its fishery management plan. 



The fisheries were monitored closely and un- 

 der severe management restrictions. However, a 

 high recruitment index in 1989 in the Chesapeake 

 Bay triggered a slight relaxation of management 

 restrictions and allowed increased fishing on mi- 

 gratory Atlantic striped bass stocks the following 

 year. Recruitment has continued to improve, and 

 the growth of the population has reached a level 

 ot abundance equivalent to the midI970's (prior 

 to the decline). Owing to the improved conditions, 

 ASMFC has declared Atlantic striped bass folly 

 restored, allowing a further relaxation of manage- 

 ment restrictions in the commercial and recre- 

 ational fisheries. 



A recent assessment of the striped bass coastal 

 complex (Northeast Fisheries Science Center, 

 1998a, b) indicates that the current level of fish- 

 ing mortality is at the target level established in 

 the fishery management plan. The large recre- 

 ational hsherv, which includes both l.indmgs and 

 discard losses, accounted for the majority of the 

 fishing mortality. The recent average vield is about 

 8,300 t (Table 3-1 ), ^4"o of which is attributed to 



recreational landings. The spawning stock biom- 

 ass has continually increased since the reopening 

 of the fishery in 1990 (Figure 3-2). Recruitment 

 of historically large year classes in 1993 and 1996 

 (Figure }-2) should result in a continued popula- 

 tion increase under the current levels of fishing 

 niortahtv. 



ISSUES 



Transboundary Stocks and Jurisdiction 



The interception of U.S. -origin Atlantic 

 salmon in commercial fisheries off Canada and 

 West Greenland is an impediment to the restora- 

 tion of runs and U.S. fisheries. However, begin- 

 ning in 1992, the largest portion of the Canadian 

 fishery, that around Newfoundland, was closed and 

 remains severely restricted. Likewise, the 

 Greenland fishery quota, set to meet spawning es- 

 capements to North American rivers, should pro- 

 vide adequate protection. If these conservation 

 tools remain in place, the threat of those intercept 

 fisheries to U.S. salmon is greatly reduced. 



Endangered Species Concerns 



Anadromous Atlantic salnidii pcipulations 

 throughout their U.S. range were petitioned for 

 listing under the Endangered Species Act. The Na- 

 tional Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish 

 and Wildlife Service, working in partnership, 

 formed a biological review team to evaluate the 

 status of these populations. This team determined 

 that a\ailable biological evidence indicated that 

 the population structure described in the petition 

 did not meet the definition of species under the 

 Endangered Species Act. The team al.so concluded 

 th.it nati\c piipulation segments south of the 

 Kennebec River were extirpated. However, the two 

 Federal agencies proposed a rule to list a popula- 

 tion complex in several Maine rivers containing 

 remnant native populations as threatened. The 

 proposed rule has been withdrawn in lieu of a con- 

 servation plan put forward by the State of Maine. 

 1 he National Marine Fisheries Service now lists 

 this population segment as a "species of concern" 

 and is committed to improving the health of these 

 stocks to make them viable populations with sus- 



1 06 



