"Everything we ve learned about finfish 

 pertains to the recreational as well as com- 

 mercial catch." 



— Bob Mahood 



$450,000 for saltwater projects. 



Mahood says the first priority for 

 the new funds will be a study to find 

 out how many recreational fishermen 

 there are, how much money they spend 

 and how they impact the fisheries. 



Stryker says the federation is in 

 favor of a saltwater fishing license. The 

 only recreational fishing license now 

 issued by the state is administered by 

 the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commis- 

 sion, which handles items relating to 

 freshwater fishing. In the Southeast, 

 Louisiana, Texas and Alabama require 

 saltwater fishing licenses. In addition 

 to generating more money, a saltwater 

 license would give managers a more ac- 

 curate idea of the number of saltwater 

 fishermen in the state. 



Although the nonprofit Saltwater 

 Fishing Federation is prohibited from 

 lobbying, Stryker says members are 

 encouraged to exert political pressure 

 individually. At the top of the anglers' 

 list of grievances is the state's handling 

 of declining catches of striped bass. A 

 prized recreational catch, the striped 

 bass is known as a good fighter and 

 even better table fare. But it's also 

 been an important commercial species. 



The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commis- 

 sion set a 12-inch total length limit for 

 striped bass in internal coastal waters 

 and a 24-inch minimum in the Atlantic 

 Ocean. In 1984, the commission set a 

 closed season on striped bass from 

 June to September. 



But recreational fishermen say the 

 commission didn't go far enough. In 

 other states, concern over the declining 

 populations has led to outright bans on 

 striped bass fishing. 



By June 1985, the state must com- 

 ply with the Atlantic States Marine 

 Fisheries Commission's management 

 plan for striped bass or the federal 

 government could institute a 

 moratorium on striped bass fishing. 

 The plan calls for closure of spawning 

 grounds to striped bass fishing, a 14- 

 inch minimum size limit in internal 

 waters, a 24-inch limit offshore, and a 

 55 percent reduction in landings over 



what would have been achieved had 

 the state instituted the measures in 

 1982. 



Recreational fishermen favor the 

 plan set by the Atlantic States Marine 

 Fisheries Commission. Stryker says 

 the federation would like to see North 

 Carolina enforce strict regulations on 

 the striped bass. Commercial fisher- 

 men, on the other hand, say further 

 regulations would threaten their 

 livelihoods. 



Stryker downplays any animosity 

 between recreational and commercial 

 fishermen. After all, he says, their ul- 

 timate goal should be the same. "In 

 the federation, we've tried to make it 

 known that we're looking for an im- 

 provement on the resource and we're 

 not out to hassle the commercial 

 fishermen. Anything we can do to im- 

 prove the resource has got to benefit 

 all of us," says Stryker. 



— Nancy Davis 



Anglers hope stricter regulations will revive the striped bass fishery 



