Grassroots Conservation

Striped Bass have been an icon of the east coast for millennia — and they’re in decline.

 

This graphic illustrates the decline in catch rates comparing data from 2017 to 2019, and confirms that handling practices still results in considerable post-release mortality.

Even with anglers interacting with fewer fish each year, the proportion of fish that do not survive after release remains constant:

it’s almost certain that recreational release mortality is higher than recreational harvest.

 

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission uses 9% as an estimate of the number of striped bass caught and released along the eastern seaboard that die.

 

The future of the fishery is in our hands.

working with science-based best practices in fish handling from Keep Fish Wet, we can practice individual conservation with each striper we encounter on the water.

 

Science-based Best Practices:

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Behind the Recommendations:

A striped bass is captured and outfitted with an accelerometer: a device used to track the movements of the fish in a simulated post-release scenario.

Scientific studies specifically focused on how fish respond to capture, handling, and release can be used to help reduce the negative impacts of catch-and-release, and act as the basis of ‘best practices’ shared here.

Dr. Andy Danylchuk, Professor of Fish Conservation at UMass Amherst, and Science Advisor for Keep Fish Wet, is seen here lining a striped bass with accelerometer attached, tracking movements and relaying data points for later analysis

 

Learn more about the science from collaborative partners at Keep Fish Wet

 

Angling Community in Action:

Following science-based best practices improves the chances of each striper being able to swim away strong and healthy, ready to be caught again another day.

Each time you release a striper is an opportunity to put conservation into action. Help support striped bass and advocate for healthy fisheries management from cast to catch:

Share your own interactions guided by these best practices using #StripersInOurHands on social media. Follow along with the striper season and stay tuned for more stories, contests, and calls to action.

 

Spread the word:

We’re counting on community to put these practices into action: by recognizing the impact of our actions individually, we can collectively reduce catch and release mortality significantly. Get the word out to anglers near you with our free-use infographic, ready for display anywhere anglers may stop on their way to the water.

For more information on how to use this graphic, please be in touch.

Illustration by Bri Dostie science-based best practices by Keep Fish Wet

Collaborating Partners

  • #StripersInOurHands

    Angling Trade feature of the Stripers In Our Hands campaign — Read Here

  • #StripersInOurHands

    Flylords feature on the Stripers In Our Hands campaign — Read Here

  • #StripersInOurHands

    Feature in Hatch Magazine of the Stripers In Our Hands campaign — Read Here

  • #StripersInOurHands

    Stripers Forever feature of the Stripers In Our Hands campaign — View Here

  • #StripersInOurHands

    Marine Fish Conservation Network guest blog post by collaborating voice Kyle Schaefer — Read Here

  • #StripersInOurHands

    Midcurrent feature of the Stripers In Our Hands campaign — Read Here

  • #StripersInOurHands

    My Fishing Cape Cod feature of Stripers In Our Hands campaign — Read Here

In this together

We are working to ensure conservation solutions do not perpetuate exclusion + patterns of colonization. Collaborative approaches are key for equitable access, particularly in ways that honor ancestral relationships with the land we recreate on, and center decolonization.

We all should be a part of determining what that access looks like, and do so with awareness of what makes each watershed unique.

Contact Confluence Collective to discuss initiative or campaign collaboration