Each winter along the Mid Atlantic Coast, the U.S. Coast Guard maintains a presence on the water to enforce laws pertaining to recreational fishing for Atlantic striped bass and guard against illegal poaching.
During the period from fall through spring, Mid Atlantic anglers venture into Atlantic waters to catch striped bass, but some anglers are unaware that they can only legally fish up to three nautical miles from shore for them, and that anything beyond that is against the law and will net them a fine.
"Being that striped bass are a sport fish, they’re highly sought after and the three-nautical mile line is the threshold to preserve the species," said Petty Officer 1st Class Sherman Baldwin, senior fisheries officer at Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light New Jersey. "Large Atlantic striped bass breeding fish tend to stay outside of that three mile line from shore, and by creating this line that prevents taking, targeting or possessing striped bass over the years, we’ve allowed the species to regain ground since regulations were put in place in the 1980’s."
During a Living Marine Resources patrol as it’s known in the Coast Guard, members not only ensure fishermen aren’t targeting striped bass outside of the three-mile line, but they’ll also inspect safety gear to ensure that they have the right safety gear aboard in the event of a maritime accident or emergency, said Baldwin.
The three-mile line protecting the striped bass population was put into place by the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act, which made it illegal to fish for striped bass in federal waters was passed by Congress in 1984 under 50 CFR 697.7(b) to counteract the severe population decline of striped bass at that time.
For more information on the three-mile line and striped bass regulations, visit: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/atlantic-striped-bass, and state wildlife conservation agency websites.
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