Stripers

For centuries, probably millennia, the small, oily fish known as Atlantic menhaden have been the protein-filled food of choice for striped bass and many other large species in our waters. Fishermen call them pogeys or bunker, often using them as bait to entice stripers to their lines. Menhaden were once so abundant that early Americans […]

In mid-August, the Cape Cod Times came out with a story headlined, “Infection attacking striped bass.” The article cited the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries noting that “warming water temperatures might be causing an increase in the number of striped bass that have lesions from a viral or bacterial infection….The agency urged caution in handling […]

Farewell Sunday on Martha’s Vineyard Martha’s Vineyard rested quietly in the golden haze of her warmth, Her sandy thighs cooling in the wide blue-white wash of the sea. The passions of the night had wearied her, But her rest was peaceful and she glowed, Like burnished gold in the late morning, easy warming, Sun of […]

Casting blame in striper dispute The striped bass is once again facing a decline in its numbers, and efforts to stem the losses have stoked tensions between commercial and recreational fishermen. The wily striped bass – admired by New England fishermen for centuries – nearly disappeared from East Coast waters in the early 1980s. A […]

Author, Striper Wars H796, An Act relative to the conservation of Atlantic striped bass Massachusetts Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources & Agriculture January 14, 2010 I thank you for allowing me to testify today on what I believe is an urgent conservation measure, vital to preserving for our children and grand-children the most magnificent […]

Conservationist Robert Pond, founder of Stripers Unlimited, dies at 92 Robert Pond, a retired fishing lure manufacturer who founded Stripers Unlimited and was an early crusader for ocean conservation, died Saturday at the Golden Living Center-Garden Place in Attleboro. The husband of Avis Elizabeth Boyd, he was 92. Mr. Pond, a resident of Attleboro and […]

Twenty-five years ago, the striped bass were on the verge of disappearing altogether from our waters. Federal scientists trying to pinpoint a cause listed pollution in the Chesapeake Bay spawning grounds as one probable reason — from residues of the banned pesticide DDT to the new phenomenon of acid rain. The other factor was clearly […]

The comeback of the Atlantic striped bass has been called the foremost example of a fisheries management success story, proving that if strong enough regulations are put in place, even a fish population in the worst straits can make a dramatic turn-around. As I documented in my book, Striper Wars: An American Fish Story, this […]

These warm winter days get me thinking about spring and the hallowed rite of trophy rockfish season in the Chesapeake. Change is in the wind on that front and bureaucracies are involved, so brace yourself. Later this month, Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources heads to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission armed with a complex […]

The Atlantic menhaden decline along the East Coast of the United States has strong ecological significance and has raised interest and concern about how the nation’s fishery resources are being managed. Menhaden play an important role in the coastal food web and are crucial in the diet of many predators including Atlantic striped bass. Recruitment […]