We are talking striped bass, the most sought after fish on the eastern seaboard. Often described as “everyman’s fish” it’s pursued by an extraordinarily wide range of anglers. Those anglers could be shorebound, or they could be on a million dollar center console. A lot of people also fish for stripers, NOAA estimates over 20 million trips a season, and so, the fishery has a significant cultural and economic impact up and down the coast. Once hailed as a conservation success story, now, the future of the stock is in question.

In this episode we’ll dive into the latest science that will inform future management decisions and look at the different factors that fishery managers are considering. In addition, we’ll discuss how New England and New York BHA are working to restore future abundance of this fish we love.

Huge thank you to our guests!

Guests Include

Charles Witek. Conservationist and Fisheries Policy Expert. NY BHA Policy Team Member.

Mike Woods. New England BHA Chapter Chair.

Ben Gahagan, PhD. Recreational Fisheries Program Leader. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

Kimberly Fine. Fisheries Biologist. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

Will Poston. Policy Associate. American Saltwater Guides Association

Nichola Meserve. Fishery Policy Analyst, Interstate Management. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.

Show Related Links

Citizen Science Data Portal - MA Division of Marine Fisheries

Citizen Scientist Information Page - MA Division of Marine Fisheries

Sportfish Angler Data Collection Team - MA Division of Marine Fisheries

Charles Witek’s Blog - One Angler’s Voyage

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Website

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New York Chapter

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Check out the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Website

Become a member today!

Our first episode looks at an issue that the New England Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) has been grappling with for a few years, the rapid development of recreation trails and their encroachment on wild places. We’ll explore some of the factors that are driving trail development in the state of Vermont and how it impacts the conservation of our wildlands and wildlife. This is a huge topic and one we’ll perhaps return to in the future. Consider this episode your primer on the topic.

Big thank you to everyone who came to the table to discuss this topic.

Ethan Dreisigacker. New England BHA Board Member

Meredith Naughton. Wildlife Biologist

Allison Adams. Director. Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative (FEMC)

Dave Furman. New England BHA Member

Andrea Shortsleeve. Private Lands Habitat Biologist. Vermont Fish & Wildlife

Nick Bennette. Executive Director. Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA)

RJ Thompson. Executive Director. Vermont Huts Association

Follow us on social media!

New England Chapter

New York Chapter

HQ

Check out the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Website

Become a member today!