Harvest of striped bass needs to be cut back in Atlantic

Interstate fishing managers say a popular species of bass is overfished, and the harvest needs to be cut back.

That is based on an assessment by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission of the population of Atlantic striped bass. The fish have been harvested commercially from Maine to Georgia over the years, and the annual haul is typically between 5 million and 8 million pounds (2.3 million to 3.6 million kilograms).

Atlantic striped bass are popular with commercial fishermen as well as recreational anglers. They’re also called “rockfish.”

The commission says it’s working on rules to reduce the amount that are caught. A technical committee says it would take about a 17% reduction in the commercial and recreational catch in 2020 to reduce the harvest to target levels.