Anglers Asked to Help Monitor Striped Bass Fishery

An angler holds a striped bass. NH Fish and Game Photo.

Officials in Massachusetts and New Hampshire are asking anglers to help monitor striped bass populations.

TThe New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Marine Division and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries are inviting anglers to participate in their respective annual monitoring efforts, the Striped Bass Angler Survey in New Hampshire and the Striped Bass Citizen Science Project in Massachusetts.

TNew Hampshire Fish and Game’s Marine Division has conducted an annual Striped Bass Volunteer Angler Survey since 1993. Each year, volunteers of all experience levels fill out logbooks documenting information about their striped bass fishing trips in New Hampshire’s coastal waters.

TAnglers are asked to provide catch and effort information about each trip taken, whether for just a single trip or many. Anglers are also asked to measure the lengths of all striped bass they catch, including those fish that are released. This allows for the collection of information on striped bass of many lengths that would not be obtained through the creel surveys that Fish and Game conducts each year.

TIn Massachusetts, the Striped Bass Citizen Science Project helps the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries understand what factors influence the survival of striped bass after they are released.

TThe data collected from anglers includes tackle type used, hook placement, handling time, and environmental factors such as water and air temperature. Even though a majority of striped bass survive upon release, recreational releases account for the largest source of mortality for the species. The diversity of fishing trip data from striped bass anglers is invaluable for both state and federal biologists in regulating the fishery.

TAnglers interested in participating in the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Striped Bass Volunteer Angler Survey can visit https://forms.office.com/g/gzFvP5Y9yc or contact Emerald Wright at (603) 868-1095 or via email at Emerald.Wright@wildlife.nh.gov.

TAnglers interested in taking part in the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Striped Bass Citizen Science Project can visit https://www.mass.gov/news/striped-bass-citizen-science-project.