Delmarva Fisheries Association praises MDNR decision to limit striped bass fishing

MARYLAND – The Delmarva Fisheries Thursday is praising and expecting a decision from the Atlantic States Coastal Marine Fisheries Council to place an emergency regulation regulating the fishing of striped bass.

The new guidelines would reportedly limit the size to between 28 and 31 inches, in a bid to boost the population of fish in both the bay and the channel.
DFA Chairman Captain Robert Newberry says he supports the decision and says under the new rules recreational fishermen would be limited to just one fish from 19 to 28 inches and then one from 28 to 31 inches, while commercial fishermen would be allowed to double that.

He tells us he expects the move to anger recreational fishermen who try to catch the biggest fish possible but will not affect many of the local fishermen.

“I’ve talked to many of the charter boat captains and they have said that it isn’t going to affect their fisheries but is there more coming down the road I would probably expect it,” said Captain Robert Newberry.

Newberry says in his conversations with the organization, the Maryland Trophy hunting season would be unaffected with the regulations kicking in after the season wraps up on May 18th.