The striper tourney postponement because of a lack of fish (“PTO reschedules inaugural striper tournament after anglers strike out,” June 20, harpswellanchor.org) is a sad state of affairs, but the reasons an organizer gave for lack of stripers are incorrect.
Virtually all the stripers we catch in Maine migrate here every spring and return in the fall to the Hudson River and Chesapeake Bay area to winter over and spawn. Like many of our summer visitors, they come here to eat and grow fat on plentiful summer food such as crabs, lobsters and pogies.
There has been a precipitous decline in hatchling numbers from the Chesapeake and Hudson over the last five years. Combined with commercial fishing, allowed in every East Coast state except Maine and New Hampshire, and recreational fishing, the overall population of stripers is falling fast.
According to fishery folks, as the population of stripers declines, fewer fish migrate to the far end of their northern range, here in Midcoast Maine. They are catching fish in southern Maine and further south, but very, very few here.
I fish frequently in Harpswell and the Kennebec River, and my seasonal catch has gone from more than 600 stripers four years ago to fewer than 50 last year. This year? Zero!
I would suggest that if you are lucky enough to catch a striper, you might consider some special handling. Get the fish to the boat quickly; keep it in the water and breathing until release, photo or measurement; and take it out of the water for less than 30 seconds to help ensure a better survival rate.
Al Heath, Arrowsic
