Today, the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers podcast is sharing the second episode of the Conservation Collective, where they're 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:

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.

Citizen Science Data Portal

Striped Bass Citizen Scientist Project

Sportfish Angler Data Collection Team - MA Division of Marine Fisheries

Charles Witek's Blog - One Angler's Voyage