Stay ConnectedA community hub where anglers, fishing guides, scientists, and policymakers connect to discuss fisheries, their history, their futures, and the importance of effective management.
Produced by the American Saltwater Guides Association.
Presented by Costa Sunglasses.
Copyright: © American Salwater Guides Association, 2021
In the face of historically insurmountable adversity, there is still a chance that conservation can win in Louisiana. These odds are directly due to the unification of a powerful community voice. We can’t quiet down now.
Join us in calling on Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards to VETO the decision of the Joint Oversight Committee and approve this NOI to rebuild this world-class fishery in a fair, equitable, and timely manner.
All emails should be directed to (governorjohnbeledwards@la.gov). Please send a respectful and encouraging email expressing your support for this NOI and your desire to see Louisiana Redfish back on track in the fastest timeline possible!
SUBJECT: “Veto Oversight Committee & Support Rapid Redfish Recovery”
BODY: “I support the redfish NOI with a reduction of 55% to get the adult population of redfish back to acceptable levels within a reasonable timeline.”
There’s no time to wait. Send your email as soon as possible. Louisiana redfish need your voice.
Unprecedented news has been delivered from the primary spawning grounds of our beloved striped bass. 2023 is officially the fifth straight year of failed spawns for striped bass, as the newly released Chesapeake Bay Young of Year Survey reports the second-lowest YOY Index in the recorded history of stripers. The 2012 YOY Index still stands as the lowest on record, with an index of 0.9. Unfortunately, 2023 almost claimed that abysmal title with an index of 1.0. The vast proportion of juvenile striped bass are spawned in the Maryland portion of Chesapeake Bay. The Hudson River can not save the coastwide stock. It is said that the amount of spawning age stripers in the stock has no impact on the spawn (no stock-recruitment relationship). That is true unless the stock falls below a certain level. We fear we have crossed that threshold. The time to save striped bass is now.
Charlie Witek stops by the Guide Post to get striped bass followers dialed in on next steps for Addendum II and the upcoming ASMFC meeting where we will get a better look into the future of this fishery.
From building his first store by hand with his father to building the largest Orvis dealer in the country within two years, Brian Flechsig from Mad River Outfitters has delivered on his commitment to angling education and making fly fishing community more inclusive. In this episode, Brian joins host Blane Chocklett to discuss a range of topics including a current campaign to conserve redfish in Louisiana, opening horizons with new target species and the value of customer service in the fishing industry. As Brian claims, “If it swims and can eat, it can be caught on a fly rod” - so gear up and tune in for another great episode with a genuine industry game changer.
ASGA is joined by the New England Aquarium research team to discuss the latest findings from the Albie Project including telemetry tagging results from the first research season.
#TheAlbieProject #BetterBusinessThroughConservation
On July 6th, the Louisiana fishing guide community flooded the LWF Commission Meeting and let the state know that the recommended reductions are not enough to ensure the stability of their businesses. To the surprise of many, the LWF Commission did something amazing: they listened and moved to protect the resource. Capt. Bailey Short was one of the guides in that room, calling for proactive management actions to protect the future of his business. In this podcast, Capt. Bailey joins Blane to talk about building a business in Louisiana and the state of redfish.
#BetterBusinessThroughConservation
Today, ASGA announced a partnership with the GotOne app (“GotOne”) to help expand the data collection for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries’ (“MA DMF”) ongoing study on release mortality of striped bass.
This partnership will utilize the capabilities of the GotOne to enable volunteer recreational anglers to track and directly submit data on landings, harvest and potential survival. ASGA has worked closely with GotOne’s founder, Luyen Chou, over the past year to ensure that the app protects anglers’ privacy, while collecting the data needed to support fisheries science and management. The partnership between the ASGA, MA DMF and GotOne supports directives from NOAA to explore new technology that enable more effective data collection utilizing the recreational angling community. This partnership between private, non-profit and government agencies can provide a broader template for recreational fishermen to contribute to science in a meaningful way.
#BetterBusinessThroughConservation
There's something to be said about a man that follows his dream and earns it the hard way. Capt. Ron Ratliff of Marshdawn Charters is one of those guys. Nothing has been given to him. He's not polished, nor is he politically correct. From working on oil rigs to sacrificing family time to guide in Alaska, Ron knows what it means to work hard and earn your place at the table on your own terms. In his latest podcast with ASGA, Blane Chocklett highlights a Louisiana native who loves his job guiding in the marsh and is committed to preserving the place he calls his office and his home. Crack a cold one and grab a seat at the fire with Capt. Ron Ratliff.#BetterBusinessThroughConservation
ASMFC Striped Bass Management Board fails to advance Addendum II for public comment.The ASMFC Summer Meeting, which concluded just a few hours ago, was lengthy and convoluted. An enormous amount of time was spent talking about carve-outs for special interests and very little time was spent talking about the health of our striped bass fishery. This will delay any reductions to the commercial sector until at least 2025.We are extremely disappointed with how this meeting played out. We told you they wanted to kick the can. Well, the can has been kicked.We'll have more details for you in the coming days as we sort through nearly 5 hours of soundbites packed with legislative gamesmanship. As always, we will do our best to break this down in a clear and concise manner.#StripedBass #BetterBusinessThroughConservation
With information gathered over the last couple of days, we’ve come to the realization that a new dance from the mid-Atlantic is in the process of being choreographed. They plan to “kick the can down the road.” Our latest episode provides a breakdown of why a delayed Addendum II process could be a nightmare outcome for striped bass. In this episode, we address a pending historical moment for striper spawns (not good), the lowest release mortality ever recorded for the Chesapeake and how the charter fleet in Maryland killed more fish than the charter fleet in the rest of the Bay and the Ocean combined.#BetterBusinessThroughConservation #StripedBass
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