This document is a collation of nearly the entire time-series of data on Atlantic striped bass collected by state and federal agencies since systematic monitoring of the species began in the 1950s.

On May 20, 1997, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Striped Bass Management Board initiated Addendum II to the interstate management plan for striped bass. This was done because Amendment 5 (the current version of the plan) and its associated Addendum I only specified fishing regulations through 1997, and policy had to be formulated…

The purpose of this addendum is to develop appropriate management measures by Amendment 5.

Amendment 5 completely replaces the original FMP and all subsequent amendments and addenda. The goal of Amendment 5 is to perpetuate, through cooperative interstate fishery management, migratory stocks of Atlantic striped bass so as to allow a commercial and recreational harvest consistent with the long-term maintenance of their critical habitat.

The primary goal of this plan is conservation and preservation of the East coast migratory stocks of striped bass. This plan is not intended to maximize yield from these stocks, and decisions on allocation of harvest among user groups are left to individual states.

Amendment 3 is approved in order to meet the goal of the original 1981 Striped Bass Management Plan, which is to maintain a spawning stock, minimize the possibility of recruitment failure and to insure rebuilding of the severely depleted Chesapeake spawning stock.