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At a ceremony held on October 20, 2007 in Saint Michaels, Maryland, President George Bush signed a new executive order directing the federal government to make the striped bass a game fish in federal waters, and encouraging states that haven't already done so to adopt this management tool within their state waters.
This was the culmination of a great effort involving several of the leading recreational advocacy groups including The Coastal Conservation and Stripers Forever, environmental organizations like the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the fishing tackle manufacturers represented by the American Sportfishing Association.
President Bush made it clear that he is not against commercial fishing, but he recognizes that game fish designation is the best management tool for protecting certain species that are vital to the recreational fishing public. Striped bass and redfish are fished for recreationally for both sport and food by millions of United States citizens. Socioeconomic studies show that the industry this fishery represents is many times more valuable than that represented by harvesting these same fish commercially.
Maine, New Hampshire and Connecticut currently prohibit commercial fishing for striped bass in state waters, but that Massachusetts and Rhode Island still allow it.
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