10-10-2005, 04:13 PM
[font "Arial"]SOCIAL CIRCLE, GA—Beginning Oct. 1, anglers may harvest two striped bass 27 inches and longer daily on the Savannah River. The open season marks the first time since 1988 that biologists have allowed a striper harvest on the river. [/font]
"This river has had a popular catch-and-release program over the past decade, with reports of some large catches, so we hope anglers are excited at the prospect of taking a few of these fish home," says Georgia fisheries chief Chuck Coomer. "We are excited about the rebound in striper numbers on this river and are hopeful that management efforts will continue to keep the river supplied with a sufficient amount of both stocked and naturally occurring striped bass to support this limited harvest."
The season is open on the Savannah downstream of J. Strom Thurmond Dam; South Carolina regulations also change on Oct. 1, to allow harvest under the same rules as Georgia.
The Savannah striper population once was the largest in Georgia. However, the population drastically declined in the 1980s due to habitat alterations in the estuarine spawning grounds. These alterations changed flow patterns and increased salinity levels in parts of the river that were vital for striped bass reproduction. In response to the decreasing bass numbers, the state adopted a harvest moratorium in 1988 (South Carolina adopted the moratorium in 1991). Fisheries biologists also initiated a striper management program in the 1990s that included monitoring and intensive stocking efforts.
Anglers play a lead role in the recovery of the striped bass population in the Savannah River by funding recovery efforts through fishing license fees and the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration program which places a surcharge on fishing equipment such as fishing poles and lures.
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"This river has had a popular catch-and-release program over the past decade, with reports of some large catches, so we hope anglers are excited at the prospect of taking a few of these fish home," says Georgia fisheries chief Chuck Coomer. "We are excited about the rebound in striper numbers on this river and are hopeful that management efforts will continue to keep the river supplied with a sufficient amount of both stocked and naturally occurring striped bass to support this limited harvest."
The season is open on the Savannah downstream of J. Strom Thurmond Dam; South Carolina regulations also change on Oct. 1, to allow harvest under the same rules as Georgia.
The Savannah striper population once was the largest in Georgia. However, the population drastically declined in the 1980s due to habitat alterations in the estuarine spawning grounds. These alterations changed flow patterns and increased salinity levels in parts of the river that were vital for striped bass reproduction. In response to the decreasing bass numbers, the state adopted a harvest moratorium in 1988 (South Carolina adopted the moratorium in 1991). Fisheries biologists also initiated a striper management program in the 1990s that included monitoring and intensive stocking efforts.
Anglers play a lead role in the recovery of the striped bass population in the Savannah River by funding recovery efforts through fishing license fees and the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration program which places a surcharge on fishing equipment such as fishing poles and lures.
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