Boaters cited for striped bass violations

Two vessels in two days in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off Cape May are found to have Atlantic striped bass aboard, and the operators face violations issued by the U.S. Coast Guard.

According to USCG, crews on routine boardings found five stripers Tuesday on a pleasure craft about eight miles off the coast, and three Wednesday about three-and-a-half-miles offshore. An enforcement action report was filed in each case.

The EEZ, established to prevent species depopulation, begins three miles off the coast. Catching, or possessing, Atlantic striped bass in the zone is a federal offense.

The only exception is a section of Block Island Sound within the framework of Montauk Point, NY, and Point Judith Light and Block Island, RI.

Stripers generally stay close to shore, but USCG officials note that changing sea temperatures can shift their migration patterns greater distances from the coastline.

"In state waters - waters less than three miles from the coast - each state has its own laws designed to protect stripers," said Lieutenant Commander Patricia Bennett, Deputy Enforcement Chief for the Fifth Coast Guard District in Portsmouth, VA.

"Even though the Coast Guard does not enforce those state laws, if we find a violation at the state level, we may notify state authorities."