Wednesday December 3, 2025
Phys —
A pair of recent papers, led by biologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and published in Fisheries Research and Marine and Coastal Fisheries, sought to comprehensively pinpoint which catch-and-release fishing practices pose a considerable risk to striped bass, and to show that there’s a mismatch between what anglers know about catch-and-release best practices and how this knowledge translates into action once on the water.
“Striped bass are one of, if not the most sought-after species of fish in New England and the Eastern seaboard,” says Grace Casselberry, a postdoctoral researcher at UMass Amherst and one of the principal authors of the two recent studies. “Especially in Cape Cod, where we conducted the majority of our research, stripers are an integral part of the local industry and culture.”