An online petition initiated by fish harvesting groups in the Gulf of St. Lawrence calling on the federal fisheries minister to “control the striped bass population of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence to preserve the integrity of the ecosystem” gathered 416 signatures before it closed on Oct. 31.
The Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU), the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA), the Regroupement des pêcheurs professionnels du sud de la Gaspésie (RPPSG) and the Gulf Nova Scotia Fleet Planning Board (GNSFPB) started the petition.
“As the striped bass population has grown from 5,000 spawners (spawning stock biomass) to several hundred thousand, science, evidence and observations are now showing that there is an imbalance in the ecosystem. In addition to the research over the past 15 years demonstrating a clear detrimental effect on Atlantic salmon in the Miramichi river, in the marine environment our members have observed increasing predation from striped bass on our commercial species over the past 10 years, as well as disabling interactions with our fishing gear. Striped bass are frequently observed in lobster traps, herring nets and are very problematic in our coastal commercial fisheries such as gaspereau, smelt, silverside and eels. They are even seen offshore, in the Atlantic halibut longline fishery at depths up to 25 fathoms,” reads the petition.
“We are concerned and more and more frustrated about the lack of management action by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to reduce the striped bass population and strive toward re-balancing the ecosystem for the benefit of all species, including striped bass. Without immediate and effective management, the striped bass’ harmful impact on the ecosystem’s balance will get worse, and the impact on our commercial species will have a catastrophic effect on their populations and the economy of our communities.”
Striped bass will feed on anything in their path, threatening commercial fisheries, including the lobster fishery with a landed value of more than $2 billion and employing thousands of Canadians, states the petition.
“The Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF), the Miramichi Watershed Management Committee, the New Brunswick Salmon Council, the Miramichi Salmon Association (MSA)-Conservation and the N.B. Wildlife Federation, as well as the First Nations members of the North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council and the Anqotum Resource Management, share the same concerns as us regarding the urgent need to control the striped bass population in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.”
Vance Chow, assistant regional director of communications in the Gulf Region for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said despite perceptions of abundance, the striped bass population was in the Cautious Zone of the Precautionary Approach (PA) Framework in 2024, with the stock indicator showing a decline of 46 per cent between 2023–2024. An update of the stock status indicators is scheduled for early 2026.
“While a high number of striped bass may be observed in the Miramichi River during spawning, typically from mid-May to early June, they are only there for a relatively short period of time and represent the whole spawning population for the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Aggregations of striped bass seen in the Miramichi River during spawning can overlap with the gaspereau fishery at the beginning of June. Once spawning concludes, striped bass migrate to coastal areas and the marine environment throughout the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence,” said Chow.
“A pilot project initiated in 2024 and expanded in 2025 allowed lobster harvesters to retain incidentally caught striped bass of legal size (between 50 cm and 65 cm). The aim is to gather data on striped bass in traps and to inform future potential regulatory amendments. In 2025, approximately 100 fish harvesters participated in the pilot, and reported approximately 2,000 striped bass retained from over one million traps hauled during the spring and fall seasons,” added Chow.
“Striped bass are a native species in New Brunswick and are a natural part of the aquatic ecosystems in the region. Its population has recovered significantly from critically low levels of the late 1990s and early 2000s, which led to the reopening of Indigenous and recreational fisheries, bringing economic benefits to the region. Management measures will be determined in 2026.”
