The Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU/UPM) is sounding the alarm over the exploding striped bass population in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Commercial gaspereau fishermen on New Brunswick’s Miramichi River have recently reported catching five times more striped bass when compared to last year. Gaspereau, also known as alewife, fishing is primarily for bait. The fishermen say the out-of-control population of striped bass is making their fishery “virtually impossible.” “They have to throw their entire catch back into the water. So it’s a fishing effort that yields nothing, but the fishermen still have to pay the expenses. There is something illogical and economically unsustainable about all this,” said Martin Mallet, the union’s executive director, in a Monday news release. MFU says it wants Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to review its current regulations designed to protect the striped bass. “DFO told us in 2024 that, according to scientific assessments, there has been a decline in the population. It’s hard for us to believe that. The species is overflowing its natural habitat, riverside fishermen are catching more and more of them, and our lobster fishermen are reporting an abundance of this fish in their traps,” said Mallet. The Miramichi Striped Bass Association acknowledged the MFU’s concerns in an email to CTV News Atlantic but said it is critical that the fisheries are managed by science, not politics and anecdotal pressure. The association said DFO’s latest assessment showed the striped bass population has been stable since 2015 with the exception of one anomalous year. They said current regulations allow for 125,000 removals, a four-bag recreational limit and bycatch allowances which are all expected to reduce the population. In an emailed statement, the DFO said the northwest Miramichi River is the “only known and successful spawning ground” for the striped bass in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. “DFO cannot commit to a cautionary zone and then abandon it when pressure builds,” said DFO. “Sustainable fisheries are built on long-term planning, consistent data collection, and adherence to precautionary principles. This is not the time to deviate from that foundation.” DFO’s stock biomass (egg) estimates place striped bass in the cautionary zone that requires erring on the side of conservation, said the association. “Spawning typically occurs from mid-May to early June, aggregations of striped bass are seen in the Miramichi River at this time and can overlap with the gaspereau fishery that begins June 1 on the Miramichi River,” the email reads. “Once spawning concludes, striped bass migrate to coastal areas and the marine environment throughout the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.” The union says it is also concerned about the impact of striped bass on smelt populations. It says it has made the following recommendations to DFO: The DFO says it has taken steps to managed the striped bass stock by “providing incremental access for Indigenous Food, social and ceremonial fisheries” and recreational fishery opportunities. “In August 2024, a small-scale experimental pilot project to allow the retention of Striped bass by-catch in the lobster fishery in Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 25 was implemented,” the statement reads. “The aim of the project was to study Striped bass occurrence, distribution, condition and composition in lobster traps. In 2025, the pilot was expanded in 2025 to include all LFAs in the Gulf Region, including LFA 23, 24, 25, and 26.” The Miramichi Striped Bass Association was joined by its Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island chapters commending DFO for it’s balanced, science-based approach to striped bass management. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
