Will Connecticut Senate Conserve Striped Bass?

The Connecticut Senate Has a Powerful Opportunity to Protect Striped Bass Before Session Ends.

The striped bass fight never stops. Right now, the Connecticut Senate has a bipartisan piece of legislation ready to go. Raised Bill 5333 is sitting on the Senate calendar. The bill has already passed the House and awaits a Senate hearing before the regular session ends on May 6th.

This bill delivers three straight up common-sense protections for striped bass:

First, it creates real penalties for anyone who breaks striped bass rules. The first offense is an infraction with a meaningful fine that goes straight back to the town where the violation happened. We support this, as it allows real enforcement, instead of a slap on the wrist. It also empowers local officers to enforce the law. Every state has enforcement problems. Environmental and marine patrols are widely understaffed. Connecticut’s approach to empowering local enforcement to support fisheries regulation has our full support.

Second, Raised Bill 5333 sets a full catch and release only season for striped bass from December 1 through March 31. Statewide. Every river. Every tributary in Connecticut. No harvest is allowed during the time when fish are concentrated and most vulnerable. This season encompasses stretches of heavy poaching in local waters. This no-harvest season would give the stock some breathing room it desperately needs while low recruitment continues to hammer the coastwide population.

Third, the bill adds a targeted bait fishing ban in the Housatonic River downstream of Derby Dam during that same winter window. That stretch is a key staging area. Protecting it from gear types that are highly effective and display a higher rate of release mortality is common sense.

Our community knows what strong enforcement and smart seasonal protections can do for a struggling stock. Connecticut is stepping up where other states have not. These measures show real leadership by the legislature and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The bill is ready. It just needs the Senate to bring it up and pass it before they gavel out for the year.

If you fish Connecticut waters or care about striped bass anywhere on the coast, now is the time to act. Call or email your senator today. Tell them to bring Raised Bill 5333 to the floor and pass the striped bass protections without delay. This is one of those moments where a single state can lead the way. Connecticut has the chance to do it right.

You can review the ASGA Official Letter to the Connecticut Senate by clicking here.

You can access an OLR Bill Analysis of Raised Bill 5333 by clicking here.