Striped bass decline forces Montauk anglers to question their future

Bill Wetzel drives a modified 4x4 pickup over boulders and sand on the shores of Montauk, New York, scanning the Atlantic for signs of striped bass. For more than 25 years, he has led anglers to this spot, meticulously logging current seams and sandbar cuts. On a recent October night, he checked his VHF radio for the marine forecast and heard a wind shift from the northwest. He knows the tides and moon phases by heart, but he is unsure if any fish remain to catch.

Wetzel noted that he has not seen a feeding frenzy, or blitz, in four years. He stated that small fish are gone, leaving only large, isolated stripers. The population is not replenishing itself, a trend scientists attribute to human-caused environmental and ecological changes. These shifts put the $8 billion industry in jeopardy and threaten a tradition that has drawn over 17 million fishing trips to the East Coast in peak years.

Jason Markowitz, an IT professional and former president of the Montauk Surfcasters Association, swims out to offshore rocks to fish. He described the current conditions as a case of the 'last of the buffalo,' noting that while some people still find fish, they are increasingly rare. Markowitz said the chilly swim is only worth it if the fish are present, a condition that happens less often now.

John Skinner, a 65-year-old author and YouTube personality, has fished Long Island for 55 years. He described the current state of the industry with two words: 'It sucks.' Skinner, who runs a popular channel on striper fishing, often leaves his prime spots on the North Fork empty-handed. He observes a lack of small forage fish like menhaden and other large predatory species, suggesting the ecosystem is unbalanced.

John Mahan has fished Montauk since 1987. He said the abundance of the late 1980s and 1990s was spectacular, but this year marks the first time he has not caught a striper. Mahan, who fishes from the rocks in waders, suggested the species may need to be left alone for a period to recover. He stood near the lighthouse on an October trip and said the beautiful conditions should have meant fish were present.

Montauk has transformed from a blue-collar fishing town into a community resembling the nearby wealthy enclaves of the Hamptons, a change that accelerated in the 2000s. Wetzel noted that the town's old motto, a small drinking village with a big fishing problem, no longer fits the culture. He continued to fish because the sport is in his nature, pointing to the surf as the reason he remains.