CCA Maine

Watch video

The Coastal Conservation Association-Maine (CCA-Maine) and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) are continuing to collaborate on a data collection program called “Snap-A-Striper,” aimed at compiling photos of live release and legally harvested striped bass caught in Maine waters.

Body shape data collected from photos with Snap-A-Striper data cards in place, as well as data from the otoliths (ear bones) of legally harvested fish can help GMRI scientists determine the origin (locally spawned or migratory) of stripers in Maine, information that can improve management of the resource. The striper study is providing scientists a chance to build a better understanding of this iconic species, while working together and fostering stewardship with Maine anglers.

We are looking for anglers, guides and captains from Boothbay to Kittery to email photos of stripers with special down-loadable data cards in place (see links below) to the fishery scientists at GMRI. The information developed from your photos could lead to better management of Maine’s striped bass resource. The scientists need all the fish photos you can send.

Please help us with this important work by participating in the Snap-A-Striper program for the 2019 striper season.

Learn more about how you can get involved by watching the video below and reading the following instructions.

Watch video

The Snap-a-Striper program was recently profiled on Bill Green’s Maine. Watch the television segment here!

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Snap-A-Striper Photo Tips:

When a striper of any size is to be released, the photo process is best accomplished with two people working together in a boat.  One person plays the fish while the other fills in a data card which can be downloaded here.

The fish is photographed with the card in the frame and the fish is released as quickly as possible. The photograph can then be emailed to stripers@gmri.org. A new data card should be used for each fish photo.  Please be sure to include the names and ages of young anglers 12 and under in the emails accompanying their fish photos.

To minimize stress on stripers to be released:

• Wet the deck slightly before bringing the striper aboard.
• Lay the fish flat on the deck
• Ensure the whole fish is visible in the frame – stand on a seat if necessary.
• The data card must be in the frame (see sample photo above)

When photographing a striper that will be legally harvested, you will need to put a filled-in data card in the frame. We encourage you to remove the head, freeze it in a plastic bag with the same data card used in the photo and email stripers@gmri.org for pickup or delivery instructions.

Whenever possible, GMRI prefers photos of both released and harvested stripers to be taken with filled-in SAS data cards. However,  some SAS participants prefer to download a single “master” data card, write in their unique Fish # (example: 10DB16) in the appropriate space, laminate the card and use it in every striper photo they email to GMRI, adding the required catch data requested on the card – angler name, date, catch location and ages of young angers 12 years and under to the photo email.

Alternatively, a short ruler clearly marking at least five (5) inches can be used in a striper photo, with the required catch data added when the photo is emailed to GMRI at stripers@gmri.org.

*How to Join the Snap-A-Striper program

*Download SAS Data Cards 

Note: if printing your own data cards, be sure to turn off print scaling in your pdf reader.  If you continue to have problems, please contact us at ccamaine@gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing your striper photos and we thank you for participating in this important “citizen science” research program.

For more information, please contact either:

Duncan Barnes
CCA-Maine
bardunc@gmail.com

GMRI Staff

One happy dude — James Vella, age 10, with his 28-inch striper

Hello Snap-A-Striper community!

Fishing for striped bass was pretty good along much of the Maine coast this past season and that angling success has added up to another productive year for Snap-a-Striper, the ongoing data collection program in which CCA-Maine and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) are collaborating.

Almost 300 photos of stripers with Snap-A-Striper data cards in place were submitted to GMRI scientists via email by anglers, captains and guides during the 2018 season, along with the heads of several legally harvested bass. A number of fish photos were also submitted anonymously by anglers participating in a catch-and-release striper fly fishing tournament. Fish photo submissions started in May and continued through September and came in from as far south as York and as far north as Old Town.

As announced last spring, CCA-Maine is again rewarding participating anglers, captains and guides for helping to make this important fishery research program a success. The list of lucky winners for 2018 who were awarded Visa gift certificates follows:

MOST FISH PHOTOS AWARD – $200 Visa gift card
Awarded to Tom Whittle (118 photo submissions)

SAS PARTICIPATION AWARD – a $200 Visa Gift Card
Awarded by Drawing to Donavan Farris

YOUTH ANGLER AWARD FOR ANGLERS – a $100 Visa Gift Card
Awarded by Drawing to James Vella for a 28-inch striper

GMRI scientists will digitize the 2018 fish photos and add them to a collection of some 1800 photos submitted over the past five years. The photos will be entered in a statistical analysis program and preliminary photo results will be determined over the winter. Chemical analysis will also be conducted on more than 60 striped bass otoliths (ear bones) taken from heads submitted to GMRI over the last few years.

The data resulting from these studies will help GMRI scientists determine the origin (locally spawned in the Kennebec River watershed, or migratory) of stripers in Maine waters, information that can improve management of the striped bass resource that is so important to the state’s economy.

CCA-Maine very much appreciates your interest in Snap-A-Striper. Tight lines and we look forward to your continued support of this important “citizen science” program in 2019.

Watch video

The Coastal Conservation Association-Maine (CCA-Maine) and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) are continuing to collaborate on a data collection program called “Snap-A-Striper,” aimed at compiling photos of live release and legally harvested striped bass caught in Maine waters.

Body shape data collected from photos with Snap-A-Striper data cards in place, as well as data from the otoliths (ear bones) of legally harvested fish can help GMRI scientists determine the origin (locally spawned or migratory) of stripers in Maine, information that can improve management of the resource. The striper study is providing scientists a chance to build a better understanding of this iconic species, while working together and fostering stewardship with Maine anglers.

We are looking for anglers, guides and captains from Boothbay to Kittery to email photos of stripers with special down-loadable data cards in place (see links below) to the fishery scientists at GMRI. The information developed from your photos could lead to better management of Maine’s striped bass resource. The scientists need all the fish photos you can send.

Please help us with this important work by participating in the Snap-A-Striper program for the 2019 striper season.

Learn more about how you can get involved by watching the video below and reading the following instructions.

Watch video

The Snap-a-Striper program was recently profiled on Bill Green’s Maine. Watch the television segment here!

—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Snap-A-Striper Photo Tips:

When a striper of any size is to be released, the photo process is best accomplished with two people working together in a boat.  One person plays the fish while the other fills in a data card which can be downloaded here.

The fish is photographed with the card in the frame and the fish is released as quickly as possible. The photograph can then be emailed to stripers@gmri.org. A new data card should be used for each fish photo.  Please be sure to include the names and ages of young anglers 12 and under in the emails accompanying their fish photos.

To minimize stress on stripers to be released:

• Wet the deck slightly before bringing the striper aboard.
• Lay the fish flat on the deck
• Ensure the whole fish is visible in the frame – stand on a seat if necessary.
• The data card must be in the frame (see sample photo above)

When photographing a striper that will be legally harvested, you will need to put a filled-in data card in the frame. We encourage you to remove the head, freeze it in a plastic bag with the same data card used in the photo and email stripers@gmri.org for pickup or delivery instructions.

Whenever possible, GMRI prefers photos of both released and harvested stripers to be taken with filled-in SAS data cards. However,  some SAS participants prefer to download a single “master” data card, write in their unique Fish # (example: 10DB16) in the appropriate space, laminate the card and use it in every striper photo they email to GMRI, adding the required catch data requested on the card – angler name, date, catch location and ages of young angers 12 years and under to the photo email.

Alternatively, a short ruler clearly marking at least five (5) inches can be used in a striper photo, with the required catch data added when the photo is emailed to GMRI at stripers@gmri.org.

*How to Join the Snap-A-Striper program

*Download SAS Data Cards 

Note: if printing your own data cards, be sure to turn off print scaling in your pdf reader.  If you continue to have problems, please contact us at ccamaine@gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing your striper photos and we thank you for participating in this important “citizen science” research program.

For more information, please contact either:

Duncan Barnes
CCA-Maine
bardunc@gmail.com

GMRI Staff
stripers@gmri.org

Hello Snap-A-Striper community!

Thanks to all who have participated in this year’s striped bass data collection program. To reward anglers for helping to make this important fishery research program a success, CCA-Maine is awarding gift certificates from their supporters at L.L.Bean, Cabelas and Kittery Trading Post!

Winners for the month of June were:

Biggest fish – Carle Hildreth

First Post of the Month – Kyle Noonan

Most Photos of the Month – Jason Farris

Snap-A-Striper is an ongoing collaborative effort between the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) and CCA-Maine . Body shape data collected from photos of stripers caught in Maine waters with Snap-A-Striper data cards in place, as well as data from the otoliths (ear bones) of legally harvested fish can help GMRI scientists determine the origin (locally spawned or migratory) of stripers in Maine, information that can improve management of the resource.

Please help us with this important work by participating in Snap-A-Striper for the remainder of the 2017 striper season. The scientists need all the fish photos you can send. And if you are lucky, you could win one of the prizes that CCA-Maine will be awarding for fish caught from July through September.

Learn more about how you can get involved. Get your data cards. Please be sure to include the age of any successful angler 12 or under when you submit your photos.

We look forward to seeing your striper photos and we thank you for participating in this important “citizen science” research program.

Snap-A-Striper, the data collection research program on which CCA-Maine and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) are collaborating, compiles detailed information on striped bass caught in Maine waters. The 2016 season is winding down and a good catching season it’s been, with many anglers young and older, as well as captains and guides, sending in photos of their fish to the scientists at GMRI.

During the season, CCA-Maine has been awarding some great prizes donated by LL Bean to anglers and captains participating in Snap-A-Striper.  GMRI reviews all fish photos to determine the monthly winners. Important Info on Fish Photos…

August Winners:
Biggest Fish – 40.22 inches, caught by Sam Ludwig fishing with Capt. Carle Hildreth
Biggest Youth Fish – 27.93 inches caught by Nolan Brown, age 9, fishing with Capt. Don Sayward
First Fish Photo of Month – Tom Whittle
Most Fish Photos – Capt. Carle Hildreth

September Winners
Biggest Fish  – 37.07 inches, caught by Carl Lajoie fishing with Capt. Don Sayward
Biggest Youth Fish – 32.89 inches caught by Summer Sayward, age 13, fishing with her dad, Capt. Don Sayward
First Fish Photo of Month – Tom Whittle
Most Fish Photos – Capt. Jason Farris

Grand Prize Winner:  Capt. Carle Hildreth

Capt. Carle Hildreth

Capt. Carle Hildreth was our grand prize winner with the most fish as well as the biggest fish submitted for the season.  Capt. Carle will receive a rod & reel package donated by L.L.Bean.

RESEARCH UPDATE from GMRI

Hello Snap-a-Striper Community!

We are very excited to share the news that Snap-a-Striper program was recently profiled on Bill Green’s Maine!

Watch the television segment here!

GMRI scientists Lisa Kerr and Zach Whitener went out with Capt. Carle Hildreth (an avid Snap-a-striper contributor) and Bill Green last week and were able to catch-snap a photo-and release some stripers and talk about the growing success of the program!

If you are not familiar, Snap-a-Striper is a data collection program run collaboratively by GMRI and the Coastal Conservation Association using photos and fish heads to identify origins of migratory and resident striped bass. The only native striped bass population in Maine spawns in the Kennebec River; this study is providing scientists a change to build a better understanding of this iconic species, while working together and fostering stewardship with the incredible resource that is Maine’s recreational anglers!

Learn more about how you can get involved and get your data cards.

We’re looking forward to seeing your stripers!

The Snap-a-Striper team