Anglers who fish for striped bass in the Delaware River and estuary are encouraged to attend a public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 17, 6 p.m., at Silver Lake Nature Center, 1306 Bath Road, Bristol, to provide comments on a draft amendment to the interstate fishery management plan for Atlantic striped bass.

This amendment has been proposed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, of which the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is a member. Tuesday's meeting is being held by the PFBC."Numerous anglers up and down the coast have expressed concerns with declining catch rates of striped bass," PFBC Bureau of Fisheries director Larry Young said. "It is likely that any ASMFC action on the Striped Bass Addendum will have impacts on Pennsylvania's regulations for striped bass in the Delaware River and estuary, as well as the ocean and back-bay fisheries in New Jersey and Delaware."This meeting is an opportunity for anglers to become educated on this issue and provide comments to both ASMFC and PFBC representatives concerning the draft addendum that proposes new fishing mortality reference points, as recommended by the 2013 benchmark stock assessment, and associated management measures to reduce these numbers to a level at or below the proposed target within one or three years."It responds to results of the 2013 Atlantic striped bass benchmark assessment indicating in 2012 that these numbers were above the proposed target and that female spawning stock biomass has been steadily declining below the target since 2006. This means even though the stock is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring, SSB is approaching its overfished threshold and stock projections show SSB will likely fall below the threshold in the coming years."A similar decline has been observed in total harvest, so in response to these factors, the draft addendum proposes management options to reduce fishing mortality to the target level. A copy of the draft addendum is available on the ASMFC website at :www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/StripedBassDraftAddendumIV_PublicComment.pdf.Anglers and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until Tuesday, Sept. 30, and should be forwarded to Mike Waine, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201.*******Cabela's Hamburg is holding National Rifle Association Weekend today and Sunday, and in addition to a series of seminars anyone joining or renewing NRA membership will receive a $25 Cabela's gift card.There also be product demonstrations, education workshops and the following seminars both days: 10 a.m. Carrying Concealed in Pennsylvania presented by Berks County sheriff Eric Weaknecht; 11 a.m. Personal Protection: An Introduction to Self-Defense and Concealed Carry; and 1 p.m. A Women's Guide to Shooting and Self-Defense. For information access the website at

www.cabelas.com or call 610-929-7000.*******Sunday's edition of "Experience The Outdoors," winner of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association's best outdoors radio program award hosted by award-winning POWA member Doyle Dietz, at 7 a.m. on 1410-AM WLSH, at 9:30 a.m. on Magic 105.5-FM and on the Web at

www.wmgh.com by clicking the link to the program, features Melanie Totenbier of A Girl and A Gun Women's Shooting League.*******A 30-target, 3-D hunting course is open daily from dawn to dusk, except Sundays from 1-4 p.m. for trap, at Bear's Head Archery, located off Exit 134, I-81, Delano. For information call the club at 570-467-0331.*******First Frontier Militia, the muzzleloader group associated with Bowmanstown Rod and Gun Club, Gun Club Road, located off Route 248, will hold a shoot Sunday, Sept. 14, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. For information call Ken Milburn at 610-767-6222 or Dave Algard at 610-760-8333.*******Western Pocono Chapter of Trout Unlimited meets Tuesday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m., at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center on Mauch Chunk Lake between Jim Thorpe and Summit Hill and will feature speaker Dean Druckenmiller of the Lehigh River Coldwater Fisheries Alliance. For information call 570-454-4862 or 570-233-0099.