Fishing along Connecticut shores has been a favorite pastime for residents and visitors for generations.

To keep our waters viable fishing grounds for years ahead, the Fisheries Division of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection recently announced new regulations for recreational saltwater fishing in 2020. These changes apply to some of the most popular fish caught in the area.

Specifically, striped bass and bluefish are believed to have been overfished in recent years. As a result, DEEP will tighten restrictions on size and bag limits so that these species can return to healthy levels.

Here are the new changes:

Striped bass will go from a minimum length of 28 inches in 2019 to a slot limit of 28-35 inches in 2020. This means any fish less than 28 inches must be released. Any fish greater than or equal to 28 inches, and less than 35 inches may be kept. A striper 35 inches or greater, however, must be thrown back.

“The intent of the slot limit is to protect larger, older striped bass (which are almost all female) as these fish are disproportionately important to the reproductive capacity of the population,” explained Justin Davis, assistant director of DEEP’s Fisheries Division.

“These are the fish that make lots of eggs,” he said.

The good news is a one-fish bag limit and year-round fishing will remain in effect for these prized fish, Davis said.

“People should know that we’re not back in the battle days of the 1980s,” when a moratorium was declared on striped bass. “We’ve had a couple of very strong (spawning) classes getting ready to come into the stock,” Davis said.

Two other changes have been implemented. The striped bass “bonus program” has been suspended indefinitely. This program allowed people to keep one striper under 28 inches if you possessed a DEEP-issued tag.

Also, beginning in 2021, Connecticut will implement a regulation that says if you’re fishing for striped bass with bait, you will be required to use circle hooks. These half-circle shaped hooks are rarely swallowed by fish, making it easier for an angler to extricate the tackle from the fish’s mouth without harming it.

“It’s one way we’re trying to cut down on release mortality,” Davis said.

According to Davis, states from Maine to New York will most likely implement the same striped bass regulations, except Rhode Island. They’ve been approved in 2020 to implement a 32- to 42-inch slot limit, but the regulation has not yet been finalized, he said.

Regarding bluefish, Davis said, “Anybody who fishes here in Long Island Sound over the last five years knows that blue fishing has taken a big dive.”

“Certainly, the overall stock has been declining,” he said, “But there’s also something going on in the Sound that we don’t yet fully understand.”

As a result, bag limits for bluefish, including snapper blues, will go from 10 in 2019 to three this year. No size limits and a year-round fishing season will remain in effect.

On a brighter note, Davis said summer flounder, scup, tautog and black sea bass populations all seem to be doing reasonably well and their 2019 fishing regulations will remain unchanged for this year.

Bill Hobbs is a resident of Stonington and can be reached for comments at whobbs246@gmail.com.