Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Annual Meeting Ends with Mixed Results for Recreational Anglers
Last week, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) met to discuss several issues of importance to recreational anglers, including management of the striped bass fishery – of which hundreds of recreational boaters and anglers submitted comments.
Ultimately, the ASMFC agreed with recreational boaters and anglers and did not impose new, unnecessary restrictions on the recreational community fishing for striped bass. The ASMFC will maintain current measures until the next stock assessment in the spring of 2027. In its decision, the ASFMC noted the proposed 12% reduction plan received over 4,000 public comments and highlighted the severe economic impact if a reduction were made.
That being said, the ASMFC’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board decided to implement a 20% quota reduction in the Atlantic commercial menhaden fishery, despite peer-reviewed research recommending a 54% cut to the commercial quota to reduce fish mortality. The Atlantic menhaden is critical to rebuilding the striped bass fishery.
NMMA will continue working with our partners to monitor these developments and advocate for fisheries management decisions to be backed by sound science and data. For more information, contact NMMA’s Clay Crabtree, Senior Director of Public Policy, at [email protected].