Recreational Black Sea Bass Wave 1 Letter of Authorization (LOA) Framework

Overview

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board (Board) previously considered developing a framework/addendum to open the Wave 1 (January – February) recreational black sea bass fishery under a Letter of Authorization (LOA) program. At the August 2018 Council Meeting the Council and Commission decided not to move forward with development of this action.

For 2018 and 2019, the Council and Board opened the wave 1 recreational black sea bass fishery to all anglers through the regular specification process with the following management measures: a season of February 1 – 28, a 15 fish possession limit, a 12.5 inch minimum size, and a 100,000-pound allocation divided to the states based on historical wave 1 catch.

Staff Contact: Brandon Muffley, (302)526-5260, bmuffley@mafmc.org

Timeline

December 2017:   The Council and Board met for the first framework meeting and reviewed and provided feedback on initial draft alternatives for a recreational black sea bass Wave 1 LOA program for potential implementation in 2019. Based on the feedback provided by the Council and Board, Council and GARFO staff will conduct further review and analysis of the draft alternatives to present at a future meeting.

February 2018: The Council met to discuss the future direction and implementation of a recreational black sea bass Wave 1 fishery, including the LOA program. The Council agreed to consider a Wave 1 fishery in 2019 through the recreational specification process, as occurred in 2018, while the development of an LOA program will continue for potential implementation in 2020.

August 2018: The Council and Board voted not to move forward with development of an LOA framework. For 2019, the Council and Board opened the wave 1 recreational black sea bass fishery to all anglers through the regular specification process with the following management measures: a season of February 1 – 28, a 15 fish possession limit, a 12.5 inch minimum size, and a 100,000-pound allocation divided to the states based on historical wave 1 catch.

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