April 24, 2013 — Based on recommendations of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, NOAA Fisheries is proposing to increase the overall catch limits for the 2013 and 2014 black sea bass fishery by approximately 1 million pounds.
This results in an increase of approximately 0.41 million pounds for the recreational black sea bass fishery, and a 0.39 million pound increase for the commercial fishery.For summer flounder, the Council has recommended that states establish their own or region-specific recreational management measures (bag limit, minimum size, and season) to ensure that the 2013 harvest limit is not exceeded. For the scup recreational fishery, we are proposing a decrease in minimum fish size and increase in trip limits so that fishermen can catch more fish on each fishing trip.