Below is a letter that JCAA sent to the ASMFC/MAFMC on December 9th regarding black sea bass. It is followed by a brief synopsis of what happened regarding both sea bass and summer flounder at their joint meeting on December 17th.
The Jersey Coast Anglers Association is a group of many marine sportfishing clubs that promote a united consensus on issues relevant to saltwater anglers in New Jersey.
Regarding sea bass, we have heard plenty about the Recreational Demand Model and the Percent Change Approach. What we are urging you to do now is use the common-sense approach. The SSB has been climbing steadily since 2012 and is now at 284% of its target. Still, there has been no significant liberalization since that year. It is time for that to change.
You need to consider the effect that this overpopulated fish is having on other species. These voracious feeders are competing for forage fish and eating the young of other desirable species such as cod and striped bass that we are trying to rebuild. They are also having a negative impact on other species as summer flounder, red and silver hake (ling and whiting) and other species including lobsters.
Further, liberalizing the recreational fishing measures for sea bass would reduce the pressure on some of the aforementioned species that we are trying to rebuild. It would also be a boon to the shore economy. With tight regulations on many other species, the local bait & tackle shops, the for-hire fleet, and many other businesses could certainly use a boost.
Lastly, please consider the fact that sea bass are protogynous hermaphrodites. With the 12 ½” size limit, we are harvesting almost all males while allowing the females to continue to breed. That may be why the population continues to explode and their range continues to expand.
Update
The ASMFC/MAFMC met on 12/17 and voted for status quo measures for summer flounder for 2026 and most likely 2027 as well. Their plan is to set regulations for two-year periods for both fluke and sea bass unless some sort of new data is developed that would cause them to want to change it. Earlier this year, recreational fishermen were given a 38% quota increase for summer flounder, up from 6.35 million lbs. to 8.79 million lbs. Still, due to the Recreation Demand Model/Percent Change Approach that is currently being utilized, we are not being allowed to liberalize our regulations. This is because the summer flounder stocks are rebuilt to under 90% of their target.
What status quo measures means for the upcoming year is a little unclear. It could mean that we may only be allowed to change our opening and closing dates slightly or it could mean that we would be allowed to do a complete overhaul of our regulations as long as they are conservationally equivalent. That will be discussed further at the technical committee’s meeting on 1/9.
The recreational quota for sea bass was increased by 30%, up from 6.27 million lbs. to 8.14 million lbs. The stock is rebuilt to 284% of its target. Still, there were some on the Council and Board who did not want us to liberalize at all! We have to be thankful for the motion made by Adam Nowalsky for a 20% liberalization that passed which will allow us to liberalize for the first time since 2012.
How that liberalization will be utilized will be up to the NJMFC. However, I expect that our NJBMF will develop options that would allow us to keep more than one fish in the summer, extend the season until the end of June or begin the season earlier in the fall to close the gap from when fluke season ends and sea bass season begins.
