At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, legend has it that Benjamin Franklin spoke the words “we must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
A lot can happen in 249 years, much of it revolutionary, not all of it unifying.
Following months of public hearings on emergency measures related to striped bass and recreational fisheries reform measures for black sea bass, summer flounder, scup and sea bass, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) are convening again in February and March to gather public feedback on breaking the recreational fishing sector into separate pieces.
According to the Commission/Council press release the purpose of the proposed amendment being presented to the public from February 25 through March 6 is to consider modifications to the recreational management program for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish. “Specifically, this action may consider options for managing for-hire recreational fisheries separately from other recreational fishing modes (referred to as sector separation), as well as options related to the collection and use of recreational data, such as private angler reporting and enhanced for-hire vessel trip reporting requirements,” the bulletin reads.
Essentially, the public hearings scheduled along the Atlantic Coast over the next several weeks could allow the Council and Commission to develop different sets of season, size and bag limit requirements for anglers fishing aboard for-hire boats as opposed to private anglers fishing from shore or aboard their own vessels (similar to the way bluefish is presently managed).
The document is a joint effort of the Commission and Council given the species are managed cooperatively by the Commission in state waters (0-3 miles) and by the Council and NOAA Fisheries in federal waters (3-200 miles). The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Florida have scheduled the following public hearings to gather public input on the Public Information/Scoping Document for the Recreational Sector Separation and Data Collection Amendment for Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass and Bluefish.
Tuesday, February 25, 2025 – 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
A webinar presented by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The webinar registration link is available here. For additional information contact Joseph Cimino at 609-748-2020 or Joseph.Cimino@dep.nj.gov.
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 – 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
A hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual) presented by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. The webinar registration link is available here. The physical location of the hearing is at the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Marine Resources Headquarters 123 Kings Park Blvd., Nissequogue River Park Kings Park, NY. For additional information contact Martin Gary in New York at 631-444-0430 or martin.gary@dec.ny.gov; in Connecticut contact Matthew Gates at 860-876-4393 or matthew.gates@ct.gov.
Thursday, February 27, 2025 – 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
A hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual) presented by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. The virtual Zoom link is here. The physical location of the hearing is at the University of Rhode Island Bay Campus Corless Auditorium 215 South Ferry Road Narragansett, RI. For additional information contact Jason McNamee at 401-537-4141 or jason.mcnamee@dem.ri.gov.
Tuesday, March 4, 2025 – 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
A webinar only presented by Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Potomac River Fisheries Commission, Virginia Marine Resources Commission, and North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. The webinar registration link is available here. For additional information contact John Clark (DE) at 302-739-9914 or John.Clark@delaware.gov; Mike Luisi in Maryland at 410-260-8341 or michael.luisi@maryland.gov; Ron Owens (PRFC) at 804-224-7148 or ron.owens@prfc.us; Pat Geer (VA) at 757-247-2200 or pat.geer@mrc.virginia.gov; or Chris Batsavage (NC) at 252-241-2995 or chris.batsavage@deq.nc.gov.
Wednesday, March 5 – 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Presented by the Maine Department of Marine Resources, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, and Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. The webinar registration link is available here. For additional information contact Corrin Flora in Maine at 207-446-8126 or Corrin.Flora@maine.gov; Renee Zobel in New Hampshire at 603-868-1095 or Renee.m.Zobel@wildlife.nh.gov; and in Massachusetts contact Nichola Meserve at 978-619-0017 or nichola.meserve@mass.gov.
As for submitting comments the full Public Information/Scoping Document is available at https://asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/SFSBSB_BF_RecAmendment_PublicInfo-Scoping_Jan2025.pdf. All those interested in the management of summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish are encouraged to provide input by 11:59 p.m. n March 20, 2025 by participating in public hearings or by providing written comment.
Written comment may be submitted through any of the following methods: online via https://mafmc.knack.com/public-comments#rec-sector-separation-data-collection/; mailed to Dr. Christopher Moore, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, at 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; or emailed to Kiley Dancy at kdancy@mafmc.org (Subject line: Recreational Sector Separation and Data Collection).
For more information visit MAFMC.org or ASMFC.org.
