After nearly 3 hours of discussion by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board (Board) during their February 4th meeting in Arlington, VA, the states from New York through New England successfully chiseled away black sea bass increases from New Jersey and southern states, wrestling a lion’s share of the black sea bass increases for 2026.
The Board will meet again on March 5 to review and consider approval of the range of options for recreational management measures for state waters; New Jersey anglers have until 5 p.m. on March 3 to send comments to TBauer@asmfc.org to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting what they think of what has ensued since the 20% liberalization news was announced late last year.
It was during a joint meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) and the ASMFC back in December when the two management bodies finalized specifications for black sea bass for the 2026-2027 fishing seasons, approving a 20% increase in the black sea bass harvest limit. While many anglers expected that each state would be allowed to liberalize season, size and bag by up to 20%, the northern states arrived at the February 4th meeting in Virginia with another idea – to take as much of that increase as possible.
Believing that any option to equally share in the 20% increase would fail to pass, the first official motion of the meeting was made by New Jersey’s Adam Nowalsky and seconded by John Clark of Delaware, which would allow states in the northern region (New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire) to get a larger share of the 20% overall coastwide increase in black sea bass.
“I understand the pain,” Nowalsky said in laying out his rationale for the motion to allow the Northern states to exceed the 20% liberalization while restricting New Jersey and states to the south to stay below the 20% liberalizations by collaborating with the northern region. “I understand that there’s an eye on New Jersey here that says ‘oh wow, look, they’ve got a 12-1/2-inch size limit’ – but we got there by choice, we went to a one-fish bag limit in New Jersey during our time of highest effort,” said Nowalsky, adding “nobody in New Jersey targets black sea bass during the period of highest effort in the summer with a one-fish bag limit.”
New York’s black sea bass season currently runs unimpeded from June 23 through December 31 with a three fish bag limit (16.5”) in July and August, while New Jersey’s total length of season is 4 days less than New York, with no September fishery at all and a one-fish bag limit (12.5”) in July and August.
Not wishing to “collaborate” with states which are geographically beneath them, New York’s John Maniscalco and Jason McNamee of Rhode Island offered a substitute motion “to approve a 30% liberalization for the Northern Region (MA-NY) with the remainder of the coastwide liberalization to be split proportionately between NJ and the Southern Region (DE-NC).”
Not too surprisingly – and despite the parochialism and contempt which has taken over the ASMFC rendering it little more than a punitively partisan collection of political appointees with a disdain for New Jersey – the New York, New England fish grab failed to generate enough votes to pass.
In yet another olive branch attempt to assist states to the north, Maryland’s Mike Luisi offered up another substitute motion, seconded by Roy Miller of Delaware, to distribute the 20% coastwide liberalization as follows:
- Southern Region 16.5%
- NJ as a region not to exceed 18%
- Northern region to receive the remaining liberalization from the NJ and Southern Regions
After extensive discussion on this motion it was estimated that such a motion would lead to an increase of anywhere from 23-27% in sea bass for the northern states. However, Massachusetts’ Nichola Meserve, along with Maniscalco of New York, went on record to say their fishing communities wouldn’t be happy with any increase less than 25%. Thus, a final motion was offered by Connecticut’s William Hyatt and seconded by Meserve in Massachusetts to distribute the 20% coastwide liberalization as follows:
- Southern Region 16.5%
- Northern region not to exceed 27%
- NJ region to receive the remaining liberalization from the NJ and Southern Regions
That final motion is ultimately what the board approved, with New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire receiving a 27% increase allowance in black sea bass in 2026, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina getting 16.5%, and New Jersey receiving whatever liberalization percentage is left over which is thought to be anywhere from 15 to 17%.
Again, anglers wishing to have their personal opinions about the divvying up of black sea bass liberalization have until March 3 at 5 p.m. (TBauer@asmfc.org) to have their comments distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the March 5th meeting.
The New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife has also emailed all previously registered (saltwaterregistry.nj.gov) saltwater anglers an electronic form seeking public input on potential management options with a March 11 deadline for response. To request a paper copy of the form call the Marine Resources Administration at 609-748-2020.
The final suite of options will be discussed and finalized on Thursday, March 26 when the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council meets at 5 p.m. at the Stafford Township Firehouse, 133 Stafford Avenue in Manahawkin.
