The ASMFC, together with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC), are jointly considering changes to the process for setting recreational management measures by way of bag, size and season, this does not concern striped bass. The fisheries management bodies have been using a new Harvest Control Rule/Percent Change Approach to recreational fisheries management as a method of bringing more stability to recreational regulations, but the new process is scheduled to “sunset” by the end of 2025.
Prior to the new Percent Change Approach implemented through the Harvest Control Rule Framework/Addenda in 2023, bag, size and season limits for sea bass, fluke, and porgy in particular would change practically every year based on angler effort and harvest data coming from the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP). The new process has allowed ASMFC and MAFMC to implement multiple years with the same regulations, providing stability in recreational regulations and a more balanced approach to setting measures.
In an official report to Congress back in 2021, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine stated “Stability of regulations is frequently mentioned as a goal by stakeholders.” The new Percent Change Approach implemented through the Harvest Control Rule Framework/Addenda addressed those stakeholder concerns in the recreational fishing community.
“This is something that we’ve heard from the recreational fishing community through the public input process that exists in the fisheries management realm and it’s something that makes logical business sense,” noted Mike Waine, Atlantic Fisheries Policy Director at the American Sportfishing Association (ASA). Waine went on to call stability in management measures “beneficial, not only for the recreational anglers on the water, but also the businesses that support those anglers.”
The Recreational Measures Setting (RMS) management action seeks to codify and enhance the changes from the Harvest Control Rule action starting in 2026, and the draft agenda presented to the angling public proposes five possible options for setting recreational measures. “ASA supports options that build upon the current Percent Change Approach through Option C,” Waine noted, adding that the recreational fishing industry on behalf of their angling customers is concerned about the magnitude of uncertainty of catch data used in Option D and the lack of caps in changes to measures in Option E.
“Above all else, we do not support no action,” he added, noting how the ASA also supports revisiting the recreational measure setting process every 5 years to evaluate its effectiveness in providing stability in recreational measures while ensuring measures align with stock status.
If anglers wish to see this “stability of regulations” continue in 2026, the time to speak up is now, as deadline for submitting public comment is February 15, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. (email comments@asmfc.org, Subject: Recreational Measures Setting Process).
Learn about ASA’s position and sign on to their support letter in the Take Action section of KeepAmericaFishing.org (Support Recreational Management Reform for Fluke, Scup, Black Sea Bass and Bluefish).