If you’ve been anxiously awaiting word on the future of striped bass management – as we all have – circle August 6, 2025 on your calendar!
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) which manages fisheries in federal waters off the coasts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) which is charged with managing fisheries inside of 3 miles along the entire Atlantic Coast – as well as striped bass – will each hold meetings this month to deliberate on saltwater fisheries of importance to coastal anglers.
ASMFC will hold its annual Summer Meeting from August 5–7 at The Westin Crystal City in Arlington, VA. This will be a hybrid meeting (both in-person and remote) to allow for participation by commissioners and interested stakeholders.
On Tuesday, August 5 from 1 to 2 p.m. the ASMFC’s Weakfish Management Board will consider a 2025 Stock Assessment Update on that iconic fishery. According to ASMFC, even though harvest has been at low levels in recent years, the weakfish population has been experiencing very high levels of total mortality (including fishing mortality and natural mortality), preventing the stock from recovering.
Striped bass will take center stage on Wednesday, August 6 from 1:15 p.m. until close of commission business at 5:30 p.m. as the Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board considers Fishery Management Plan Review and Compliance for 2024 Fishing Year, while considering Draft Addendum III for public comment.
Set for implementation in 2026, this action is intended to increase the probability of rebuilding the striped bass stock and includes a range of reductions for both the recreational and commercial fisheries. According to ASMFC, recreational fishery reductions will consider season and size limits that account for regional differences, including no-harvest and no-targeting closures.
At a July 10th meeting of the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council in Stafford Township, New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife senior biologist Brendan Harrison explained to council members how the ASMFC will be looking at seasonal closures in 2026 by taking a regional approach that would include New Jersey with several other states south of either Rhode Island or Connecticut.
According to Harrison, recreational effort and harvest/mortality numbers in 2024 came in higher than originally predicted which puts the probability of reaching the 2029 rebuilding target at roughly 30%, below the 50% required. He added that at minimum a 12% reduction in striped bass harvest in 2026 could reach the 50% probably mark for reaching the rebuild target by 2029.
Then on Thursday, August 7, ASMFC’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board will meet to discuss Technical Committee direction in response to a working group report on precautionary management in Chesapeake Bay. Find webinar instructions and further details at ASMFC.org.
The following week, the MAFMC will meet from August 11 through August 14 at the Westin Annapolis located at 100 Westgate Circle in Annapolis, MD. Additional details on this meeting along with the final agenda will be posted online prior to the meeting at MAFMC.org.
