Webinar Tackles Party Boat vs. Private Fishing Rules
Published Date: 3/7/2025
Notice
Summary
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission are teaming up for a public webinar on March 25, 2025, to talk about new rules for recreational fishing. They want to manage for-hire fishing trips separately from private anglers and improve how fishing data is collected. These changes could affect anyone who fishes for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, or bluefish in the Mid-Atlantic region and help make fishing fairer and smarter.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
Separate rules for for-hire vs. private anglers
The Council is considering managing for-hire recreational fishing trips separately from other recreational fishing modes (called "sector separation") for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish in the Mid-Atlantic. The Council and Atlantic States Commission are scoping this action in late February through mid-March, with Advisory Panels meeting by webinar on March 25, 2025 and further discussion scheduled for their joint April 2025 meeting.
New recreational data reporting requirements
The planned amendment includes options related to collection and use of recreational data, explicitly mentioning private angler reporting and enhanced for-hire vessel trip reporting requirements. These data-collection options are being scoped now (late February through mid-March) and discussed at the March 25, 2025 webinar.
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