NOAA Proposes Catch Limits for Flounder, Bass, and Bluefish Fisheries
Published Date: 12/9/2025
Proposed Rule
Summary
Fishermen and seafood lovers, listen up! The government is proposing new fishing limits for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish for 2026 and 2027 to keep fish populations healthy and avoid overfishing. These changes could affect how much fish can be caught, so comments are open until December 24, 2025—time to have your say!
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Summer flounder quotas rise for 2026–2027
The rule proposes a constant ABC of 30.01 million lb for summer flounder in 2026 and 2027 and applies a 12% management uncertainty buffer. That produces a 2026 commercial quota of 12.78 million lb and a 2026 recreational harvest limit of 8.79 million lb, which the document says are 45% and 38% higher than 2025 levels, respectively.
Summer flounder recreational limits rise
The proposed recreational harvest limit for summer flounder is 8.79 million lb for 2026 (3,987 mt), a 38% increase compared to 2025. State-by-state initial quotas for 2026 are listed (for example, NJ 1,996,428 lb; NC 3,020,269 lb).
Black sea bass quotas and 5% in-season buffer
The proposed 2026-2027 black sea bass ABC is 21.34 million lb with a commercial quota of 7.83 million lb and a recreational harvest limit of 8.14 million lb. The rule proposes a 5% in-season commercial closure buffer so the commercial fishery could be allowed to reach up to 105% of the quota before closing.
Scup commercial quota slightly down in 2026
The proposed 2026 scup commercial quota is 17.7 million lb (8,029 mt), which the rule says is a small decrease compared to 2025. Recreational harvest limits are proposed at 13.17 million lb (5,974 mt) in 2026.
Bluefish commercial quota jumps, coastwide shares listed
The proposed 2026 bluefish commercial quota is 4.66 million lb (2,115 mt), a 42% increase from 2025; the projected 2027 commercial quota is 4.75 million lb (2,153 mt), a 44% increase from 2025. Table 9 lists initial State commercial allocations (for example, NC ~1,493,521 lb in 2026; NY ~796,248 lb in 2026).
Bluefish recreational bag limits increase
The rule proposes to increase bluefish recreational bag limits by 2 fish: private anglers would be allowed up to 5 bluefish per day and for-hire anglers up to 7 bluefish per person per day. The proposed 2026 recreational harvest limit is 22.02 million lb (9,987 mt), a 33% increase from 2025.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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