New Limits on Flounder and Bass Catches to Save Ocean Stocks
Published Date: 4/30/2026
Rule
Summary
Starting April 30, 2026, new fishing rules for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass will help keep fish populations healthy by limiting how many recreational anglers can catch. These changes affect anyone who fishes for these species in the Northeastern U.S. and aim to prevent overfishing while keeping the fun going for 2026 and 2027. Anglers should watch for updated limits and be ready to follow new rules to protect our ocean friends.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Summer flounder: States’ rules apply
Starting April 30, 2026, Federal recreational measures for summer flounder are waived for 2026 and 2027 so that the state measures adopted by the states of Maine through North Carolina apply instead. The non-preferred coastwide measures (if used) are an 18.5-inch minimum size, a three-fish possession limit, and a May 8 through September 30 season, while the precautionary default (not required for 2026–2027) would be a 20.0-inch minimum, two-fish limit, and July 1–August 31 season. NMFS approved the states’ conservation-equivalent measures after the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission certified them.
Black sea bass: 20% liberalization approved
Effective April 30, 2026, NMFS approved conservation equivalency for black sea bass for 2026 and 2027 and modified the coastwide (non-preferred) measures to reflect a 20-percent liberalization. The modified coastwide measures would be a 14-inch minimum size, a five-fish possession limit, and a May 15 through September 30 season; the new recreational harvest target is 7.03 million lb (3,189 mt) compared to the projected 5.86 million lb (2,658 mt) and the 2026–2027 RHL of 8.14 million lb (3,692 mt). States of Maine through North Carolina were certified as collectively conservation equivalent.
For-hire and vessel landing rules clarified
Effective April 30, 2026, federally permitted party/charter vessels and recreational vessels fishing in Federal waters must follow the recreational fishing measures of the state in which they land for summer flounder and black sea bass in 2026 and 2027. This waives the usual Federal requirement that for-hire vessels comply with the more restrictive coastwide measures when state and Federal measures differ, and it helps avoid cancellations or unequal restrictions across states (for example, season openings that differ by state).
Scup rules remain unchanged
For scup, NMFS kept 2026–2027 Federal recreational measures unchanged. Scup measures remain a 10-inch (25.4-cm) minimum fish size, a 40-fish per-person possession limit, and an open season from January 1 through December 31; the median projected harvest is 15.77 million lb with an 80-percent confidence interval of 14.08–17.67 million lb, and the average 2026–2027 RHL is 12.38 million lb.
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