Atlantic Striped Bass Draft Addendum III

April 2019

The Board accepts the 2019 Benchmark Assessment for management use. The assessment indicates the resource is overfished and experiencing overfishing. Per the Fishery Management Plan, an overfished designation requires the Board to rebuild the stock to its spawning stock biomass target within 10 years (by 2029). In response to the overfishing designation, the Board initiated Draft Addendum VI to Amendment VI to reduce fishing mortality to the fishing mortality target level.

• Benchmark Stock Assessment Overview

October 2019

The Board approves Addendum VI to Amendment 6, which calls for the states to implement measures designed to achieve an 18% reduction in fishery removals to bring fishing mortality to the target. The Addendum also mandates the use of circle hooks when fishing with bait to reduce release mortality in recreational striped bass fisheries. State implementation was required by April 1, 2020.

• Addendum VI to Amendment 6

May 2022

The Board approves Amendment 7, which builds upon previous action to address overfishing and initiate rebuilding. Amendment 7 strengthens the Commission’s ability to reach the rebuilding goal by implementing a more conservative recruitment trigger, providing more formal guidance around uncertainty in the conservation equivalency process, and implementing measures intended to increase the chance of survival after catch and release in the recreational fishery. All provisions of Amendment 7 were effective May 5, 2022 except gear restrictions. States were required to implement new gear restrictions by January 1, 2023.

• Amendment 7

May 2023

The Board takes emergency action for the states to change the recreational size limit in response to unprecedented recreational harvest in 2022 and new stock rebuilding projections. The emergency action implemented a 31-inch maximum size limit for recreational fisheries to reduce harvest of the strong 2015-year class. The emergency action was effective until May 1, 2024, at which point it was replaced by Addendum II to Amendment 7 measures, described below.

• Press release: ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Board Acts to Support Stock Rebuilding through Emergency Action and Addendum II Initiation: Addendum I Approved to Allow Ocean Commercial Quota Transfers Contingent on Stock Status

January 2024

The Board approves Addendum II to Amendment 7 to reduce fishing mortality in 2024 and support stock rebuilding. For the ocean recreational fishery, the Addendum maintains the same ocean recreational measures adopted under the 2023 emergency action: a 28” to 31” slot limit, 1-fish bag limit, and status quo season dates. For the Chesapeake Bay recreational fishery, the Addendum implements a 19” to 24” slot limit, 1-fish bag limit, and maintains 2022 season dates. For the commercial fishery, the Addendum reduces commercial quotas by 7% in both the ocean and Chesapeake Bay. The Addendum also allows the Board to respond to a stock assessment via Board action if the stock is not projected to rebuild by 2029. All Addendum II measures were required to be implemented by the states no later than May 1, 2024.

• Addendum II to Amendment 7

October 2024

Board receives results of 2024 Stock Assessment. The assessment projections estimate a less than 50% probability of rebuilding the stock. In response, the Board schedules a special Board meeting in December 2024 and tasks the Technical Committee with updating projections based on additional 2024 catch data and developing potential 2025 management options for consideration.

• 2024 Stock Assessment Update
• Press release: Atlantic Striped Bass Stock Assessment Update Finds Resource Remains Overfished with A Less Than 50% Chance of Rebuilding by 2029

December 2024

The Board meets to consider the updated projections in the Technical Committee report, public comments, and the Advisory Panel report. After deliberating either immediate Board action to reduce fishing mortality in 2025 or an addendum to consider changing 2026 management measures, the Board initiates Draft Addendum III to consider recreational and commercial management measures for 2026 to support stock rebuilding by 2029. The draft addendum will consider a range of reductions for the recreational and commercial fisheries, including recreational season and size limits that take into account regional differences, and no-harvest and no-targeting closures.

• Press release: Atlantic Striped Bass Board Initiates Addendum to Consider 2026 Management Measures 

February 2025

The Board provided guidance to the Plan Development Team (PDT) on the scope of management options for Draft Addendum III on 2026 measures. Per the Board’s motion from December 2024 initiating the addendum, the PDT will consider potential reductions based on projections incorporating preliminary estimates of 2024 removals. The Board requested options be developed for both a 50% and 60% probability of rebuilding stock. In addition, the Board requested sensitivity runs with varying assumptions for recruitment and future fishing mortality past the 2029 rebuilding deadline to provide information about potential future population trends as recent poor year-classes mature and enter the spawning stock biomass. For options to meet a 2026 reduction, the PDT will consider options for sector contributions to the reduction. For any commercial reduction, the PDT will consider commercial quota reductions. The Board added an option to consider requiring commercial tagging at the point of harvest but decided not to address commercial reallocation in this addendum.

For any recreational reduction in Draft Addendum III, the PDT will consider size limit changes and/or season closures, including mode split options, but will not consider possession limit changes as decided by the Board. For recreational size limits, the Board specified consideration of both minimum size limits and slot limits, with no slots narrower than 3” and no ocean size limits below 28”. For ocean recreational season closures, options will include no-harvest and no-targeting closures and the Board requested consideration of equity from multiple perspectives, including percent reduction by region, access/seasonality by region, and socioeconomic impacts. The Board requested ocean seasonal closures options with two or three ocean regions, but an ocean region cannot be comprised of a single state. Closures can be split between two Waves, and a coastwide closure option could be considered using this structure of a split closure. The Board also noted the PDT should consider both the shortest possible closure options and longer closure options at a different time. For the Maryland Chesapeake Bay recreational season, the Board agreed Maryland could explore a possible change to their baseline (status quo) season for review by the TC. At the 2025 Spring Meeting, the Board will consider whether to include a Maryland baseline season option in the Draft Addendum. Finally, the Board added an option to consider standardizing the method to measure total length for striped bass (i.e., pinching the tail).

• 2025 Winter Meeting Summary

May 2025

The Board reviewed and discussed the proposed management options in Draft Addendum III covering three issues: reduction in fishery removals to support rebuilding; commercial tagging at point of harvest vs. point of sale (added by the Board in February 2025); measuring total length of striped bass (added by the Board in February 2025). After lengthy discussion on whether to move forward with considering a reduction in fishery removals for 2026, the Board voted to keep options for a 2026 reduction in the draft addendum. The Board shortened the list of possible recreational options to achieve the reduction by removing some recreational mode split options and removing the ocean size limit options. The Board also removed the option for a 0.8% commercial quota reduction since it was similar to the 0% commercial quota reduction option. The Board requested an additional option be added for New England seasonal closures considering a dual closure in Wave 3 and Wave 5. The Board also agreed that seasonal closure options must be a minimum of 14-days in duration with the exception of closures added to existing closures. The Board also requested adding text to explain the complexities with potential closures in North Carolina (due to limited fish availability) and potential closures in New York during Wave 2 or Wave 6 (due to existing New York season closures).

The Board also discussed adding a fourth issue to the Draft Addendum considering Maryland’s recreational season baseline. The Board agreed to add Maryland’s proposed option for a new season baseline to the Draft Addendum contingent on upon a review by the Technical Committee/Stock Assessment Subcommittee. The Board requested the Technical Committee/Stock Assessment Subcommittee discuss the modifications to Maryland’s methodology, the assumption of constant effort when opening a current closure, and any biological impacts that should be considered from the proposed season changes (e.g., impacts on fish staging for spawning in the spring).

The Plan Development Team will revise the Draft Addendum based on the above changes, and the Board will consider approving the revised draft addendum for public comment in August 2025.

• 2025 Spring Meeting Summary

August 2025

The Board approved Draft Addendum III for public comment after making several modifications to the management options. Based on updated projections incorporating final MRIP estimates for 2024, the stock projections indicate a 12% reduction is needed to achieve a 50% probability of rebuilding by 2029 and an 18% reduction is needed for a 60% probability of rebuilding. The Board removed the options for an 18% reduction and only move forward with options for a 12% reduction. The Board also removed the option considering no commercial reduction, so the draft addendum considers equal 12% reductions for the commercial and recreational sectors. The Board narrowed down the number of options for Chesapeake Bay mode split options and the uncertainty buffer options for Maryland’s proposed recreational season baseline. For no-targeting closures, the Board removed one of the two assumptions about angler behavior resulting in one set of no-targeting closure options instead of two sets. Finally, the Board added an option for commercial tagging to consider requiring tagging by first point of landing.

• Press release: Atlantic Striped Bass Board Approves Draft Addendum III for Public Comment
• Press release: States Schedule Public Hearings on Atlantic Striped Bass Draft Addendum III (revised)

September/October 2025

Draft Addendum III public comment period and public hearings.

October 2025

The Board approved Addendum III without a reduction in fishery removals. The Addendum does modify requirements for commercial tagging programs, implements a standard method of measuring total length for size limit regulations, and allows Maryland to change its Chesapeake Bay recreational season baseline if the state so chooses.

The Board did not move forward with the proposed 12% reduction in fishery removals after lengthy deliberation. The Board reviewed the preliminary estimates of 2025 recreational catch through June, which were lower than anticipated. Board members and public comments were sharply divided on the issue. Ultimately, the Board maintained current recreational measures and commercial quotas, noting the severe economic consequences of the proposed reduction, the low fishing mortality rate in 2024, and preliminary indications of lower catch in 2025. However, the Board continued to express concern about the 7 consecutive years of low recruitment in Chesapeake Bay and the impact on the stock as those weak year-classes become the majority of the spawning stock biomass after 2029. To address this, the Board approved the establishment of a Work Group to consider these upcoming stock and management challenges beyond 2029. The Board will further discuss the specific tasks and timing of this Work Group at subsequent Board meetings.

For commercial tagging, the Addendum requires commercially-harvested striped bass to be tagged by the first point of landing. The three states that will need to switch their tagging program from point of sale to point of landing have until the end of 2028 to make that change due to the extensive administrative and programmatic transition needed. For measuring total length, the Addendum specifies that when measuring total length of a striped bass it must be a straight-line measurement with upper and lower fork of the tail squeezed together. This definition applies to both sectors. States that do not have the new definition in place already have until January 1, 2027 to make changes to their state regulations. For Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay recreational fishery, the Board approved Maryland’s ability to change its recreational season baseline (i.e., the timing, type, and duration of striped bass closures throughout the year) if the state so chooses. Maryland will notify the Board of its decision by December 31, 2025.

• Press release: ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Board Approves Addendum III Without Reductions in Fishery Removals

Next Steps

A benchmark stock assessment is ongoing with expected completion and peer review in Spring 2027.

States will implement the Addendum III total length definition by 2027 and the commercial tagging measures by 2028. The Board will discuss the timeline and tasks for the Work Group addressing stock and management challenges beyond 2029. The benchmark stock assessment is ongoing with expected completion in Spring 2027.