- Explore:
Atlantic striped bass was declared overfished in 2019 and is subject to a rebuilding plan that requires the stock to be rebuilt to its spawning stock biomass target by 2029. The 2024 Stock Assessment Update completed in October 2024 and the follow-up projection updates completed in December 2024 provided the Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board the latest current information on stock status and rebuilding. The Board has put more restrictive measures in place since 2019 to address overfishing and contribute to stock rebuilding based on the assessment and projections. While the 2024 Stock Assessment Update indicates the resource is no longer experiencing overfishing, it remains overfished. Short-term projections in the assessment estimate the probability of rebuilding by 2029 is less than 50%, with an estimated an increase in fishing mortality in 2025 due to the above-average 2018 year-class entering the current recreational ocean slot limit combined with the lack of strong year-classes behind it.
In response to the 2024 Stock Assessment Update and the updated projections, the Board initiated Draft Addendum III to consider recreational and commercial management measures for 2026 to support rebuilding the stock by 2029. This action is intended to increase the probability of rebuilding the stock by adjusting 2026 management measures to ensure the stock is on the necessary rebuilding trajectory. A range of reductions for the recreational and commercial fisheries will be considered. Recreational fishery reductions will consider season and size limits that account for regional differences, including no-harvest and no-targeting closures. Commercial fishery reductions will consider quota reductions. The Board intends to take final action no later than October 2025 with implementation in early 2026.
Phase
Status
December 2024: Board initiated Draft Addendum III
Completed
Early 2025: Plan Development Team develops Draft Addendum for Board consideration
Completed
February 2025: Board provides additional input on Draft Addendum III
Completed
Plan Development Team continues development of Draft Addendum based on Board input
Active
Board approves Draft Addendum III for Public Comment
Spring/Summer 2025
Draft Addendum III Public Comment Period, including Public Hearings
Summer/Fall 2025
Board considers final approval of Addendum III
October 2025
Implementation of Addendum III
TBD
Public Comment
To ensure fair opportunity for public input, ASMFC offers opportunities for verbal comments on certain actions. Written comments are accepted following a specific timeline for inclusion in meeting materials. Read the guidelines for more information.
Comment Guidelines
You may submit public comment by attending a public hearing held in your state or jurisdiction or mailing, faxing, or emailing written comments to the address below. Only comments received at a public hearing or written comments submitted to the Commission will become part of the public comment record.
- Mail: Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, 1050 North Highland Street, Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201
- Email: comments@asmfc.org; Subject line: Xxxxx
- Fax: (703) 842-0740
Contacts
- Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, EFranke@asmfc.org or (703) 842-0740
Action Development Timeline & Documents
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.
October 2019
The Board approves Addendum VI to Amendment 6 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.
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.
May 2023
The Board takes emergency action 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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Next Steps
The Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board will meet in May to consider approval for public comment Draft Addendum III on proposed management measures for 2026. The draft addendum will be developed in early 2025 and the Board will consider approving it for public comment in May 2025 or August 2025. Public hearings and a public comment period will occur in either Summer or early Fall 2025. Final action on the draft addendum is planned for no later than October 2025 with implementation in early 2026.