Below is a Myrtle Beach Sun News article about actions taken so far at this week’s South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Raleigh. It’s important to note that the black sea bass stock assessment justified an annual catch limit (ACL) of about 900,000 lbs., a 25 percent increase over the current ACL of 718,000 lbs.
However, since NOAA does a poor job of tracking both the recreational and commercial catches, substantial ACL overages occurred in the past year, which were subtracted from the 900,000 lbs., meaning that the current 718,000 lbs. ACL will stay in place for the next two fishing years.
The increase in the recreational size limit to 13" is an attempt to try to extend the season beyond August, if possible. The new size limit is projected to reduce the recreational catch by about 20 percent.
On the commercial side, the council went with a 2,500 lbs. catch history endorsement, a 1,000 lbs. trip limit, limited vessels to no more than 35 traps, and increased the size limit to 11". It’s still likely that the commercial quota will be met within 60 days.
No good news.
Tom Swatzel
Posted on Thu, Dec. 08, 2011- The Sun News
Fishermen get good, bad news on black sea bass limits
By Gregg Holshouser
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council received a new stock assessment on black sea bass this week and also was set to vote on new size limits for the species at its final meeting of 2011 in Raleigh, N.C.
The stock assessment determined that black sea bass are no longer overfished and the annual catch limit (ACL) could be increased substantially, which is good news for fishermen, according to council member Tom Swatzel of Murrells Inlet.
There is a caveat, however.
Because NOAA does a poor job of tracking both the commercial and recreational catch, the ACLs were substantially exceeded for a number of years, Swatzel said. So by law those overages are being subtracted from the new annual catch limit, (which makes it)
