We are proposing the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s recommended 2024 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass specifications, and projected 2025 specifications for summer flounder and scup. The proposed catch limits are based on the results of recently conducted stock assessments for summer flounder and scup, and the recommendations of the Council’s Science and Statistical Committee for all three species.
| 2024 Specifications | Scup | Black Sea Bass | Summer Flounder |
| Overfishing Limit (OFL) | 44.74 | 17.01 | 22.98 |
| Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) | 43.82 | 16.66 | 19.32 |
| Commercial ACL = Commercial Annual Catch Target (ACT) | 28.48 | 7.50 | 10.62 |
| Commercial Quota | 21.15 | 6.00 | 8.79 |
| Recreational ACL = ACT | 15.34 | 9.16 | 8.69 |
| Recreational Harvest Limit | 13.18 | 6.27 | 6.35 |
| Projected 2025 Specifications | Scup | Summer Flounder |
| Overfishing Limit (OFL) | 40.58 | 24.97 |
| Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) | 39.74 | 19.32 |
| Commercial ACL = Commercial Annual Catch Target (ACT) | 25.83 | 10.62 |
| Commercial Quota | 18.80 | 8.79 |
| Recreational ACL = ACT | 13.91 | 8.69 |
| Recreational Harvest Limit | 11.84 | 6.35 |
The final summer flounder commercial state quotas will be published in the final rule, including any necessary adjustments for overages.
No changes to the federal commercial management measures are proposed.
Through this action, we will also consider removing the January 1-April 30 federal recreational scup closure. In the fall, additional recreational data and model results will be available, allowing us to determine if it is appropriate to remove the closure. If there is insufficient data, or if we determine that the closure is necessary to constrain scup harvest to the required levels, we will not remove the closure. We will announce our final decision on the closure in the final rule for this action.
