Scup

Scup

Stenotomus chrysops

Also Known As
Porgy, Maiden, Fair maid, Ironsides, Northern porgy

Quick Facts

Location
New England/Mid-Atlantic, Southeast

About the Species

The scup fishery in the U.S. operates from Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Scup undergo an extensive migration between coastal waters in the summer and offshore waters (outer continental shelf) in winter. They migrate offshore and south in the fall, returning north and inshore to coastal areas and bays in spring. The scup fishery predominantly uses trawls or handlines, but other gear includes longline, rod and reel, pot, trap, gillnet, spear, and dredge. The market for scup is for human consumption. U.S. wild-caught scup is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations. Implementing regulations are found at 50 CFR part 648 subpart H.

Population Status Icon

Population Level

Above target population level in the Mid-Atlantic and New England. The population level is unknown in the South Atlantic.

Fishing Status Icon

Fishing Status

At recommended level.

Habitat Impacts Icon

Habitat Impacts

Otter trawls can impact bottom habitat. Scup are mainly harvested over sand and mud habitats, which appear to be more resilient to the effects of trawling than more structured habitats, such as coral.

Bycatch Icon

Bycatch

Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch.

Status

  • According to the 2017 stock assessment for scup in the Mid-Atlantic and New England, scup are not overfished and are not subject to overfishing. The population status for scup has not been assessed in the South Atlantic region.
  • With greatly improved reproduction and survival rates and low fishing rates since 1998, Mid-Atlantic spawning stock biomass (a measure of the amount of scup able to reproduce) has steadily increased since the mid-1990s, up to about 190,000 metric tons in 2012, then down slightly to 183,000 metric tons in 2014.

Appearance

  • Scup are deep-bodied (deeper from back to belly than they are wide).
  • They are dusky brown with bright silvery reflections below and spiny fins.
  • Adult fins are mottled with dark brown, and young scup fins may be faintly barred.
  • Scup’s front teeth are very narrow, almost conical, and they have two rows of molars in the upper jaw.
  • Longspine porgy look similar to scup, but can be easily identified by the elongated spines on their backs.

Biology

  • Scup grow slowly, up to about 20 inches long and 4 pounds.
  • They can live a relatively long time, up to about 20 years.
  • Scup are able to reproduce when they reach age 2, when they’re about 8 inches long.
  • They spawn over weedy or sandy areas in southern New England from Massachusetts Bay south to the New York Bight from May through August, with peak activity in June.
  • Individual scup spawn once a year.
  • Most fish spawn at night, but scientists believe scup spawn in the morning.
  • Females release an average of 7,000 eggs, which are fertilized externally.
  • Scup are browsers – they nibble on invertebrates that live on the ocean bottom.
  • They are able to grasp food with their incisors and crush hard-shelled animals with their strong molars.
  • A variety of plankton-eaters—such as medusae, crustaceans, and fish—prey on scup larvae.
  • A number of fish and shorebirds prey on juvenile and adult scup.

Where They Live

  • Scup are found in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, primarily between Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Management

  • NOAA Fisheries, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission cooperatively manage the scup fishery north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
  • Individual states may set different regulations for the commercial scup fishery. Where state measures differ from federal regulations, federally permitted fishery participants must adhere to the more restrictive measures.
  • Managed under the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan:
    • Annual commercial quota is divided into three harvest periods: Winter I (January–April), Summer (May–October), and Winter II (November–December).
    • The Commission manages the summer quota with individual state quotas.
    • NOAA Fisheries monitors commercial harvests and closes the federal scup fishery when the quotas are reached.
    • Minimum size limits to prevent the harvest of young fish that likely haven’t yet reproduced.
    • Minimum mesh size requirements for trawl nets to reduce bycatch of undersized scup.
    • Scup pots and traps must have degradable hinges and escape vents to reduce bycatch and to prevent “ghost fishing” (when a lost trap continues to catch fish or lobster).
    • A moratorium on entry into the fishery.
    • Recreational anglers are subject to an annual harvest limit, minimum fish sizes, possession limits, and open harvest periods.
  • NOAA Fisheries and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council manage the black sea bass fishery south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
  • Managed under the South Atlantic Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan.
    • A small amount of scup is harvested in the South Atlantic. Scup are managed as part of a complex with several other porgy species.
    • The Snapper Grouper FMP requires fishermen to have a permit and to comply with gear restrictions. The complex is regulated through commercial and recreational annual catch limits and accountability measures to ensure overfishing does not occur.

Recreational Fishing Regulations

Possession and Size Requirements

There federal possession limit (bag limit) in the recreational scup fishery is 50 fish per person.

The federal minimum fish size is 9 inches.

There is no federal recreational season for scup (the fishery is open all year).

Please also check with your local state agency for any state or regional measures and requirements that may also apply.

 

Current Scup Specifications (January 1-December 31, 2019)

Overfishing Limit (OFL) 41.03 million lb
Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) 36.43 million lb
Commercial Annual Catch Limit (ACL) 28.42 million lb
Commercial Annual Catch Target (ACT) 28.42 million lb
Recreational ACL 8.01 million lb
Recreational ACT 8.01 million lb
Commercial Quota 23.98 million lb
Recreational Harvest Limit (RHL) 7.37 million lb

 

Reporting a Recreational Catch

Catch Reporting and Vessel Trip Reports (VTR)

For all charter/party permit holders, VTRs must be maintained on board the vessel and submitted to NOAA Fisheries for all fishing trips, regardless of species retained. Instructions for completing the VTR can be found online on our reporting page.

eVTRs

Charter/Party vessel permit owners and operators with a federal charter/party (for-hire) permit to fish for scup (and other Mid-Atlantic species) must submit the required VTR by electronic means through a software application approved by NOAA Fisheries. These electronic log VTRs must be submitted within 48 hours after entering port at the conclusion of a trip. More information of the eVTR requirements and help with electronic reporting can be found online on our reporting page.

Other Reporting Information

The recreational (charter/party) scup fishery does not have any Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), or specific observer requirements. However, all federally permitted vessels are obligated to carry an observer if randomly selected by the National Observer Program.

Reporting is not required for the private recreational fishery, but the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) is a system of voluntary coordinated data collection programs designed to estimate recreational catch and effort.

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Commercial Fishing Regulations

Possession and Size Requirements

Seasonal Federal Possession Limits

Quota Period Months Possession Limit(lb)
Winter I January to April 50,000
Summer May to September Not Applicable
Winter II October to December 12,000

Note:The Winter I possession limit will be reduced to 1,000 lb when 80% of that period’s quota is reached. The Winter II possession limit may be adjusted in association with a transfer of unused Winter I quota to the Winter II period.

  • No more than 50 scup are allowed to be possessed by any person unless that person is the owner or operator of a vessel that has a scup moratorium permit. 
  • The federal minimum fish size is 9 inches in total length.
  • Scup harvested by a vessel with a moratorium or charter/party scup permit, or from the EEZ north of 35°15.3; N. lat., may not be landed with the skin removed.
  • Please also check with your local state agency for any state or regional measures and requirements that may also apply.

 

Current Scup Specifications (January 1-December 31, 2019)

Overfishing Limit (OFL) 41.03 million lb
Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) 36.43 million lb
Commercial Annual Catch Limit (ACL) 28.42 million lb
Commercial Annual Catch Target (ACT) 28.42 million lb
Recreational ACL and ACT 8.01 million lb
Commercial Quota 23.98 million lb
Recreational Harvest Limit (RHL) 7.37 million lb

 

2019 Commercial Quota Period Allocations

Quota Period Months Quota (lb)
Winter I January to April 10,820,000
Summer May to September 9,340,986
Winter II* October to December 3,822,816
Total January to December 23,983,802

*If the Winter I quota is not fully harvested, unused quota from the Winter I period will be rolled over into the quota for the Winter II period.

 

Reporting A Commercial Catch

Catch Reporting and Vessel Trip Reports (VTR)

VTRs must be submitted with a record of all fishing activity for each month. The reports must be submitted to NOAA fisheries or postmarked within 15 days after the end of the reporting month. Reports can also be submitted electronically through our online reporting page.

Other Reporting Information

The commercial scup fishery does not have any Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), or specific observer requirements. However, all federally permitted vessels are obligated to carry an observer if randomly selected by the National Observer Program.

 

Commercial Gear Information

Otter trawlers –Vessels fishing under a scup moratorium permit must have a minimum mesh size of 5-inch diamond mesh applied throughout the codend for at least 75 continuous meshes forward of the terminus of the net, and all other nets are properly stowed.  For codends (including the extension) with less than 75 meshes, the entire trawl net must have a minimum mesh size of 5 inches throughout.

Vessels with a scup moratorium permit that are not fishing in compliance with the above mesh requirements, may retain no more than 1,000 lb of scup from October 1 to April 14, no more than 2,000 lb of scup from April 15 through June 15, and no more than 200 lb of scup from June 16 to September 30. Scup on board these vessels shall be stowed separately and kept readily available for inspection.

Roller gear – A fishing vessel shall not use roller rig trawl gear with rollers greater than 18 inches in diameter.

Pots and traps – Scup pots and traps must have degradable hinges, escape vents, and identification, as follows:

  • Degradable hinges made with:
    • Untreated hemp, jute, or cotton string of 3/16 in diameter or less; or
    • Magnesium allow, pop-up devices or similar magnesium alloy fasteners; or
    • Ungalvanized or uncoated iron wire of 0.094 in diameter or less.
  • Escape vents
    • Circular escape vent with 3.1 in minimum diameter; or
    • Square escape vent with sides of 2.25 in minimum length; or
    • Rectangular escape vent or equivalent size.
  • Identification
    • Marked with state identification (home port state); and/or
    • Marked with number assigned by the Regional Administrator.

More Information

Management Overview

The scup fishery is managed in state and federal waters by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, in conjunction with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. NOAA Fisheries serves as the implementing body for rules and regulations within the fishery.

The fishery is managed using minimum size, season, and a bag limit for the recreational fishery; and a coastwide seasonal quota, size limit, seasonal possession limits, and gear restrictions for the commercial fishery.

The fishing year runs from January 1 through December 31, and NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region's jurisdiction covers scup from Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina (35° 15.3’ N latitude).

Control Date for the Scup Fishery: Vessels with qualified landings of scup between January 26, 1988 and January 26, 1993.

There are two gear restricted areas (RGA) in Mid-Atlantic waters outlined in the scup regulations: The Northern Gear Restricted Area 1 and the Southern Gear Restricted Area. Vessels fishing for longfin squid, black sea bass, or whiting in the Northern GRA from November 1 through December 31, or in the Southern GRA from January 1 through March 15, must have a minimum mesh size of 5-inch diamond mesh. Vessels may transit these areas provided that net codends of smaller mesh are properly stowed and not available for immediate use.

Management Plans

Specifications/Quotas

The Scup Fishery Management Plan (FMP) requires the specification of catch and harvest limits for up to three years at a time. In 1997, Judge Robert Dumar ordered that specifications must publish before the fishing year begins.

 

Inseason Actions

If the coast-wide commercial scup quota is fully harvested in any one period, then the commercial scup fishery will be closed for that period until the quota for the next period becomes available. Additionally, for years in which the full Winter I commercial scup quota is not harvested, unused quota from the Winter I period will be added to the quota for the Winter II period. This will also allow adjustment of the commercial possession limit for the Winter II period based on the amount of quota rolled over from the Winter I period.

 

Current Scup Specifications (January 1-December 31, 2019)

Overfishing Limit (OFL) 41.03 million lb
Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) 36.43 million lb
Commercial Annual Catch Limit (ACL) 28.42 million lb
Commercial Annual Catch Target (ACT) 28.42 million lb
Recreational ACL and ACT 8.01 million lb
Commercial Quota 23.98 million lb
Recreational Harvest Limit (RHL) 7.37 million lb

 

2019 Commercial Quota Period Allocations

Quota Period Months Quota (lb)
Winter I January to April 10,820,000
Summer May to September 9,340,986
Winter II* October to December 3,822,816
Total January to December 23,983,802

*If the Winter I quota is not fully harvested, unused quota from the Winter I period will be rolled over into the quota for the Winter II period.

 

Accountability Measures (AM)

 

Commercial AM

Any overages of the annual coast-wide quota, for any given period, will be deducted from the quota allocation for that period the following year.

 

Recreational AM

The recreational sector ACL will be evaluated based on a 3-year moving average comparison of total catch (landings and dead discards). Both landings and dead discards will be evaluated in determining if the 3-year average recreational ACL has been exceeded. If available data indicate that the recreational sector ACL has been exceeded, the total catch exceeds the ABC, or the total catch exceeds the OFL, then a system of accountability measures will be used that are based on a combination of how high the overage is and what condition the stock is in. In other words, the status of the stock determines what type of management response would be implemented, including adjustment of management measures, scaled payback of overage, or pound-for-pound overage payback. These adjustments will be made in the following fishing year, or as soon as possible, as a single year adjustment.

Regulatory History

  • 1995 – Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council establish a joint management program for scup.
  • 1996 – Scup incorporated into Summer Flounder Fishery Management Plan (FMP) (Amendment 8); several management measures established including commercial quotas, recreational harvest limits, size limits, gear restrictions, permits, and reporting requirements.
  • 1997 – Amendment 10 modified commercial minimum mesh requirements, continued commercial vessel moratorium, and prohibited transfer of fish at sea.
  • 1998 – Amendment 11 modified certain provisions related to vessel replacement and upgrading, permit history transfer, splitting, and permit renewal regulations.
  • 1999 – Amendment 12 revised FMP to comply with the Sustainable Fisheries Act and established framework adjustment processes.
  • 2000 – Broad-scale Gear Restricted Areas are implemented to reduce discards of scup in small mesh fisheries for longfin squid and silver hake; size and boundaries of these areas were modified in late 2000 and again in 2005 in response to commercial fishing industry recommendations.
  • 2001 – Framework 1 established quota set-aside for research.
  • 2003 – Framework 3 allowed the rollover of winter scup quota, revised start date for summer quota period; Framework 4 established system to transfer scup at sea; and Amendment 13 addressed the disapproved sections of Amendment 12.
  • 2004 – Framework 5 established multi-year specification setting of quota.
  • 2005 – NOAA Fisheries notifies Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council that scup is overfished.
  • 2007 – Amendment 14 established a 7-year scup rebuilding plan; Framework 7 built flexibility into process to define and update status determination criteria, GRAs made modifiable through framework adjustment process; and Amendment 16 standardized bycatch reporting methodology.
  • 2008 – Rebuilding plan "clock" starts January 1 with deadline for scup to reach its target population level by December 31, 2014.
  • 2009 – Scup declared rebuilt ahead of schedule.
  • 2011 – Amendment 15 established annual catch limits and accountability measures.
  • 2014 – Amendment 19 changed recreational accountability measures.
  • 2015 – Amendment 17 implemented Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology.
  • 2015 – Amendment 18 eliminated the requirement for vessel owners to submit "did not fish" reports for months or weeks when their vessel was not fishing. Removed some of the restrictions for upgrading vessels listed on federal fishing permits.
  • 2016 – Framework 9 modified the Scup Gear Restricted Areas (GRAs) to maintain low levels of scup discards in small-mesh fisheries while allowing those fisheries to access longfin squid.
  • 2017 – Amendment 20 implemented management measures to prevent the development of new, and the expansion of existing, commercial fisheries on certain forage species in the Mid-Atlantic.

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Science

The most recent benchmark stock assessment for scup was in 2015, where the stock was declared not overfished and overfishing was not occurring. The next assessment for scup is an operational assessment, scheduled for August 2019. This operational assessment will incorporate revised Marine Recreational Information Program data.

 

Research, Surveys, & Data

Scup Stock Status Based on Most Recent (2015) Benchmark Stock Assessment
Stock Scup
Spawning Stock Biomass (SSB) 403.258 million lb (2014)
SSBMSY Proxy 192.467 million lb
SSB / ½ SSBMSY Proxy 4.19
Overfished Definition The stock is overfished when SSB < ½ SSBMSY
Overfished? No
Fishing Mortality Rate (F) 0.127 (2014)
FMSY 0.718
F/FMSY 0.177
Overfishing Definition Overfishing occurs when F > FMSY
Overfishing? No
Current Rebuilding Program? No. Scup stock declared rebuilt in 2009
Next Stock Assessment Operational assessment scheduled for Summer 2019

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Research

Bulletin

Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass 2019 Recreational Management Measures

Effective Date: July 2, 2019 Summer Flounder For the summer flounder recreational fishery, we are continuing &ldquo;conservation equivalency.&rdquo; This means we waive the federal recreational bag limit, minimum fish size, and fishing season, and

New England/Mid-Atlantic
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