As a member of the Advisory Council on Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass, I try to keep informed on the status of those fish, as well as bluefish, because I also sit on that advisory council. Then there are my beloved striped bass that I have worked on since the early 1970s, and my interest in menhaden goes back to my days as executive director of the Virginia Coastal Conservation Association.
I am happy to report that the good folks at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council have finally allocated a few more fish from the commercial side to the recreational side of the ledger. When I say a few, summer flounder went from 40% to 45% of total landings. Scup (porgies) went from 22% to 35%, and black sea bass went from 51% to 55% of total landings.
Those original numbers were developed in the 1990s, and in spite of loud and long protests from some of us recreational fishermen, they have held fast for the past 30 years. As much as I dislike the Marine Recreational Information Program, it seems those numbers finally showed just how many fish we catch and that we do deserve more of the overall allocation.
On Nov. 30, I attended the advisory council meeting where we hashed out our recommendations for the recreational seasons, size and bag limits for the 2023 season for summer flounder, scup and black sea bass.
I wish I had more confidence in what we say becoming the actual regulations. As I said earlier, I also sit on the bluefish advisory council, and several of us on that council wanted to do away with the division of bluefish, with for-hire boats getting more fish per person than a recreational fisherman standing on shore or his or her own boat. When the final regulations came out, I saw that no change was made.
I am happy to say that, so far, the bag limits remain the same for summer flounder, scup and black sea bass for all recreational fishermen no matter where they choose to fish. This is as it should be.
As for black sea bass regulations, you may recall that the population is two-and-a-half times the amount for a sustainable fishery. Even so, in 2023, they raised the minimum size and shortened the season. I must admit a 13-inch sea bass is not that hard to catch. On my last sea bass trip, I had my limit by noon. However, I do believe a longer season is called for.
I do like opening the season in May, but why not run it through January? With global warming, the fish will stay closer to shore later in the year, and if the few boats that remain in the water that late in the year want to run for sea bass along with the tog, why not?
As for scup, I really have no opinion. We are just beginning to see them back in Delaware, and that sounds to me as though their population is expanding. They received the largest amount from the new allocation and currently have a 10-inch minimum size limit and a 50-fish bag limit.
Summer flounder are still experiencing poor reproduction – a fact that seemed to contradict the lowering of the minimum size limit to 16 inches in 2022. I plan to ask about that thought process.
It seemed that folks who knew how to catch flounder caught flounder last year. The best fishing was in the ocean, but Delaware Bay had decent action early in the season. I see no reason to change the current regulations.
I am anxious to see what happens at this advisory council meeting and what the results of our decisions turn out to be. I will keep you informed.
Menhaden
Menhaden have been a hot subject for years. Back when I was on the board of the Delaware Wildlife Federation, as soon as they closed the menhaden plant in Lewes, we pushed for and got legislation outlawing the taking of menhaden in state waters.
I fought with them in Virginia, but soon learned that was like joshing windmills. Omega Protein owned every politician in the commonwealth.
About two weeks ago, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission released a report that raised the overall quota on menhaden. The exact same day, I got a press release from a conservation group in Virginia that they were going to introduce legislation for a two-year moratorium on menhaden fishing in the commonwealth. Honest, folks, you can’t make this stuff up. That must be a very new conservation group, and they will learn a very old lesson.
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Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age. Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. He has been the regional editor for several publications and was the founding editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman magazine. Eric is the author of three books: Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast, The Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing and Fishing Saltwater Baits. He and his wife Barbara live near Milton, Delaware. Eric can be reached at Eburnle@aol.com.
