Proposed Increase in Bluefish Harvests

NOAA Fisheries is proposing the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s recommended catch specifications for the 2022 and 2023 bluefish fishery. These proposed catch limits were developed using a 2021 assessment update and under the measures implemented by Amendment 7 to the Bluefish Fishery Management Plan. This action would increase the commercial quota and recreational harvest limit in both 2022 and 2023 (Table 1), in accordance with the first year of the rebuilding plan.

Table 1. Comparison of Current 2021, Proposed 2022, and Projected 2023 Bluefish Specifications (million lb).

	2021 (Current)	2022 (Proposed)	2023 (Projected)
Overfishing Limit	32.98	40.56	45.17
Acceptable Biological Catch = Annual Catch Limit (ACL)	16.28	25.26	30.62
Commercial ACL = Commercial Annual Catch Target (ACT)	2.77	3.54	4.29
Recreational ACL = Recreational ACT	13.51	21.73	26.34
Commercial Total Allowable Landings (TAL)	2.77	3.54	4.29
Recreational TAL	8.34	13.89	22.14
Sector Transfer	0	0	0
Commercial Quota	2.77	3.54	4.29
Recreational Harvest Limit	8.34	13.89	22.14

The commercial fishery state allocations (Table 2) are based on the final coast-wide commercial quota and the phased-in changes to the allocated percentages to the states defined in the Bluefish Fishery Management Plan specified in Amendment 7. No states exceeded their state allocated quota in 2020 or are projected to do so in 2021, so no adjustments are necessary for the 2022 commercial fishery.

Table 2. Proposed 2022 and Projected 2023 Bluefish State Commercial Quota Allocations.

	2022 (Proposed)		2023 (Projected)
State	Percent Share	Quota (pounds)	Percent Share	Quota (pounds)
Maine	0.59	20,819	0.51	21,807
New Hampshire	0.39	13,655	0.36	15,331
Massachusetts	7.20	254,748	7.69	329,578
Rhode Island	7.21	254,956	7.61	326,165
Connecticut	1.24	43,885	1.22	52,094
New York	11.72	414,693	13.06	560,031
New Jersey	14.68	519,158	14.54	623,295
Delaware	1.68	59,442	1.48	63,572
Maryland	2.85	100,698	2.69	115,409
Virginia	11.02	389,802	10.16	435,625
North Carolina	32.06	1,133,855	32.05	1,374,077
South Carolina	0.04	1,590	0.05	2,344
Georgia	0.02	805	0.04	1,544
Florida	9.31	329,137	8.55	366,585
Total	100.00	3,537,096	100.01	4,287,109

All other management measures and requirements, including the recreational daily bag limit of 3 fish per person for private anglers and 5 fish per person for for-hire (charter/party) vessels, would remain unchanged.

For more details on the proposed specifications, read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal. The comment period is open through December 17, 2021.

Questions?

Fishermen: Contact Cynthia Ferrio, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 978-281-9180

Media: Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, 978-281-9103

Please follow and like us: