New regulations for black sea bass and summer flounder may be imposed for Delaware beginning in 2014.

In December, 2013, the Atlantic States Fisheries Management Commission (ASFMC) proposed to manage summer flounder on a regional basis rather than state by state. Initial proposals placed Delaware under the management region with New York and New Jersey, but that alignment was not approved.  Instead, Delaware will be included in the Virginia and Maryland region if the commission elects to adopt regional management. A public hearing on the matter was held last night in Dover, but the (ASFMC) has not yet published minutes from that meeting as of this writing.

If Delaware is aligned with Maryland and Virginia, the state would have to adopt a 16-inch minimum for flounder. It is likely, too, that the new management alignment would force Delaware to reduce the black sea bass daily bag limit from the current 15 fish per day with a minimum size of 12.5 inches.

 

Black Sea Bass, Delaware, fish, Fishing, Flounder

By Sid

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