Workshop Dates: 9/23 & 9/24/2026
Last week I participated in a two-day Recreational Sector Separation Stakeholder Workshop in Baltimore hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) where recreational mode management for black sea bass, summer flounder, scup and bluefish was discusses. While the workshop was called “sector separation” it was really based around the topic of mode split. Meaning private and for-hire modes may be split to offer each mode better satisfaction.
Think Bluefish… NJ private anglers get a 5 fish bag. NJ anglers fishing aboard For-hire vessels get a 7 fish bag. Last year it was 3/5. This is real life separation or mode management. While we are experiencing a difference in bag, it could be a different season and/or different minimum size or a combination of the three. For example, maybe headboats get less days to fluke but they get a 1″ smaller minimum size. Imagine a shore based angler get a shorter fish similar to the current regulation that exists for fluke at Island Beach State Park. Just for clarification there is already existing mode splits in other states too.
While this may sound great to some and it very well may be, I feel it is a slippery slope. We must be careful to ensure that mode management does not unnecessarily divide the recreational fishing community and create competition between modes/groups that ultimately share the same harvest limit.
Percent Change Approach will still be used and the process will still compare the combined harvest estimate of the entire recreational fishery to the RHL (recreational harvest limit). So there’s only one pizza pie.
The more a pie gets cut, the more crumbs are lost. But I believe there is reason to explore the possibilities. One look at Long Beach Island’s headboat history and current state shows it’s obvious the local boats and the region’s fleet needs help. There’s only two headboats left here… Miss Barnegat Light and Miss Beach Haven.
Among many topics we explored and commented on permitting, limited entry, tiered permit system, minimum requirements for participation as well as enhanced state level reporting. I also made sure to share my perspective that private boats and some six-pack for hire charters have a huge advantage over traditional headboats. These smaller boats are nimble and much more effective at catching fish with a tackle and technology edge. I’ll mention just a couple; speed, trolling motors. Letting every six pack charter operation join the mode may turn into chaos hence the topic/discussion on a two tier permit system (with criteria requirements and thresholds) and/or a letter of authorization program.
Right now it’s really all about exploring the process and guidelines to see if improvements can be made and how stakeholders feel about these needs and concern. The Council’s consideration will be later in 2026 and early 2027. It was a two day workshop so there’s far too much to share here, but I want to encourage all anglers to follow the MAFMC for updates.
For more info… MAFMC Workshop Webpage
