Recreational Reform Initiative

The Recreational Reform Initiative is an effort of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) to improve management of the recreational fisheries for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish.

The goals of the Initiative are to (1) provide stability in the recreational bag, size, and season limits, (2) develop strategies to increase management flexibility, and (3) achieve accessibility aligned with availability/stock status for all four species.

This initiative aims to address a range of recreational management challenges, including widespread angler dissatisfaction with some recreational management measures, stakeholder perceptions that measures are not reflective of stock status, and concerns about how Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) data are used to manage these fisheries.

Recreational Reform Management Actions

The Council and Commission have developed or initiated several fishery management actions as part of the Recreational Reform Initiative:

1. Recreational Harvest Control Rule Framework/Addenda (Completed)

The Recreational Harvest Control Rule Framework/Addenda was the first management action developed under the Recreational Reform Initiative. This action revised the process used to set recreational bag, size, and season limits (i.e., recreational measures) for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish. The framework/addenda established a new approach, referred to as the Percent Change Approach, which was first used to set recreational measures for 2023. In adopting the Percent Change Approach, the Council and Commission agreed it should sunset by the end of 2025 with the goal of considering an improved measures setting process starting with 2026 measures. Visit the action page for additional information.

2. Recreational Measures Setting Process Framework/Addenda (Completed)

Through the Recreational Measures Setting Process Framework/Addenda, the Council and Commission considered options to modify or replace the Percent Change Approach after the sunset period. The Council and Commission took final action on the framework/addenda at the April 2025 Council Meeting, voting to maintain the Percent Change Approach with several modifications. Visit the action page for additional information and status updates.

3. Recreational Sector Separation Amendment (In Progress)

The Council and Commission are also developing an amendment that considers two main issues: 1) recreational mode management (separate for-hire and private mode management measures or strategies), and 2) for-hire permitting and reporting requirements. Visit the action page for additional information and status updates.

Discontinued Recreational Reform Actions: The Council and Commission previously considered development of a technical guidance document to address several topics, including best practices for identifying and smoothing MRIP outlier estimates, use of preliminary current year MRIP data, and guidelines for maintaining status quo recreational measures. In December 2022, they agreed the technical guidance document is no longer a priority as many of these topics have already been at least partially addressed through other actions, including development of the Recreation Demand Model for setting recreational bag, size, and season limits.

Timeline and Documents

Note: The timeline below highlights discussions and milestones related to the Recreational Reform Initiative as a whole. For details and updates on specific management actions, please visit the action pages linked in the previous section.

October 2019 Council and Board Meeting – Reviewed and provided feedback on steering committee recommendations

June 2020 Council/Board Meeting – Reviewed draft outline and discussed next steps

August 6, 2020 Council/Board Meeting – Received update and discussed next steps

October 2020 Council/Board Meeting – Reviewed topics and initiated management actions

December 2020 Council/Board Meeting – Received update

February 1, 2021 Council/Policy Board Meeting – agreed to focus on Harvest Control Rule Framework/Addenda as an immediate priority

December 2022 Council/Policy Board Meeting - reviewed and prioritized previously initiated recreational reform actions

Contacts

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission: