NOAA Fisheries is proposing the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s recommended 2025 summer flounder, scup, and bluefish specifications. These specifications are consistent with those adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission). The proposed catch limits are based on the results of recently conducted stock assessments for summer flounder, scup, and bluefish, and the recommendations of the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee for all three species. We are proposing 2025 specifications for black sea bass consistent with those adopted by the Commission.
| 2025 Specifications | Scup | Black Sea Bass | Summer Flounder | Bluefish |
| Overfishing Limit (OFL) | 42.19 | 17.01 | 24.97 | 27.49 |
| Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) | 41.31 | 16.66 | 19.32 | 21.83 |
| Commercial ACL = Commercial Annual Catch Target (ACT) | 26.85 | 7.50 | 10.62 | 3.06 |
| Commercial Quota | 19.54 | 6.00 | 8.79 | 3.03 |
| Recreational ACL = ACT | 14.46 | 9.16 | 8.69 | 18.78 |
| Recreational Harvest Limit | 12.31 | 6.27 | 6.35 | 15.70 |
The final summer flounder commercial state quotas will be published in the final rule, including any necessary adjustments for overages.
No changes to the Federal commercial or recreational management measures are proposed.
