The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission are holding five online public hearings and a period for written comments. These hearings are to gather public input on changes to how fish like summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass are divided between commercial and recreational fishing. The existing allocations are based on historical data from the 1990s, which may no longer be accurate due to recent changes in how recreational catches are estimated. The aim is to review whether adjustments are needed and if some catches should be transferred between sectors based on their respective needs.
Simple Explanation
The people who help decide how many fish can be caught are asking folks to join online meetings to talk about changing the rules for catching certain fish, like summer flounder and black sea bass. They want to know if they should share the fish differently between people catching fish for fun and people catching fish to sell, since the old way of counting isn't as good anymore.