Mid Atlantic Saltwater Fishing Facts

Fishing Boats

Saltwater fishing is one of the most popular outdoor activities in the Mid Atlantic region.

This article includes a few facts about recreational saltwater fishing in the Mid Atlantic including popular species, statistics, regulations, and other information.

Mid Atlantic Facts - Statistics

According to Fisheries Economics of the United States (FEUS) 2016:

The Mid-Atlantic Region includes Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia. In 2016, there were 2.4 million recreational anglers who fished in the Mid-Atlantic Region, with14 million fishing trips taken.

In the report, recreational fishing refers to fishing for fun rather than to resell fish (commercial fishing) or for subsistence.

Key Mid-Atlantic Region Recreational Species:
• Atlantic croaker
• Black sea bass
• Bluefish
• Scup
• Spot
• Striped bass
• Summer flounder
• Tautog
• Weakfish drum
• Winter flounder

Top Mid Atlantic Catches:
summer flounder (12.2 million fish)
black sea bass (9.3 million fish)
and striped bass (8.6 million fish)

Top Catches by State:
Virginia caught the most Atlantic croaker and spot (5.6 million fish)
New Jersey caught the most summer flounder (6.9 million fish)
Maryland anglers caught the most striped bass (5.1 million fish)

Recreational Fishing Regulations

In the Mid Atlantic region, recreational fishing regulations are set by a combination of federal and state entities.

Federal Fisheries Management

Federal fisheries are generally defined as fishing activities that take place in the U.S.Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ, between 3 and 200 nautical miles from the coastline). Generally, individual states retain management authority over fishing activities within three nautical miles of their coasts.

The authority to manage federal fisheries in the United States was granted to the Secretary of Commerce by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).

NOAA Fisheries is the federal agency with delegated authority from the Secretary of Commerce to oversee fishing activities in federal waters.

The MSA has been reauthorized twice since its enactment, in 1996 and again in 2006.

The 2006 MSA reauthorization included a requirement to use annual catch limits (ACLs) to end and prevent overfishing.To limit ACL overages, regional fishing councils implement management measures as necessary.

In 2018, the MSA was amended by the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act, which focused on improvements to recreational fishing data and management of mixed-use fisheries.

Fishery management plans (FMPs) provide a framework for managing the harvest of fish stocks and stock complexes. FMPs are developed by Regional Fishery Management Councils (FMCs).

Federal fisheries in the Mid Atlantic region are managed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) and NOAA Fisheries under seven fishery management plans (FMPs).

Two of these FMPs are developed in conjunction with the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC). The MAFMC is the lead council for the Spiny Dogfish FMP; the NEFMC is the lead for the Monkfish FMP.

In addition, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) (www.asmfc.org) serves as a deliberative body of the Atlantic coastal states, coordinating the conservation and management of 27 nearshore fish species.

Highly migratory species such as tunas, mackerels, sharks, and billfish are managed by NOAA Fisheries. Several HMS species are subject to cooperative management by NOAA and international fishing organizations.

Recent Federal Actions Impacting the Mid Atlantic

In the fall of 2019, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board approved Addendum VI to Amendment 6 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass.

The Addendum reduces all state commercial quotas by 18%, and implements a 1 fish bag limit and a 28”-35” recreational slot limit for ocean fisheries and a 1 fish bag limit and an 18” minimum size limit for Chesapeake Bay recreational fisheries. States may submit alternative regulations through conservation equivalency to achieve an 18% reduction in total removals relative to 2017 levels.

Addendum VI was initiated in response to the 2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment, which indicates the resource is overfished and experiencing overfishing. The Addendum’s measures are designed to reduce harvest, end overfishing, and bring fishing mortality to the target level in 2020.

Since catch and release practices contribute significantly to overall fishing mortality, the Addendum requires the mandatory use of circle hooks when fishing with bait to reduce release mortality in recreational striped bass fisheries.

Mid Atlantic Region State Agencies:

New York DEC (www.dec.ny.gov)
New Jersey Fish and Wildlife (www.njfishandwildlife.com)
Maryland Department of Natural Resources (www.dnr.state.md.us)
Delaware DNREC (www.dnrec.delaware.gov)
Virginia Marine Resources Commission (www.mrc.state.va.us)
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (www.ncwildlife.org)

Related Information

2016 NOAA USA Recreational Fishing Statistics (saltwater)

RBFF 2017 Special Report on Fishing

Mid Atlantic Striped Bass EEZ Enforcement

Mid Atlantic Striped Bass EEZ Enforcement

Each winter along the Mid Atlantic Coast, the U.S. Coast Guard maintains a presence on the water to enforce laws pertaining to recreational fishing for Atlantic striped bass and guard against illegal poaching.

During the period from fall through spring, Mid Atlantic anglers venture into Atlantic waters to catch striped bass, but some anglers are unaware that they can only legally fish up to three nautical miles from shore for them, and that anything beyond that is against the law and will net them a fine.

"Being that striped bass are a sport fish, they’re highly sought after and the three-nautical mile line is the threshold to preserve the species," said Petty Officer 1st Class Sherman Baldwin, senior fisheries officer at Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light New Jersey. "Large Atlantic striped bass breeding fish tend to stay outside of that three mile line from shore, and by creating this line that prevents taking, targeting or possessing striped bass over the years, we’ve allowed the species to regain ground since regulations were put in place in the 1980’s."

During a Living Marine Resources patrol as it’s known in the Coast Guard, members not only ensure fishermen aren’t targeting striped bass outside of the three-mile line, but they’ll also inspect safety gear to ensure that they have the right safety gear aboard in the event of a maritime accident or emergency, said Baldwin.

The three-mile line protecting the striped bass population was put into place by the Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act, which made it illegal to fish for striped bass in federal waters was passed by Congress in 1984 under 50 CFR 697.7(b) to counteract the severe population decline of striped bass at that time.

For more information on the three-mile line and striped bass regulations, visit: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/atlantic-striped-bass, and state wildlife conservation agency websites.

Mid Atlantic EEZ Striped Bass Enforcement

NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) recently announced that the agency will be enforcing federal regulations governing striped bass in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Mid Atlantic region.

During the months of November through February, NOAA Office of Law Enforcement is expected to join state and federal marine law enforcement organizations in supporting a focused enforcement effort, targeting vessels retaining and fishing for striped bass in the EEZ. Officers will be conducting at-sea, aerial, and dock-side inspections.

In the Mid-Atlantic region, marine OLE officers and the U.S. Coast Guard will be ticketing fishermen who violate striped bass regulations within the EEZ.

source: NOAA Fisheries

How to Catch Boston Mackerel

Atlantic mackerel, also known as Boston mackerel, are famous for their spring runs along the Mid Atlantic coast. Although catches have decreased in many areas, they are still caught out of some Mid Atlantic and New England ports. Boston mackerel fishing is most often done on head boats, although some anglers prefer to go on charter boats or private trips.

Boston mackerel are caught by jigging; no bait is required. Most mackerel rigs are based on the same basic design which is often called a "mackerel tree". Basic mackerel rigs feature hooks that are covered with colored tubing. The lures are rigged in a sequence with a weight at the bottom. Mackerel rigs can be found in tackle shops or from online suppliers.

Several variations from the basic mackerel tree exist. Depending on preference, offset or non-offset hooks may be used. Some mackerel tube rigs are rigged on specially bent hooks, which impart a swirling action to the lures. Aside from shape, hooks can be dressed in several ways. For mackerel tube purists, red, orange, green, and yellow are the most common colors.

Other mackerel tubes go beyond the use of simple colored hose. Some models feature clear hose, with silver or gold tinsel inside. These small lures are durable and inexpensive, yet highly reflective. In addition to tube designs, some anglers prefer to make their own custom mackerel lures. These are created by tying strands of bucktail (deer hair), feathers, or synthetic materials to hooks.

Weights also vary according to angler preference or local tradition. Some anglers use inexpensive bank sinkers for mackerel fishing. Other fishermen attach a diamond jig or other style of metal jig on the leader. Metal jigs are thought to attract fish from greater distances due to their reflective properties.

Mackerel rigs are usually fished on medium-weight outfits which allow anglers to pull in multiple fish at once. Some anglers use lighter outfits and fewer lures per leader. On the other end of the spectrum are mackerel specialists that seek maximum harvests. These mackerel fishing fanatics sometimes connect multiple mackerel trees or rig their own custom leaders, bringing the total number of hooks per rod to 6 or 8.

To catch mackerel, anglers work the line by alternately jigging and letting line out. This action covers the entire water column from just below the surface to the ocean floor. When the bottom is felt, most anglers begin retrieving and jigging in order to work the water column from bottom to top. Once a bite is felt, anglers continue to jig in hopes of getting a multiple hookup. If the school of mackerel is large enough, a fish may be caught on every hook.

In some areas, Atlantic herring occur together with mackerel. Although smaller in size, these fish can also be a challenge for anglers. When herring are encountered, some anglers target them by using slightly smaller sized lures.