Rockfish

SB755

DFA is in full support of SB755, and is testifying March 10, 2026 at 1:00pm in full support of this bill.

SB755 would prohibit the Department of Natural resources from establishing a recreational catch-and-release season for striped bass and would require the Department to establish defined summer and fall seasons for recreational and charter boat fishing, as well as trophy season. Importantly, the bill would also require the Department to prepare and submit an Economic Impact Statement when proposing fisheries regulations expected to have a major impact on stakeholders. DFA believes this type of economic transparency is essential to ensure that regulatory decisions fully consider the impacts on working watermen and coastal communities.

Federal Lawsuit Challenging Striped Bass Regulations

On May 13, 2024, the Delmarva Fisheries Association, together with 14 other state-associated fisheries organizations, filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging recent Atlantic striped bass regulations. The suit names the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Read the complaint here: Complaint with Exhibits

The plaintiffs argue that the current striped bass management measures were adopted through a flawed regulatory process and impose unnecessarily restrictive catch limits that are causing significant economic harm to the coastal fishing industry. The striped bass fishery supports an estimated $7.7 billion economic sector, including commercial watermen, charter and for-hire operators, seafood processors, distributors, and working waterfront communities from Maine to Florida.

DFA and the other plaintiffs contend that regulators failed to adequately consider the real-world economic impacts of these measures on fishing communities that depend on striped bass as part of their livelihood. DFA President Captain Robert Newberry has stated that the industry was “railroaded” through a regulatory process that did not fully account for the consequences to fishermen and coastal businesses.

The lawsuit also challenges the federal agencies’ approval and implementation of the ASMFC’s management actions, arguing that the process did not properly balance conservation objectives with the economic sustainability of the fishing industry.

Federal regulators maintain that the restrictions are necessary to rebuild spawning stock biomass and prevent overfishing. DFA agrees that conservation is essential but believes that effective fisheries management must protect the resource while also ensuring fair treatment for the commercial and for-hire sectors that depend on the fishery.

Following proceedings in the district court, the case has been appealed and is now before the U.S. Court of Appeals.

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Click here for the 2025 Atlantic Striped Bass Addendum: Atlantic Striped Bass Addendum III – Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

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Striped Bass, or Rockfish as they’re known locally, have long been a staple of the commercial and recreational fishery. As with many other species, there have been some contentious conversations over population management and the species wide range adds complications of jurisdiction. In the most recent stock assessment, it was determined that the spawning stock biomass (SSB) was below threshold, indicating the stock is overfished, and that mortality rates are above the threshold, indicating that overfishing is occurring. As a result, states up and down the Eastern Seaboard have been exploring various management strategies in order to correct this trend.

A 2019 overview of the most recent stock assessment can be found here. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is expected to vote on new management guidelines at their Annual Meeting in late October 2019.

On September 25, 2019, representatives from the Delmarva Fisheries Association attended a meeting hosted by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The purpose of the meeting was to allow stakeholders to ask questions about the ASMFC’s Draft Addendum VI to Amendment 6 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass. Those that made public comments were largely divided between Option 2 and Option 3, an 18% reduction for both the commercial and recreational fishery (2) vs. a 1.8% reduction for the commercial and a 20% reduction for the recreational folks. DFA supports Option 3 largely due to the fact that the recreational fishery is responsible for 90% of the dead discards and our members feel as if the reductions should be commensurate with the size of the respective fisheries.

Representatives from the Delmarva Fisheries Association attended the April 30, 2019 meeting of the ASMFC to hear the debate on coast-wide management options. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources released a statement following the ASMFC meeting outlining their position. To view the ASMFC’s press release and motions summary for the Striped Bass meeting, please click here. To view the full ASMFC Spring Meeting Summary, use this link.

SB755

Federal Lawsuit Challenging Striped Bass Regulations

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