![]() ![]() ![]() We’ll adjust to the new regulations, many albeit grudgingly, because it’s the law. And the fishery is still relatively healthy, albeit spotty, from one season to the next. In the surf, blues are often accommodating when stripers are not.īluefish were, and still are, one of the stalwarts of our saltwater fishing community. ![]() Time and fishing seasons will tell if this latest law is draconian or once again visionary. Bluefish were abundant, and the commercial market was limited. We were carving out a healthy slice of the bluefish pie for recreational fishermen for generations to come. As a member of that Council back then, I viewed the generous bag limit as a visionary regulation. Over 20 years ago, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council established a 15 fish bag limit as a baseline for management of Pomatomus saltatrix, aka bluefish. Three snappers certainly won’t fill the baitwell or fish fryer, and while many anglers may not agree with the new regulations, we’ll learn to live with them, just as we have all of the other regulations since the Magnuson Act of 1976. Wow, that’s some cut! At least there’s no size or slot limit to muddy the regulation waters, but even that bit of relief will be no help to snapper fans. Many more have fished under a generous 15 fish bag limit, and now 2020 will go down in the annals of fishery management as the recreational bag limit reduction of three per person, five on a party/charter boat. Many of us remember no bag limit on blues. There’s nothing more exciting than working a popper for blues, whether from boat or shore, anticipating that the next cast will result in an explosive surface strike.Įveryone is singing the blues this year, or at least looking at our beloved bluefish in a different light, thanks to our new coastwide regulations. ![]()
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