I have received several e-mails lately asking me about the weakfish fishery. Many remember years of abundance, yet the past few years have been spotty.

Some will remember my conservation pleadings in the spring when they were catching huge breeder weakfish up to the current record 19+ lb caught in Staten Island by Dave Azar.

There is nothing wrong with taking a trophy weakfish, all who catch one can make whatever decision they want.

However, some don't understand the motivation behind my comments sometimes. I have brought up the ASMFC ruling and Amendments back from 2007 to share what I have learned with you folks, in the hope that some of you want to learn this, as boring as it is.

Feel free to comment here, or leave any feedback. These regs may be boring or not fully comprehensible to some. I would be glad to answer at length when I get a chance.

Here they are, along with some charts:


Weakfish, Cynoscion regalis, have supported fisheries along the Atlantic coast since at least the 1800s. Fisheries from Massachusetts though Florida have generally followed the stock on its annual north-south migrations and to its wintering grounds.

However, in recent years, commercial and recreational fishermen alike have had increasing trouble landing weakfish. In 2006, total weakfish harvest reached an all time low of less than 2 million pounds.

For comparison, total weakfish harvest was greater than 31 million pounds in 1986.

The apparent decline in abundance was supported by the results of the 2006 weakfish stock assessment.

However, the assessment found that, concurrent with the decline in abundance, fishing mortality had not increased. Instead, total mortality—fishing mortality plus natural mortality—had increased. The leading theory suggests that increased predation on weakfish and reduced forage fish for weakfish have caused natural mortality to increase, although other hypotheses may not have been fully examined.

Weakfish are currently managed under Amendment 4, and its addenda, to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan. States in the management unit have implemented regulations to achieve the biological reference points established in Amendment 4.

State commercial regulations include a minimum size limit, corresponding mesh size limits, seasonal closures, bycatch reduction devices, and a bycatch limit. Recreational regulations include creel and size limits.

Responding to the recent decline in abundance, the Commission also approved an addendum in 2007 to implement more conservative recreational creel limits, a reduced bycatch allowance, and two management triggers to initiate management action when the stock begins to recover.
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Here is the link for those who want to read for themselves. You would click on the "managed species" when you visit the site. bunkerjoe

http://www.asmfc.org/