Public Comment Period for Recreational and Commercial Fishing Regulations

The Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) is soliciting public comment on recently enacted emergency regulations affecting recreational fishing limits for black sea bass and Gulf of Maine haddock, as well as commercial and recreational limits for Atlantic mackerel. The proposed changes include: 1. **Gulf of Maine Haddock (322 CMR 6.03):** Reducing the size limit from 18 inches to 17 inches, while maintaining the existing open season (April 1 - February 28) and bag limit (15 fish per angler). 2. **Black Sea Bass (322 CMR 6.28):** Establishing an open fishing season from May 16 to October 14, with a per-angler bag limit of 4 fish from May 16 to August 31, and 2 fish from September 1 to October 14. The minimum size limit will be 16 inches. 3. **Atlantic Mackerel (322 CMR 6.44):** Increasing the per-angler bag limit to 50 fish for those onboard a for-hire vessel and 25 fish for all other anglers. The commercial possession limit will be adjusted based on quota remaining: 20,000 pounds reduced to 5,000 pounds when 1,100 metric tons of the quota remains, and 2,500 pounds when 220 metric tons of the quota remains. Written comments will be accepted until 5 PM on Friday, May 22, 2026, and should be emailed to marine.fish@mass.gov, attention Director McKiernan.