Congressman Andy Harris announced on April 30 new recreational fishing management measures from NOAA Fisheries for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass covering the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
The announcement follows NOAA’s finalization of the rule on April 29, with an effective date of April 30. The agency also introduced a new Recreational Measures Setting process on April 28 to guide how recreational fishing limits will be set in the future. The new rules maintain current harvest levels for scup, continue conservation equivalency management for summer flounder allowing Maryland to set its own limits, and increase allowable black sea bass harvest by twenty percent across participating states. Maryland fisheries managers will determine specific state limits and seasons.
NOAA is accepting public comments on the process through May 28 and on the specific measures through May 15.
“I’m grateful to Assistant Administrator Piñeiro Soler and his entire team at NOAA Fisheries for, following my office’s engagement, working to quickly remedy the delay in releasing updated recreational measures for the 2026 season. These new measures will provide much-needed economic certainty to the recreational fishing industry in Ocean City and across the Mid-Atlantic region. Make no mistake, I will always fiercely advocate for Maryland’s treasured fishing community,” Congressman Andy Harris said.
Sonny Gwin, President of the Worcester County Watermen’s Association said: “We would like to thank Congressman Andy Harris for his quick response to this issue. This will be a great relief economically for the recreational sector and a chance to go fishing when stocks are abundantly high.”
Andy Harris has represented Maryland’s First District in Congress since replacing Frank Kratovil in 2011 according to congressional records. He previously served in both chambers of Maryland’s legislature from 1999 until his election to Congress according to his official biography. Born in New York City in 1957, he currently resides in Cambridge as reported by Congress.gov, and graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1977.
