NEWS

Albie Management in Massachusetts

New England guides and anglers have experienced a fantastic Atlantic bonito run this season. On top of the bonito, there is also a presence of jumbo false albacore with many reports of double digit fish being more common than an anomaly. These two species have a huge impact on the coastal economy in the region, namely alleviating the stress of fewer striped bass and bluefish opportunities. Thankfully, we have great news on the management front for both species:

Atlantic bonito and false albacore management are on the agenda for the MFAC meeting next week.

North Carolina is no longer the only state attempting to manage false albacore. Massachusetts is taking it a step further by adding Atlantic bonito.

Here’s the meeting info:

9AM – September 17, 2024
Kingston Town House, 26 Evergreen Street, Kingston, MA

We can’t thank Massachusetts enough for taking a precautionary approach to fisheries. The state agency is one of the best in the country. It is logical to address an issue before it becomes a problem. If you are available to attend this meeting, you can make an enormous impact for this effort. The discussion for albies and bonito will begin around 11 and public comment starts at noon.

We encourage anglers to recognize this is a critical step in the process but only the first step. The message for this stage of the discussion is not complicated. All we are asking for is to begin the process. We are not yet in a place to suggest size and creel limits.

Here’s a short list of talking points on this issue.

Thank Mass DMF and the state commissioners for putting this item on the agenda.
Explain how important these fish have become to your business
Tell your story about what you are seeing on the water. Specifically, positive and negative interactions that you have recently experienced with a focus on conservation.
Explain to the commissioners that our community will be a force for good and participate in the process until it is complete.
Be polite. Be courteous. Be professional. Mass DMF doesn’t have to do this but they are and we appreciate it.

The ball is moving down the field. Thank you to all of our fisheries advocates for what you do. You are making a difference, and our fisheries will have a better long term outlook because of it.

3 Responses

Steve says:

September 14, 2024 at 9:28 am

Considering the low number of Albies and Bonito that are kept is there a need for creel and size limits? For me replacing treble hooks with single hooks helps for a quicker and cleaner release.

Reply
1. Cody Rubner says:
  
  September 16, 2024 at 7:10 pm
  
  Steve, management reflects more than just recreational limits, it also helps safeguard from new, large scale commercial fisheries developing and establishes the pathway for action if/when needed in the future. As other inshore fisheries dwindle, albie interest is growing from all sectors Both species are understudied. There is not a large body of science pointing to abundance at scale. The ASGA ethos is based upon precautionary action that prevents issues in the future, instead of waiting for issues to develop and chasing our tail (as we do for many other fisheries). Anglers making decisions with their tackle is a great way to minimize release mortality. Research through The Albie Project has documented that these fish are more hardy than we may have thought and they survive catch and release at a high rate.
  
  Reply
2. Charles A Witek says:
  
  September 16, 2024 at 8:25 pm
  
  Believe it or not, over the past five years (2019-2023), about 40 percent of the false albacore caught by recreational fishermen have been harvested. There have been a spate of articles about keeping and eating false albacore in the angling press over the past few years, and perhaps they’re attracting attention or perhaps a lot of the fish being kept are caught down south, where they’re used for bait for swordfish, grouper, and other species. But the percentage of false albacore kept by anglers has nearly doubled over the past two decades.
  
  As far as Atlantic bonito go, at least here on Long Island, they are often retained for food, and are pretty decent fare.
  
  Reply