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Commission adopts spotted sea trout package but removes commercial slot limit and captain‑crew allowance
Summary
The commission voted to adopt its preferred spotted sea trout management package with one change: commissioners removed the commercial slot limit and the captain‑crew allowance, a decision that generated debate over discard mortality and commercial impacts.
The Marine Fisheries Commission voted to adopt a spotted sea trout management package that formalizes preferred measures selected at a prior meeting but specifically excluded a commercial slot limit and the captain‑crew allowance. The motion carried by roll call with five ayes, three noes and one abstention.
Division biologist Lucas Pensinger and co‑lead Melinda Lambert outlined the package: recreational slot limits (14–20 in, one fish over 26 allowed; 3‑fish bag limit) and commercial slot limits and seasonal closures intended to reduce harvest. Staff projected those combined measures would reduce total spotted sea trout harvest by roughly 28%.
Commissioners and staff debated discard mortality associated with gill nets and other gears. Pensinger cited division study data and the observer program, explaining that about 30% of spotted sea trout released alive after being in a gill net are expected to die and that, when combined with fish already dead at net retrieval, total discard mortality in the gillnet fishery can approach higher levels: “we calculated at net mortality… the total discard mortality is about 80 percent” for spotted sea trout in anchored gillnets in the study context.
Opponents of removing the commercial slot limit said the change risks reallocation of harvest from the commercial sector to recreational fishers and could increase discard mortality; supporters argued gear selectivity and market realities mean very few fish exceed the slot and that the package protects larger spawning fish while balancing recreational access. The roll call recorded five ayes, three noes and one abstention; staff listed follow‑up requests including a gear breakdown of mobile‑gear landings and scheduled the May meeting for several final adoption votes.
What happens next: The division will implement the adopted elements and provide requested data (gear breakdowns and final landings) to commissioners as they prepare for May votes on other FMP amendments.
