Dewey Beach, DE – The Commission’s Tautog Management Board reviewed the results of 2025 Regional Stock Assessments Update, which found stock status varied by region. Tautog were not overfished in the Massachusetts-Rhode Island (MARI), Long Island Sound (LIS), and New Jersey and New York Bight (NJ/NYB) regions, but were overfished in the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) region. Tautog were not experiencing overfishing in the MARI or LIS regions but were experiencing overfishing in the NJ-NYB region and DMV region.

Stock status did not change for the MARI or LIS regions from the 2021 update but did change for the NJ-NYB and DMV regions. The NJ-NYB region went from being overfished but not experiencing overfishing in the 2021 update to not being overfished but experiencing overfishing in this update. The DMV region was previously not overfished or experiencing overfishing but was considered overfished and experiencing overfishing in the 2025 update.

All regions showed patterns in fishing mortality and spawning stock biomass (SSB), with MARI, LIS, and NJ-NYB assessments overestimating fishing mortality and underestimating SSB, while the pattern was reversed in the DMV region, compared to the 2021 update. Based on the Commission’s policy, the Stock Assessment Subcommittee adjusted both fishing mortality and SSB for all regions to account for this pattern, which changed stock status for some regions.

Since the 2021 update, recruitment has increased in the LIS and NJ-NYB regions, and MARI shows a slight increase in SSB. In the DMV, fishing mortality had been low since 2012 before reaching a peak in 2021 followed by a sharp decline thereafter. Total removals have increased in all regions, driven primarily by increases in recreational harvest.

In response to the assessment findings, the Board initiated an addendum to address changes in stock status for NJ/NYB and DMV. The Draft Addendum will also consider allowing for the MARI and LIS regions to modify management for precautionary or alignment purposes.

The 2025 Regional Stock Assessments Update as well as a detailed overview of the update will be available at https://asmfc.org/species/atlantic-menhaden/ under News and Resources. For more information on the update, please contact Katie Drew, Stock Assessment Team Lead, at kdrew@asmfc.org; and for more information on tautog management, please contact James Boyle, FMP Coordinator, at jboyle@asmfc.org.