Massachusetts raises commercial summer flounder trip limits for November and December

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) issued an advisory on Oct. 30 that commercial summer flounder limits would rise on Nov. 1, the final scheduled step in this year's commercial management plan.

Under the plan DMF laid out in April, the baseline commercial trip limit for the Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 season is 5,000 pounds, matching October's quota-conditional limit. A higher quota-conditional limit of 10,000 pounds applies if at least 20% of the state's annual quota is still available on Nov. 1. Earlier steps raised limits on Sept. 1 and Oct. 1.

Massachusetts' commercial summer flounder quota for 2026 and 2027 is just over 1 million pounds, about 75% more than in 2024 and 2025. DMF has said that reflects an improved 2025 stock assessment and a federal rule that gives some states a larger share of the coastwide quota when stock conditions are strong. DMF also noted it can't loosen recreational summer flounder limits the same way, because recreational rules change only under the coastwide Percent Change Approach.

Beginning in 2027, DMF plans to set the winter Period I trip limit at 5,000 pounds, dropping to 100 pounds once that period's allocation is landed.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Massachusetts DMF 2026 Advisories: Commercial Summer Flounder Limits to Increase on November 1 (Oct. 30, 2026). Background: DMF: Update on 2026 Commercial Summer Flounder Management (April 22, 2026).