Bass: Black Sea

Atlantic sea bass, Black will, Chub, Sea Bass, Black fish, Tallywag, hannahil, Black-Harry, black perch, black bass, blue fish, pin bass, rock bass

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Black sea bass (BSB) inhabit nearshore waters along the U.S. Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. Within this geographical range, the species is identified by one of three stocks: northern or Mid-Atlantic (north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to Nova Scotia); southern or South-Atlantic (south of Cape Hatteras to southern Florida); and the Gulf of Mexico (Steimle et al. 1999).

The mid-Atlantic stock is considered distinct from the south Atlantic stock and there is probably little overlap in habitat use by these two populations (ASMFC and MAFMC 1996).

The Gulf of Mexico stock is considered a distinct subspecies within the southern range. These distinct genetic stocks result from a fairly long period of population separation by many tens or hundreds of thousands of years.

Like most members of the family Serranidae, black sea bass are protogynous hermaphrodites. They mature as females but change sex to males as their size increases. Black sea bass are relatively short-lived and attain their maximum size slowly. Black sea bass are short-lived, highly fecund, and relatively fast-growing, maturing in less than 5 years. While their narrow range and seasonal migrations make them somewhat more susceptible to fishing pressures during certain times of the year, overall, their life history characteristics make black sea bass inherently resilient to fishing pressure.

The southern black sea bass stock is overfished with overfishing occurring. Trends do not indicate any improvement. Therefore, the status of the southern black sea bass stock is ranked a ‘critical’ conservation concern.

The black sea bass fishery is complex because it is a mixed fishery. Most of the bycatch is due to discards in trawl fisheries that target multiple species. Overall, there are little data indicating harm to protected species or population consequences to black sea bass due to bycatch. The trawl fishery is considered a ‘moderate’ conservation concern.

The negative effects of trawling on various habitats where black sea bass are found are highly documented in the published literature. Because these effects are detrimental to a variety of ecosystems and recovery times are long, the habitat and ecosystem effects of bottom otter trawls ranks a ‘high’ conservation concern.

Although management agencies for the southern stock of black sea bass have taken progressive actions to attempt to decrease BSB mortality, such as the banning of otter trawls in 1989, the southern BSB stock continues to suffer and decline. Additionally, efforts to research the southern stock are limited. There is a great concern for the conservation of southern black sea bass and the management of the southern stock is at present thus considered ‘ineffective’.

Where is this Black Sea Bass from and how was it caught?

Moderate mercury advisory + Adults can safely eat more than 4 meals per month + Kids age 6-12 should eat no more than 4+ meals per month + Kids up to age 6 should eat no more than 4 meals per month

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