This federal consistency action would modify existing reef fish regulations to increase the Atlantic black sea bass recreational bag limit from five to seven fish and require buoy line marking for commercial Atlantic black sea bass traps that is consistent with current and proposed regulations for Atlantic federal waters. The purpose of these rules is to achieve consistency between the Commission’s Atlantic black sea bass regulations and regulations in adjacent federal waters. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) recently approved two management changes for Atlantic black sea bass. First, they approved increasing the Atlantic black sea bass recreational bag limit from five to seven fish per person to provide anglers greater access to the federal recreational quota. Under the previous five-fish bag limit, recreational anglers were only able to harvest between 36 to 57% of their quota. This bag limit increase took effect August 12, 2016, in Atlantic federal waters. Second, they approved a buoy line marking requirement for the commercial black sea bass trap fishery so that in the unlikely event of an endangered right whale becoming entangled in black sea bass trap gear, the gear could be undisputedly linked to the fishery and the Council could respond accordingly. The line marking requirement will take effect in federal waters on January 30, 2017. The effect of the rule amendment is that state and federal regulations can be applied more consistently to recreational and commercial fishing activity for black sea bass in the Atlantic. The recreational bag limit increase will allow anglers greater access to their quota and create consistent regulations across state and federal waters. Commercial buoy line marking requirements will create consistent trap regulations between state and federal waters.