Purpose


Participants in the black sea bass fishery have requested a volumetric equivalency for the current specifications on black sea bass traps similar to the existing equivalency provision in the stone crab and blue crab rules for traps for these species. The purpose of this rule amendment is to allow for a less narrowly-defined configuration for black sea bass traps for the commercial harvest of black sea bass. The effect will be to allow the legal use of black sea bass traps to 8 cubic feet in volume.