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Seafood Watch - Seafood Guide

Black Sea Bass

SEAFOOD	RATING	MARKET NAMES	WHERE CAUGHT	HOW CAUGHT
Black Sea Bass		Atlantic Sea Bass, Black Perch, Rock Bass	U.S. Atlantic	Wild-caught

Black Sea Bass

Once deemed overfished, the North Atlantic population is now rebuilding and has been recently promoted from an overfished status.

Consumer Note

The terms “bass,” “sea bass” and “seabass” are commonly applied to a range of different fish species besides black sea bass, including toothfish, croaker and rockfish.

Summary

Black sea bass, a true sea bass, is commonly caught by commercial and recreational fishermen, along the entire U.S. Atlantic coast.

The most common methods used to fish for black sea bass in the north Atlantic are trawling, pots and traps and hook-and-line.

There are some environmental concerns associated with trawling and pots and traps, such as habitat destruction and bycatch, especially with trawling.

The South Atlantic (south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina) population is severely overfished. Trawling was banned in this fishery in 1998, reducing the amount of bycatch and habitat damage. Because of overfishing, we recommend consumers "Avoid" black sea bass caught in the South Atlantic.

Scientific Reports About Our Ratings

Black Sea Bass Seafood Watch Report
Trawling Fact Card

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