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Black Sea Bass

(U.S. Mid-Atlantic, Wild-caught)

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

Market Names:
Atlantic Sea Bass, Black Perch, Rock Bass

Consumer Notes:
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.

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