There is a proposal before federal and state fisheries managers that
will make it a crime to possess scup next summer. If the regulation is
adopted, youngsters all along the Atlantic seaboard won't be
allowed to keep their catch.

A fisheries petition that began on the Vineyard last summer to throttle back the commercial season for black sea bass and scup is gaining favor among state fisheries managers.

The petition from Island recreational and commercial fishermen asks the state to end the spring commercial season for black sea bass and scup and postpone the opening until later in the summer and early fall. The action would not affect recreational fishing for both species.