January 7, 2026 — Black sea bass, once considered primarily a mid-Atlantic species, has become increasingly common in Massachusetts waters over the past several decades. As biomass has grown, fishing effort has followed, particularly in southern New England, where the species is now a staple for recreational anglers and an emerging consideration for commercial fisheries.
Recreationally, between 250,000 and more than one million black sea bass are caught each year in Massachusetts, with much of that activity concentrated in Buzzards Bay, Nantucket Sound, Vineyard Sound, and along Cape Cod. The fish typically arrive in state waters in mid-spring, when they aggregate to feed and spawn. Several spawning aggregations in Buzzards Bay are well known and consistently draw in fishermen, while new spawning locations continue to be identified. However, the timing and location of other feeding and spawning aggregations remain less understood.