There was a petition filed in April to the Striped Bass Management Board of the ASMFC to open the EEZ (exclusive economic zone) to striped bass fishing, which I believe would include commercial striped bass fishing. It would not affect recreational limits or commercial quotas. It also limits the fishery to hook and line, with longlines excluded.
In practice, I've noticed that some of the rips in the EEZ between Monomoy & Nantucket get very crowded when the commercial bass season opens. I'm not convinced that opening the EEZ in such a manner would make much difference on the Cape & Islands, except perhaps to fill the commercial quota faster. In Massachusetts, recreational anglers take a lot more fish than do commercials.
Frank