WASHINGTON, DC – The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) are working together to develop a “Comprehensive Summer Flounder Management Amendment.” Together, they are planning to hold at least 10 public comment sessions this fall to gather input on a scoping document that will outline potential changes to existing …
Category: Regulations
ASMFC considers new FMP for Jonah, rock crabs
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Fishermen will have a chance to speak out in September about whether or not the harvest of Jonah and rock crabs should be regulated and, if so, how. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is proposing to develop a brand new fishery management plan (FMP) for Cancer crabs, which include both …
GUEST COLUMN – Reject distractions; fix catch shares now
by Brett Tolley Three years ago, I sat among a group of fishermen testifying before the New England Fishery Management Council that the new catch share program was not working and needed to be fixed. The fleet was consolidating, access was becoming unaffordable to owner-operators, and inshore fishing areas were coming under increased pressure. Several …
Vertical line rule: MA lobstermen lose big
GLOUCESTER, MA – The latest adjustment to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (ALWTRP), published by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on June 27, includes significant new requirements that will affect many people in the lobster, fish pot, and gillnet fisheries in the Northeast and down the Atlantic coast. The so-called “vertical line …
NEFMC Special Insert – Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment
Sponsored Supplement to the August 2014 edition of Commercial Fisheries News (Click Page to Download)
New England council proposes new/altered closed areas to protect habitat, spawning fish
DANVERS, MA – Who among us can’t see Closed Area II or the Western Gulf of Maine Closure Area in our sleep? The age-old, familiar boundaries of these and New England’s other closed areas – some of which have been in place for two decades now – are deeply embedded in our understanding of the …
Gulf of Maine habitat, spawning, research areas
DANVERS, MA – The New England Fishery Management Council’s habitat alternatives for the Gulf of Maine cover three distinct subregions – Eastern, Central, and Western – and include three options each for spawning area closures and Dedicated Habitat Research Areas (DHRAs). Here are the habitat management alternatives: • Eastern Gulf of Maine – The council …
Georges Bank habitat proposals vary widely in scope, economic impact
DANVERS, MA – There’s a lot of money at stake on Georges Bank, so scallopers, surf clammers, offshore groundfish fishermen, and lobstermen are starting to pay especially close attention to the eight vastly different habitat management alternatives being proposed by the New England Fishery Management Council for this critically important subregion. Two of the alternatives …
Gear restrictions, modifications proposed for GSC/Southern NE
DANVERS, MA – The Great South Channel/Southern New England (GSC/SNE) area may become home to a couple of new habitat management areas depending on which way the New England Fishery Management Council decides to go in its omnibus essential fish habitat amendment following public hearings later this summer. The council is proposing six alternatives for …
NMFS transfers excess yellowtail from scallop to groundfish fishery
GLOUCESTER, MA – The groundfish fishery got a bit of a boost on Feb. 20 when the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) transferred a portion of the scallop fishery’s unused 2013 yellowtail flounder allocation to the groundfish fishery. The 2013 scallop fishing year ended Feb. 28, but the groundfish year runs through April 30, so …
BOATS of the YEAR 2023
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