NOAA Fisheries Announces Final Rule for Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan

Today, NOAA Fisheries filed a final rule to implement Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. The New England Fishery Management Council developed Amendment 21 to adjust the management of the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) as well as the limited access general category (LAGC) individual fishing quota (IFQ) program to support overall economic performance of the fishery while allowing for continued participation in the general category fishery.

Amendment 21:

  • Accounts for biomass in the NGOM as part of the Overfishing Limit and the Acceptable Biological Catch to be consistent with other portions of scallop resource management.
  • Develops landing limits for all permit categories in the NGOM and establishes an 800,000 lb NGOM Set-Aside trigger for the NGOM directed fishery.
  • Expands the scallop observer program to monitor directed scallop fishing in the NGOM.
  • Allocates 25,000 lb of the NGOM allocation to increase the overall Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA).
  • Increases the LAGC IFQ possession limit to 800 lb per trip only for access area trips.
  • Prorates the daily observer compensation rate in 12-hour increments for observed LAGC IFQ trips longer than 1 day.
  • Allows for temporary transfers of IFQ from limited access vessels with IFQ to LAGC IFQ-only vessels.

These measures will be effective for the 2022 fishing year (April 1, 2022).

For more information, read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register and the bulletin on our website.

Questions?

Fishermen: Contact Travis Ford, Sustainable Fisheries, 978-281-9233

Media: Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, 978-281-9103