October 3, 2014 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, with input from industry, set a “days out” effort control measure to allow four (4) landing days per week in Area 1A during the remainder of the 2014 fishing season. Trimester 3 (October 1 through December 31) has a total allowable catch of 8,142 metric tons (mt). This amount is 27.2% of the 33,031 mt annual catch limit sub-component for Area 1A after adjusting for rollover from 2012’s unused quota, fixed gear set-aside, research set-aside, and bycatch allowance.
Vessels may fish and land sea herring from 12:01 AM on Mondays up to midnight on Thursdays during trimester 3. Friday, Saturday, and Sundays are “no landing” days. Please note a state may implement different start and finish times for the four consecutive landings days.
In addition, the spawning areas in Western Maine and Massachusetts-New Hampshire are closed until October 21 and October 18, respectively. An incidental bycatch allowance of up to 2,000 pounds of herring per trip for non-directed fisheries is permitted during the closures in the two spawning areas. Landings will be monitored closely and the directed fishery will be closed when 92 % of Trimester 3’s adjusted quota is projected to be reached.
Please contact Melissa Yuen at (703) 842-0740 for more information.