October 26th, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Spiny Dogfish Management Board approved a spiny dogfish commercial quota of 39,099,717 pounds for the 2017 fishing season (May 1, 2017 – April 30, 2018). The Board maintained a 6,000 pound commercial trip limit in state waters (0-3 miles from shore) in the northern region (Maine through Connecticut). States in the southern region (New York to North Carolina) have the ability to set state-specific trip limits based on the needs of their fisheries.
The quota and northern region trip limit are consistent with the measures recommended to NOAA Fisheries by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Although the spiny dogfish commercial quota represents a slight decrease from the previous year, the 2015 assessment update projects spawning stock biomass to increase starting in 2019. Therefore, the commercial quota is expected to increase in the next specifications cycle if the projection is supported by catches in the Northeast Fisheries Science Center spring survey.
The 2017 spiny dogfish commercial quota allocations (in pounds) for the northern region and the states of New York through North Carolina are described below. Any overages from the 2016 season will be deducted from that region’s or state’s 2017 quota allocation.
For more information, please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mappelman@asmfc.orgor 703.842.0740.