January 31, 2023 — The following was released by The New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council is asking the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS/NOAA Fisheries) to establish a control date that potentially could be used to determine eligibility criteria for switching between the types of Limited Access General Category (LAGC) permits that can be used to access the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) Management Area.
The Council voted to request the control date during its January 24-26, 2023 meeting in Portsmouth, NH. The vote was 10-to-6 with one abstention. Control dates become effective the day NOAA Fisheries publishes a notice in the Federal Register, which may not be until March for this particular request.
The Council took this step as a precautionary move while it assesses a recent increase in fishing activity and permit switching in the Northern Gulf of Maine, especially between C and B permits. Category C permits give vessels the opportunity to land 40 pounds of scallops as incidental catch on non-scallop trips, while B permits allow directed fishing on 200 pounds of scallops per day in the Northern Gulf of Maine area.
LAGC Category A permit holders with individual fishing quota (IFQ) can make a one-time transfer from a Category A IFQ permit to either a Category B 200-pound NGOM permit or a Category C 40-pound incidental catch permit (see graphic on page 2).
The permit switching issue is not one of the Council’s 2023 scallop work priorities, so no action is forthcoming in 2023. But the control date will remain in place should the Council choose to address LAGC permit switching down the road. Scallop biomass in the Northern Gulf of Maine is increasing, which is one reason for the switches.