August 24, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Atlantic Herring Section members from the states of Maine and New Hampshire and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are meeting via conference call on August 26, 2015 at 2:30 p.m. to discuss “days out” effort control measures for the 2015 Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) fishing season from June 1 to September 30 (Trimester 2).
The 2015 Area 1A sub-annual catch limit is 30,290 metric tons (mt) after adjusting for the 2013 carryover, 3% Herring Research Set-Aside awarded in 2015, and 295 mt fixed gear fishery set-aside. The Section set the seasonal split as 72.8% allocated from June 1 – September 30 and 27.2% allocated from October 1 – December 31. As of August 13, the cumulative catch for 1A has reached 12,597 mt, representing 41.59% of the quota.
Fishermen and other interested parties are welcome to listen in and participate at the Chair’s discretion. Join the conference call by dialing 1.888.394.8197 and entering the passcode 499811 when prompted and register for the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5681527693678231297 .
Please contact Ashton Harp, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0740 or aharp@asmfc.org for more information.