Scallop access area trip assignments for 2012 are provided in the attached list. These assignments are based on full-time vessel ownership information from January 9, 2012, and are dependent upon permit renewals for the 2012 fishing year. NOAA will update these allocation assignments and re-post this list on our website closer to March 1, 2012, to reflect any vessel replacements or ownership changes that may occur prior to the start of the upcoming fishing year.
The New England Fishery Management Council recently requested that NOAA implement an emergency action to close the Delmarva Access Area and redistribute trips allocated into that area into other areas. NOAA is currently considering this request for emergency action. Regardless of the agency’s decision on taking emergency action, NOAA will not take action prior to the March 1, 2012, start of the scallop fishing year. As a result, these trip assignments are effective for 2012 until further notice.
If NOAA does close the Delmarva Access Area, they will notify the public as soon as possible of any adjustments to your access area trip allocations. In the meantime, vessels with Delmarva trips can fish their trips at the start of 2012 or wait until NOAA has announced any plans on adjusting these allocations.
Read the entire notice with the assignments here.