Commercial Fishing

Atlantic Sea Scallops Fishery Management Plan - Amendment 11

By daybreak
Published: April 15, 2008

The New England Fishery Management Council has released Amendment 11 to the Atlantic Sea Scallops Fishery Management Plan. The amendment establishes limited access and individual quotas for the general category fleet of scallop vessels, as well as other important measures to control fishing mortality and capacity in the general category scallop fishery.

Amendment 11 includes:

Limited entry program for general category vessels, with three new categories of limited access general category (LAGC) scallop permits
Provisions for permit issuance, vessel replacements, and confirmation of permit history (CPH) for LAGC scallop permits
Allocation of scallop catch to vessels with an individual fishing quota (IFQ) permit
Allocation of scallop catch to vessels with an IFQ permit and that also have a full-time, part-time, or occasional scallop permit
A target total allowable catch for vessels with an Incidental catch permit
A Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) Scallop Management Area with a separate total allowable catch and area-specific management measures
A requirement for all IFQ and NGOM vessels to report landings through vessel monitoring system (VMS) on all trips
A mechanism to establish fishing industry cooperatives and sectors in the general category fleet
A change of the issuance date for general category permits from May 1 to March 1 to integrate the entire scallop fishery into one fishing year
A regulatory amendment that clarifies that an individual cannot own more than 5 percent of the limited access (full-time, part-time, and occasional) permit eligibilities in the form of a limited access vessel or confirmation of permit history

news, events, and other information for the commercial fishing, aquaculture, and seafood industries

Article Categories