Council Report
An update published by the New England Fishery Management Council – October 2011
The Council Report summarizes major issues voted on or discussed at each regularly scheduled
NEFMC meeting. The Council met most recently on September 26-29, 2011 in Danvers, MA.
At its September meeting, the Council addressed issues related to sea scallop, Atlantic herring, groundfish,
skate and monkfish management. It also addressed the Touchstone Report prepared by Mr. Preston Pate and
the SRA Consulting Group concerning their
Review of the New England Fishery Management Process.
Additionally, a number of reports and presentations were received. These included a report from the Council’s
Scientific and Statistical Committee on Acceptable Biological Catch for species in the groundfish stock complex
and for the whiting and hake stocks regulated under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan; a
summary of the June 2011 Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Review Committee meetings on
the winter flounder stocks; a briefing by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and
Enforcement (BOEMRE) concerning two proposals under consideration in the New England region; a
presentation by Marcus Hartley on his report
At-Sea and Dockside Monitoring Programs in the Northeast; and
an update to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s report titled
Report for Fishing Year 2010 on the
Performance of the Groundfish Fishery.
Sea Scallops
Framework 23 Approved
The Council took final action on Framework
Adjustment 23 to the Scallop FMP. The most
significant new rule is the requirement for a
turtle deflector dredge for all limited access
(LA) scallop dredge vessels and all limited
access general category (LAGC) vessels with a
dredge greater than 10 feet 6 inches.
The new gear was designed and evaluated by
industry members and academic partners for
several years and is expected to substantially
reduce the mortality of sea turtles that interact
with the scallop dredge fishery. The effective
date is one year after the framework is
implemented in all waters in the Mid-Atlantic
west of 71
°W, between May 1 and October 31.
The framework also included modifications to
the Northern Gulf of Maine scallop
management program. Vessels holding a
federal permit to fish for scallops in the area
may now also fish in state waters on a trip by
trip basis without those catches counting
against the total allowable catch for the federal
area. Fishermen, however, must declare their
state-only trips. The measure was adopted to
make the federal Northern Gulf of Maine
scallop management program more consistent
with state management programs.
A modification also was made to improve fleet
operations and safety for vessels that travel
large distances to the scallop fishing grounds.
This provision will modify how all LA and
LAGC vessels declare into the scallop fishery by
allowing boats to begin their trips just west of
the VMS demarcation line, rather than from
port.
Finally, this action also includes a change to the
seasonal closure schedule for yellowtail flounder
accountability measures that are triggered if the
scallop fishery exceeds its allocation of that
species. The framework would adjust the closures
to better reflect monthly yellowtail bycatch rates
so they are more effective at reducing bycatch in
the fishery and minimizing impacts on the scallop
industry compared to the current closure
schedule.
New England Fishery Management Council | 50 Water Street, Mill 2 | Newburyport, MA 01950
Tel 978.465.0492 | Fax 978.465.3116