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Today, NOAA Fisheries filed a final rule to expand the Great South Channel and Southern New England Scallop Dredge Exemption Area as requested by the New England Fishery Management Council. The final rule expands the boundaries of the current Great South Channel and Southern New England Scallop Dredge Exemption Areas creating a single area south of 42° 20’ N lat. and east of the Mid-Atlantic Exemption Area. All other regulatory requirements, such as possession limits and the requirement to use dredge gear 10.5 ft or less, remain unchanged.
In addition, the rule implements new prelanding reporting requirements for limited access vessels sailing on an open area days-at-sea. Limited access vessels are now required to send in a prelanding vessel monitoring system report on all scallop trips.
For more details, please read the rule as filed in the Federal Register, and our permit holder bulletin.
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