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NOAA Fisheries is proposing Framework Adjustment 6 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. This action would set specifications for the herring fishery for 2020-2021. The proposed specifications would reduce catch limits for 2020 and 2021 in response to estimates of herring biomass and recruitment.
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Comparison of the Proposed Atlantic Herring 2020-2021 Specifications (mt) to 2019
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2019
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2020-2021
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Overfishing Limit
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30,668
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41,830 – 2020
69,064 – 2021
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ABC
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21,266
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16,131
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Management Uncertainty
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6,200
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4,560
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Optimum Yield/ACL
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15,065*
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11,571*
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Domestic Annual Harvest
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15,065
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11,571
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Border Transfer
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0
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100
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Domestic Annual Processing
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15,065
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11,471
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U.S. At-Sea Processing
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0
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0
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Area 1A Sub-ACL (28.9 %)
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4,354*
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3,344*
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Area 1B Sub-ACL (4.3 %)
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647
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498
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Area 2 Sub-ACL (27.8 %)
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4,188
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3,217
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Area 3 Sub-ACL (39%)
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5,876
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4,513
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Fixed Gear Set-Aside
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39
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30
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Research Set-Aside
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3 percent of each sub-ACL
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3 percent of each sub-ACL
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* If New Brunswick weir landings are less than 2,942 mt through October 1, then 1,000 mt will be subtracted from the management uncertainty buffer and reallocated to the Area 1A sub-ACL and ACL. Thus, the Area 1A sub-ACL would increase to 4,344 mt, and the ACL would increase to 12,571 mt.
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This action would use status quo methods to set all other specifications, including catch caps for river herring and shad.
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Proposed River Herring/Shad Catch Caps (mt) for 2020-2021
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Gulf Of Maine
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Cape Cod
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Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic
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Total
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Midwater Trawl
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76.7
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32.4
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129.6
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238.7
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Bottom Trawl
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n/a
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n/a
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122.3
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122.3
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This action would update the overfished and overfishing definition for the herring stock. Updating these definitions is largely an administrative change that is not expected to impact commercial fisheries. Additionally, this action would suspend the carryover of unharvested catch for 2021. Suspending carryover is proposed because the amount of carryover from 2018 (just under 5,000 mt) and potentially 2019 is substantial relative to the reduced ACL for 2020 and 2021 (11,571 mt). If carryover is harvested in specific management areas early in the year, other areas that are typically fished later in the year may be constrained by the ACL such the sub-ACLs in those areas cannot be fully harvested. It is also consistent with the Council’s conservative management due to the current status of the herring stock and the uncertainty surrounding estimates of biomass and recruitment.
Read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal. You may also submit comments through regular mail to:
Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
55 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930
The comments due date is 02-12-2020.
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