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NOAA Fisheries is proposing the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s recommended catch specifications for the 2021 Northeast/Mid-Atlantic golden tilefish fishery. These proposed catch limits are mostly status quo, with only a slight change in the final incidental quota to account for updated discard estimates. The quota for the individual fishing quota (IFQ) fishery would remain status quo. A summary of the Council’s recommended specifications is shown in the following table.
Proposed Golden Tilefish Specifications
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2020
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2021
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Projected 2022
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million lb
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mt
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million lb
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mt
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million lb
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mt
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ABC
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1.636
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742
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1.636
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742
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1.636
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742
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ACL
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1.636
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742
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1.636
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742
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1.636
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742
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IFQ ACT
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1.554
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705
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1.554
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705
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1.554
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705
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Incidental ACT
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0.082
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37
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0.082
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37
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0.082
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37
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IFQ TAL
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1.554
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705
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1.554
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705
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1.554
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705
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Incidental TAL
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0.073
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33
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0.070
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32
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0.070
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32
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ABC=Acceptable Biological Catch, ACL=Annual Catch Limit, ACT=Annual Catch Target, TAL=Total Allowable Landings
Additionally, the Council requested NOAA Fisheries take emergency action to allow a one-time 5-percent carryover of unharvested IFQ quota into the 2021 fishing year to help mitigate the adverse impact of unprecedented regional closures of restaurants and fish markets during 2020. This proposed rule includes temporary measures that would allow tilefish IFQ quota shareholders to carryover unharvested IFQ quota up to a maximum of 5 percent of their initial 2020 IFQ allocation.
All other management measures and requirements would remain unchanged. This includes the incidental landing limit of 500 lb (whole weight) or 50 percent (by weight) of all fish being landed, including tilefish, whichever is less. The recreational trip limit of eight fish per angler is also unchanged.
For more details on the proposed specifications, read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal. The comment period is open through November 30, 2020.
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