Effective November 17, 2025
NOAA Fisheries is announcing adjustments to the 2025 Atlantic herring specifications.
This action increases the herring Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (ACL) from 783 mt to 1,783 mt and the ACL from 2,710 mt to 3,710 mt for the remainder of 2025. Because herring landings in the New Brunswick weir fishery were less than 2,722 mt through October 1, NOAA Fisheries is required by the regulations implementing the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan to subtract 1,000 mt from the management uncertainty buffer and to reallocate it to the herring Area 1A sub-ACL and the ACL. After accounting for the previous 2025 catch in Area 1A, the remaining 2025 sub-ACL for Area 1A is 773.5 mt. However, the 2,000 lb possession limit will be triggered when catch reaches 633.3 mt, or 92 percent of the Area 1A sub-ACL, as detailed in the table below.
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Adjustment Process
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Area 1A Sub-ACL
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Area 1A sub-ACL
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1,783 mt
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Deduct 30 mt of fixed gear set-aside (fully harvested in 2025)
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1,753 mt
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Determine 92% threshold for possession limit adjustment
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1,613 mt
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Previous 2025 Area 1A catch
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-979.5 mt
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Available Area 1A sub-ACL before possession limit reduction
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633.3 mt
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For more details, read the temporary rule as filed in the Federal Register today, and our permit holder bulletin.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts have currently specified zero landing days for herring harvested from Area 1A, but the ASMFC’s Atlantic Herring Management Board will be meeting soon to select landing days. For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, the ASMFC’s Atlantic Herring Management Plan Coordinator, at (703) 842-0740 or efranke@asmfc.org.
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