April 29, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Effective May 1
NOAA Fisheries is implementing revised catch specifications for the 2021 and 2022 spiny dogfish fishery, as recommended by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. These catch limits are revised from what was originally projected for fishing year 2021 to reflect the Mid-Atlantic Council’s updated risk policy to prevent overfishing, and the same specifications are projected for fishing year 2022. Because the new risk policy accepts a higher level of risk for stocks at or above biomass targets, the proposed revisions increase all catch limits nearly 10 percent, as shown in the table below.
All other spiny dogfish management measures and requirements, including the 6,000-lb federal trip limit, remain unchanged.
For more details, please read the rule as filed in the Federal Register, and/or the bulletin posted on our website.