September 27, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (Commission) Atlantic Herring Section members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, with input from members of the sea herring commercial industry, set a “days out” effort control measure to allow four (4) landing days a week for Trimester 3 of the Atlantic herring 2013 fishing season for Area 1A. Trimester 3 spans from October 1 through December 31, 2013 and the remaining total allowable catch (TAC) of 92% of the total for Area 1A to date is 6,455 metric tons.
The sea herring fishery in Area 1A will open on Tuesday, October 1 at 12:01am. In the first week, landing days will span from Tuesday through Thursday at midnight. In the consecutive weeks, the four landing days will be from Monday from 12:01 am through Thursday at midnight.
With four landings days for Area 1A’s Trimester 3, the entire TAC is projected to be caught in the week of October 20. Landings will be monitored closely and the directed fishery will be closed when 92% of the period’s quota has been harvested. Monitoring activities are considered essential and will not be affected in the event of a federal government shutdown.
Fishermen are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring from Area 1A until October 1. Please note that the Massachusetts/New Hampshire spawning area is closed and will reopen on October 7 at 12:01 am (the eastern and western Maine spawning areas are open at this time). If spawning is detected, the spawning closure could be extended.
Please contact Melissa Yuen at (703) 842-0740 for more information.