April 15, 2022 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council initiated Framework Adjustment 13 to the federal Monkfish Fishery Management Plan when it met April 12-14, 2022 in Mystic, Connecticut. This was a hybrid meeting with both in-person and remote participation by webinar.
Framework 13 will include specifications for the 2023-2025 monkfish fishing years and consider the development of alternatives for:
- Revising days-at-sea allocations and possession limits, including the incidental possession limit
- Management measures to reduce monkfish discards in the Southern Fishery Management Area
- Requiring 12” mesh for monkfish gillnets; and
- Requiring vessel monitoring systems (VMSs) across the monkfish fishery.
Gillnet usage is more prevalent in the southern management area. In the north, monkfish tends to be caught more often in trawl gear.
Read the full release from the New England Fishery Management Council