September 28, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council today accepted 2018 total allowable catches (TACs) for three groundfish stocks on Georges Bank (GB) that the U.S. shares with Canada – Eastern GB cod, Eastern GB haddock, and GB yellowtail flounder. The TACs were recommended by the U.S./Canada Transboundary Management Guidance Committee (TMGC) based on advice from the U.S./Canada Transboundary Resources Assessment Committee (TRAC). The U.S. has members on both the TMGC and the TRAC.
The TACs will be included in Framework Adjustment 57 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, which is still under development. The National Marine Fisheries Service must approve the TACs before they are implemented.
Proposed Fishing Year 2018 U.S./Canada TACs in Metric Tons (mt)
|
Eastern GB Cod |
Eastern GB Haddock |
GB Yellowtail Flounder |
|
|
Total Shared TAC |
951 |
40,000 |
300 |
|
U.S. TAC |
257 |
15,600 |
213 |
|
Canada TAC |
694 |
24,400 |
87 |
The allocation shares for 2018 are based on the following formula: historical catches weighted 10%; and resource distribution based on trawl surveys weighted 90%.
The TACs reflect the following changes from 2017 levels for U.S. quotas:
- Eastern Georges Bank Cod: 111 mt increase
- Eastern Georges Bank Haddock: 13,900 mt decrease
- Eastern Georges Bank Yellowtail Flounder: 6 mt increase
Read the full release at the New England Fishery Management Council