February 13, 2019 — The New England Fishery Management Council (NEMFC) is considering making recommendations to develop Amendment 21 of the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan and is seeking public input.
The council will hold 10 scoping meetings in cities and towns across the US East Coast from Maine to Virginia over the next three months, it said. The amendment will touch on three issues, the council said in a press release.
These include:
- Measures that will “support a growing directed scallop fishery” in Maine’s Northern Gulf. The council is considering “measures that prevent unrestrained removals” from the area and mechanisms to set and monitor catch levels and bycatch.
- Measures to increase the Limited Access General Category Individual Fishing Quota (LAGC IFQ) possession limit up form 600 pounds. The council is seeking public input to determine where the upper limit should be.
- An option that would allow Limited Access vessels to transfer IFQ to LAGC IFQ vessels
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