July 23, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Management Board members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts met on May 13, 2025 to set the effort control measures for the 2025 Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) fishery for June 1 – September 30.
Quota levels for Area 1A have been updated to reflect the lower quotas that are still in place. Higher revised quotas were expected to be implemented by NOAA Fisheries in July, however, they have not yet been implemented and there is no estimated implementation date.
The Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (ACL) is 692 metric tons (mt) after adjusting for the 30 mt fixed gear set-aside and the fact that Area 1A closes at 92% of the sub-ACL. In October 2024, the Board established the following seasonal allocations for the 2025 Area 1A sub-ACL: 72.8% available for season 1 (June 1 – September 30) and 27.2% available for season 2 (October 1 – December 31).
2025 Atlantic Herring 1A Quota Allocation by Season:
| Season | Current Area 1A Quota | Revised Area 1A Quota yet to be Implemented by NOAA Fisheries |
| 1. June 1-September 30 | 504 mt | 862 mt |
| 2. October 1-December 31 | 188 mt | 322 mt |
When landings are projected to reach the current Season 1 quota of 504 mt, the fishery will be adjusted to zero landing days. If NOAA Fisheries implements the revised quota before the fishery moves to zero landing days, then the fishery can operate to the revised 862 mt for Season 1. If the revised quota is implemented after the fishery moves to zero landing days, a days out call will be scheduled as soon as possible to discuss potential re-opening of the Season 1 fishery and/or possible rollover to the Season 2 fishery.
The following Area 1A measures remain the same for June 1-September 30:
Days Out of the Fishery
- Landing days will be set at zero (0) from June 1 until the start of the fishery on July 27 at 6:00 p.m.
- Landing days begin on Sunday of each week at 6:00 p.m. starting July 27.
- Vessels with an Atlantic herring Limited Access Category A permit that have declared into the Area 1A fishery may land herring five (5) consecutive days a week. The week shall begin at 6:00 p.m. on Sundays and conclude at 6:00 p.m. on Fridays. One landing per 24 hour period. Vessels are prohibited from landing or possessing herring caught from Area 1A during a day out of the fishery.
- Small mesh bottom trawl vessels with an Atlantic herring Limited Access Category C or Open Access D permit that have declared into the fishery may land herring six (6) consecutive days a week. The week shall begin at 6:00 p.m. on Sundays and conclude at 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
Weekly Landing Limit
- Vessels with an Atlantic herring Category A permit may harvest up to 240,000 lbs. (6 trucks) per harvester vessel, per week starting July 27.
At-Sea Transfer and Carrier Restrictions
The following applies to harvester vessels with an Atlantic herring Category A permit and carrier vessels landing herring caught in Area 1A to a Maine, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts port.
- A harvester vessel may transfer herring at-sea to another harvester vessel.
- A harvester vessel may not make any at-sea transfers to a carrier vessel.
- Carrier vessels may not receive at-sea transfers from a harvester vessel.
Harvesters are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A until July 27, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. Landings will be closely monitored and the fishery will be adjusted to zero landing days when the season 1 quota is projected to be reached.
Please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at efranke@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740 for more information.
Motions
Move to implement for the 2025 Area 1A herring fishery in Season 1:
- Zero landing days before Sunday, July 27 at 6:00 pm;
- For Category A vessels, 5 landing days per week;
- For Category A vessels, a 6 truck (240,000 lbs.) weekly landing limit;
- Allow harvester-to-harvester transfers but not allow transfers to carriers;
- For Category C/D SMBT vessels, 6 landing days per week.
Motion made by Ms. Ware and seconded by Mr. Abbott. Motion passes by unanimous consent.