NEW BEDFORD — NOAA is crediting successful management for another annual increase in the scallop allocation for 2012.
The agency also is tweaking the mapping of closed areas so that groundfish and scallop closures will occur in the same areas. This, NOAA said in a statement Wednesday, will permit scallopers to fish in two areas previously off-limits to them.
"Increases are possible because the Atlantic sea scallop resource is healthy and the fishery is operating sustainably," said Patricia Kurkul, regional administrator of the Northeast region of the National Marine Fisheries Service.
"In 2010, the fishery had a catch target of 47 million pounds. We were able to raise 2011 catch limits to 51 million pounds and increase them again in 2012 to 54 million pounds."
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