January 29, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
On February 1, the Closed Area I (CAI) North seasonal closure goes into effect, through April 15. See below for map and coordinates.
The closure applies to all commercial and recreational vessels except:
Vessels that are transiting;
- Vessels fishing with exempted gears (spears, rakes, diving gear, cast nets, tongs, harpoons, weirs, dip nets, stop nets, pound nets, pots and traps, purse seines, surfclam/quahog dredge gear, pelagic hook and line, pelagic longlines, or single pelagic gillnets);
- Vessels participating in the mid-water trawl exempted fishery; and
- Vessels fishing with scallop dredges.