March 9, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Today, we are announcing adjustments to the 2016 Atlantic herring catch limits for the different management areas. These adjusted catch limits account for overages and carryover of unharvested catch from 2014.
Catch information for fishing year 2014 shows that in three stock areas (Areas 1A, 2, and 3) Atlantic herring was under-harvested, while in one stock area (Area 1B) the catch limit was exceeded. The overall 2014 stock-wide catch limit was not exceeded. Therefore, we are adjusting the initial 2016 area catch limits to account for the overage and carryovers from the 2014 fishing year. The initial stock-wide catch limit is also adjusted to account for the overage incurred in Area 1B.
Final 2016 herring catch limits will publish later this spring.
Initial Adjusted Herring Catch Limits for 2016:
|
Area 1A |
30,397 metric tons |
|
Area 1B |
2,941 metric tons |
|
Area 2 |
32,100 metric tons |
|
Area 3 |
43,832 metric tons |
|
Stockwide |
103,045 metric tons |
For more information, read the proposed rule as published today in the Federal Register, and the permit holder bulletin available on our website.
Questions about this rule? Please contact Emily Gilbert, 978-281-9244, or Emily.Gilbert@noaa.gov.