November 22, 2022 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Today, NOAA Fisheries filed a final rule (Amendment 20) to establish limits on how much quota share or annual cage tags an individual or business can hold or control over the course of a fishing year. Amendment 20 was formally approved on November 10, 2022, and this rule implements all measures in the amendment.
This action establishes:
- Caps on quota share of 35 percent for surfclam and 40 percent for ocean quahog.
- Caps on annual cage tags of 65 percent for surfclam and 70 percent for ocean quahog over the course of the fishing year.
- These caps would be monitored based on the total amount of “potential control” an individual or business has over the course of the fishing year. Potential control refers to any allocation held directly or held by all owners (in the case of businesses) or all immediate family members (in the case of individuals).
- The maximum duration of multi-year specifications actions to match the stock assessment schedule (four years for Atlantic surfclam and six years for ocean quahog).
For more information, read the final rule in the Federal Register or our bulletinposted on the web. The new measures become effective December 23, 2022. We will begin monitoring and enforcing the new caps when 2023 allocations are issued.
Today, NOAA Fisheries filed a final rule (Amendment 20) to establish limits on how much quota share or annual cage tags an individual or business can hold or control over the course of a fishing year. Amendment 20 was formally approved on November 10, 2022, and this rule implements all measures in the amendment.
This action establishes:
- Caps on quota share of 35 percent for surfclam and 40 percent for ocean quahog.
- Caps on annual cage tags of 65 percent for surfclam and 70 percent for ocean quahog over the course of the fishing year.
- These caps would be monitored based on the total amount of “potential control” an individual or business has over the course of the fishing year. Potential control refers to any allocation held directly or held by all owners (in the case of businesses) or all immediate family members (in the case of individuals).
- The maximum duration of multi-year specifications actions to match the stock assessment schedule (four years for Atlantic surfclam and six years for ocean quahog).
For more information, read the final rule in the Federal Register or our bulletinposted on the web. The new measures become effective December 23, 2022. We will begin monitoring and enforcing the new caps when 2023 allocations are issued.