Saving Seafood

Directed Atlantic Herring Area 1A Fishery Closure Effective 6 PM, November 24, 2025

November 24, 2025 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

NOAA Fisheries and the states of Maine and New Hampshire, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts project the Atlantic herring fishery will catch 92% of the Area 1A sub-annual catch limit by November 24, 2025. The Area 1A directed fishery will close effective 6:00 p.m. on November 24, 2025 and remain closed until further notice. Vessels that have entered port before 6:00 p.m. on November 24, 2025 may land and sell, from that trip, greater than 2,000 pounds of herring from Area 1A.

 
During a closure, vessels participating in other fisheries may retain and land an incidental catch of herring that does not exceed 2,000 pounds per trip or calendar day. In addition, directed herring vessels traveling through Area 1A must have all fishing gear stowed.
 
For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0716 or efranke@asmfc.org.
 

2025 Atlantic Herring Area 1A Fishery Season 2 Days Out Measures

November 19, 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 November 19 via webinar to set effort control measures for the 2025 Area 1A fishery for Season 2 (October 1 – December 31) following an increase in available quota for Area 1A. The 2025 Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (sub-ACL) is now 1,783 metric tons (mt) due to the reallocation of 1,000 mt to the Area 1A sub-ACL based on catch information from the Canadian New Brunswick weir fishery.

After accounting for the fixed gear set-aside, 2025 landings so far from Area 1A, and the 8% buffer (Area 1A closes at 92% of the sub-ACL), there are an estimated 632 metric tons available for harvest.

Currently, the Area 1A fishery is at zero landing days. The days out measures moving forward for Season 2 are as follows:

  • Landing days will continue to be set at zero (0) through Sunday, November 23.
  • The fishery will move to two (2) consecutive landing days starting at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, November 24 until 92% of the Area 1A sub-ACL has been caught. Landing days will be Mondays from 12:01 a.m. through Tuesdays at 11:59 p.m., weekly.

While landing days are set at zero (0), harvesters are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A. Fishing for and possession of Atlantic herring may begin prior to landing days during Season 2.

For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atefranke@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Days Out Meeting Motions (November 19, 2025)

Move to set the following schedule for Area 1A Season 2:

  • Set zero landing days through Sunday, November 23.
  • Starting 12:01AM on Monday, November 24, move to two consecutive landing days per week until 92% of the Area 1A sub-ACL has been caught. Landing days would be Monday-Tuesday. 

Motion made by Ms. Ware and seconded by Mr. Abbott. Motion passes by unanimous consent.

The press release is also available at https://asmfc.org/news/press-releases/atlantic-herring-area-1a-fishery-season-2-days-out-measures-november-2025/

Zero Landing Days Continue for Season 2 of the 2025 Atlantic Herring Area 1A Fishery

October 31, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

This is an update on Season 2 (October 1 – December 31) of the 2025 Area 1A fishery for Atlantic herring. In September 2025 (Memorandum 25-81), the Atlantic Herring Management Board members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts decided the fishery would be set at zero landing days from October 1 through November 4 and would only open for landing days on November 5 if one or both of the following quota adjustments occur: reallocation of 1,000 metric tons based on landings from the Canadian New Brunswick weir fishery and/or revised quotas implemented by NOAA Fisheries. Due to the lapse in federal government appropriations, neither of the above quota adjustments has been processed by NOAA Fisheries.

 
As a result, the Area 1A fishery remains at zero landing days for the foreseeable future. The fishery will not open in early November.
 
While landing days are set at zero (0), harvesters are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A during Season 2. If additional quota becomes available, a days out call will be scheduled. 
 
For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atefranke@asmfc.org, or 703.842.0740. 
 

In the Delaware River, climate change and invasive species threaten shad, ‘America’s founding fish’

October 13, 2025 — American shad were a major food source for early European settlers and Native Americans who lived along the Delaware River.

Known as “America’s founding fish,” the species were so abundant that it was said people could “walk across their backs.” In 1896, more than 4 million shad were caught in a single year. But by the 1900s, overfishing caused a steep decline.

A new study published this month indicates that American shad, as well as river herring, have failed to recover in the Delaware River, which could threaten the aquatic ecosystem.

Read the full article at WHYY

Regulators walk back catch limits for Atlantic herring

June 25, 2025 — Federal regulators have proposed expanding catch limits for Atlantic herring, reversing course on earlier restrictions set to bring the stressed fishery back from the edge of collapse.

NOAA Fisheries’ proposed rule would expand 2025 harvest limits to 4,556 metric tons, 68 percent higher than the current limit of 2,710 metric tons. The proposal, which adopted recommendations from the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), would further raise catch limits to 9,134 metric tons in 2026.

“The Council’s proposed specifications is anticipated to prevent overfishing and meet other conservation and management goals for the fishery,” Jamie Cournane, the NEFMC’s lead fishery analyst for Atlantic herring, said in a statement.

Read the full article at E&E News

New England herring fishery restricted through year’s end

November 14, 2024 — Federal fishing regulators are limiting the amount of herring that fishermen can catch off New England until the end of the year. The fish is used for food and bait.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it’s implementing a 2,000-pound herring possession limit per trip in the inshore Gulf of Maine through Dec. 31. The inshore Gulf of Maine, known as Atlantic Herring Management Area 1A, touches coastal Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

The agency says it’s taking the step because 92% of the catch limit in the area will have been harvested Wednesday.

The catch limit goes into effect Thursday at 12:01 a.m. Vessels that enter port before 12:01 a.m. Thursday may land and sell more than 2,000 pound of herring from Management Area 1A from that trip, provided that catch is landed in accordance with state management measures.

Also effective Thursday at 12:01 a.m., federally permitted dealers may not attempt to or purchase, receive, possess, have custody or control of, sell, barter, trade, or transfer more than 2,000 pound of herring per trip or calendar day from Area 1A.

NOAA Fisheries has declared Atlantic herring as overfished and has created a plan that will require years for the stock to rebuild.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries 

MAINE: Maine lobstermen worried about cuts to how much herring they can catch for bait

November 1, 2024 — Fishermen in Maine say they’re dealing with a new setback: a nearly 90 percent cut in how much herring they can bring in to bait lobster.

Congressman Jared Golden says he’s opposed to the limit, which would reduce the herring catch by 89 percent over three years.

Fishermen in Maine say they question how regulators came to that catch limit, saying the fish are out there.

Read the full article at Fox 23

New England fishermen sentenced in complex herring fraud case

July 15, 2024 — Several commercial fishermen in New England have been sentenced in a fraud scheme that centered on a critically important species of bait fish and that prosecutors described as complex and wide-ranging

The fishermen were sentenced for “knowingly subverting commercial fishing reporting requirements” in a scheme involving Atlantic herring, prosecutors said in a statement. The defendants included owners, captains and crew members of the Western Sea, a ship that operates out of Maine.

Western Sea owner Glenn Robbins pleaded guilty in March to submitting false information to the federal government regarding the catch and sale of Atlantic herring and a failure to pay taxes, prosecutors said. Members of the ship’s crew conspired to submit false trip reports to the federal government from 2016 to 2019, court records state. The charges are misdemeanors.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

NEFMC: Last Call for Atlantic Herring Amendment 10 Scoping Comments

April 18, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is wrapping up the scoping period for Amendment 10 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. Amendment 10 is an action to: (1) minimize user conflicts, contribute to optimum yield, and support rebuilding of Atlantic herring; and (2) enhance river herring and shad avoidance and catch reduction.

Two opportunities remain to offer input on the potential range and direction of this amendment.

  • Join the April 22, 2024 Webinar: This is a webinar-only meeting that begins at 6:00 p.m. Here’s the link to register for the webinar. Voice your positions and offer suggestions during this final scoping session.
  • Write a Letter: Let the Council know your thoughts by letter or email. All written comments must be received by the Council no later than 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Written comments should be addressed to Executive Director Cate O’Keefe and mailed or emailed to:

New England Fishery Management Council 50 Water Street, Mill #2
Newburyport, Massachusetts 01950
comments@nefmc.org
** Please label your letter or email as “Atlantic Herring Amendment 10 Scoping Comments.” **

Herring fishermen cautiously optimistic after US Supreme Court hears arguments on at-sea observer requirements

January 21, 2024 — The New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), which has been representing commercial fishermen in an ongoing case before the U.S. Supreme Court, expressed cautious optimism that the court would align with their reasoning following oral arguments.

“After many years, our clients were finally before a court that seemed disinclined to defer to the agency they have been fighting as to what the law is,” NCLA Senior Litigation Counsel John Veccione said.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource