Saving Seafood

Council Proposes Catch Limits for Scallops and Some Groundfish Stocks

December 12, 2025 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

SCALLOPS: COUNCIL SETS 36 DAS, APPROVES NGOM MEASURES, AND ADOPTS STRATEGIC PLAN

The Council approved Framework Adjustment 40, which sets 36 Days-at-Sea (DAS) for full-time Limited Access scallop vessels for FY 2026. The decision followed extensive debate on alternatives ranging from the Scallop Committee’s recommendation of 34 DAS to the Advisory Panel’s preferred option of 38 DAS. Scientific analysis indicated low overfishing risk under all alternatives. The discussion included testimony from Massachusetts State Senator Mark Montigny and numerous industry representatives.

The final action adopted:

  • 36 Days-at-Sea for full-time Limited Access permit holders and 14.4 Days-at-Sea for part-time

    Limited Access permit holders. No access-area trips will be available this year.

  • Closure of Area II (Closed Area II – South and Extension) and Nantucket Lightship (South and

    North).

  • A 60-day carryover period for FY 2025 access-area trips to Area I would begin on April 1. Area I would not have a delayed opening from April 1, 2026 – May 15, 2026.

The Council advanced measures affecting the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM), which resulted in 482,753 lb. total allowable landings (TAL) and a 437,867-lb. NGOM set-aside for FY 2026. The change accounts for a decline in exploitable scallop biomass across the NGOM, including on Stellwagen Bank, where the majority of fishing effort is expected to occur in FY 2026.

Finally, the Council unanimously approved the Scallop Long-Term Strategic Plan, a 3- to 5-year roadmap built from public input, research needs, and industry priorities. The plan, which is based on robust public input, outlines nine objectives aimed at a sustainable, resilient, and profitable fishery and will guide new projects launching in 2026.

NEFMC: Reminder December Council Meeting Starts 12/2/25

December 1, 2025 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s December meeting begins tomorrow and runs December 2-4, 2025. This is an in-person meeting with a Zoom webinar option for remote participation.

 
START TIME: 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday and 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. The webinar will end shortly after the Council adjourns each day, view the full agenda here.
LOCATION: (New venue) 
49 Americas Cup Avenue, Newport, RI USA 02840
 
ZOOM WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Access the meeting remotely via Zoom, register here. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Council Solicits Contractor Proposals to Plan and Convene a Workshop for the Scientific and Statistical Committee on Integrating Dynamic Reference Points into Fisheries Management

November 14, 2025 —  The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

Council Solicits Contractor Proposals to Plan and Convene a Workshop for the Scientific and Statistical Committee on Integrating Dynamic Reference Points into Fisheries Management

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is issuing a request for proposals (RFP) to support a project that addresses climate-resilient fisheries through Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: The application deadline is December 4, 2025.

WHAT IS THE PROJECT: The Council seeks a contractor to assist with planning and convening a Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) workshop and the preparation of a workshop summary report. This project is developing best management practices and guidelines for integrating dynamic reference points into fisheries management. The applications of this work include facilitating the use of phased harvest control rules, evaluating scientific and management uncertainty buffers, and reviewing performance of projection methods. This SSC workshop will build off two meetings in 2024:

NEFMC approves, resubmits controversial cod plan

October 16, 2025 — The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) has revised and resubmitted a controversial plan that will split the New England cod fishery into four individual stocks starting next year.

Amendment 25 would divide the New England cod population – which is currently managed as two stocks – into four distinct stocks for more precise management. Under the new plan, catch limits would be independently set for the four stocks: Eastern Gulf of Maine, Western Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and Southern New England. The new plan also slashed the total allowable catch limit across all stocks by 43 percent to 382.9 metric tons (MT).

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NEFMC moves forward on scallop framework

October 16, 2025 — The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) is advancing work on Framework Adjustment 40 (FW40), which will guide scallop fishery specifications for the upcoming 2026 season and establish default measures for 2027.

The Council’s Scallop Advisory Panel and Scallop Committee will meet for a webinar on November 19-20 to review specifications and alternatives and select final preferred options. FW40 will set key parameters, including the overfishing limit, acceptable biological catch, and annual catch limits, days-at-sea allocations, and access area trip allocations for both limited access and limited access general category vessels. The framework will also define the total allowable landings for the Northern Gulf of Maine management area and the target total allowable catch for limited access general category incidental catch, along with observer and research set-asides.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NEFMC Acts on Monkfish, Scallops, Cod; Updates Key Habitat Protections

October 13, 2025 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

MONKFISH AND SKATES: STABILITY FOR MONKFISH, ADDED FLEXIBILITY FOR SKATE FISHERMEN

The Council approved final actions on monkfish and skate specifications for fishing years (FY) 2026–2028, with minimal changes to current monkfish catch limits through 2028 and increased opportunity for skates with changes in skate wing and bait possession limits.

Monkfish:

The Council recommended maintaining current catch limits for both the northern and southern management areas through Framework Adjustment 17, with no change to the existing days-at-sea or possession limits. The SSC recommended maintaining current catch limits through 2028, with precautionary reductions for the southern stock beginning in 2029. While overall catch limits remain status quo, the total allowable landings (TAL) for the northern area will decline by about 3% due to updated discard estimates; the southern area TAL remains unchanged. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) made the same recommendation at their October meeting.

Skate FY 2026–2028 Specifications:

The SSC advised higher near-term catch limits and a gradual reduction through 2030, noting no overfishing but continued rebuilding for thorny skate, which remain overfished, and recommended revisiting catch advice within two years. The Council recommended a 28% increase in the Annual Catch Limit (ACL) over the current FY 2024–2025 ACL (32,155 mt) for FY 2026–2027 (41,282 mt) and a 10% increase for FY 2028 (37,154 mt). The Council usually recommends skate specifications for two years at a time, but for this cycle it recommends three years, aligning the timing of monkfish and skate specification setting moving forward. The Council also recommended modest increases in skate possession limits to improve operational efficiency and offset travel costs around wind farm areas, while avoiding market oversupply. Skate wing limits will rise by 500 lbs. per season (to 4,500 lbs in Season 1 and 6,500 lbs in Season 2), and skate bait limits will increase by 5,000 lbs., to 30,000 lbs. per trip. You can find meeting materials for both decisions here.

Council delays decisions on alternative fishing gear

October 7, 2025 — The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) has pressed pause on a controversial proposal that could reshape how fishermen operate in seasonally restricted federal waters.

Nora Saks with Maine Public reported that the council voted unanimously on September 25 to delay action on a regulatory framework that would permit the use of alternative gear designed to protect whales. These new on-demand or ropeless systems replace traditional vertical buoy lines with digital markers, showing gear locations electronically rather than at the surface.

Although the technology has shown promise, questions about its effectiveness, costs, and regulatory implications remain unanswered. Geoff Smith of the Nature Conservancy in Maine emphasized that while trials indicate ropeless gear can work for fixed gear fishermen, the council needs to ensure it is viable for both mobile and fixed gear operations, regardless of whether individual fishermen choose to adopt it.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NOAA Fisheries Extends Emergency Measures for the Northeast Multispecies Fishery, Ensuring the Fishery Continues Uninterrupted Through April 30, 2026

October 3, 2025 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Today, NOAA Fisheries signed a temporary rule that extends the emergency measures necessary for the Northeast Multispecies to continue operating in fishing year 2025. This action ensures the fishery can continue without interruption in the absence of approved specifications and other measures for the full fishing year 2025. The extended emergency measures would remain in place through April 30, 2026, unless replaced by other measures. With this emergency rule extension, all emergency measures remain in place. Sector and common pool allocations are updated in this extension to reflect the final rosters that were not available when the emergency rule was originally implemented. Additionally, errors in table formatting in the original emergency rule are corrected.

The emergency rule set interim specifications for 2 stocks of cod (Gulf of Maine cod and Georges Bank cod) and for Georges Bank haddock, and affirmed specifications for other Northeast Multispecies stocks previously set in Frameworks 65 and 66. The action also approved groundfish sector operations plans and allocated annual catch entitlements to sectors, set trimester total allowable catches and possession limits for commercial vessels fishing in the common pool, and prohibited commercial common pool vessels and recreational vessels from possessing Georges Bank cod. For all details see the Federal Register Notice.

Background: On May 2, 2025, NMFS published an emergency rule to implement fishing year 2025 management measures for the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The emergency rule ensured that the fishery could operate at the start of the fishing year on May 1, 2025, mitigating the adverse economic impact to the groundfish fishery if measures were not put in place. The emergency rule is in effect for 180 days, from May 1, 2025, through October 28, 2025. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, an emergency rule can be extended for an additional 186 days if necessary. Framework 69 to the FMP, which recommends the annual specifications necessary to authorize the fishery to operate in the 2025 fishing year beginning on May 1, 2025, and projected specifications for fishing years 2026 and 2027, remains under consideration by NMFS.

This Announcement is also available HERE.

NEFMC tables ropeless gear proposal following pushback

October 2, 2025 — The New England Fishery Management Council has tabled an alternative gear marking proposal that could enable more Maine lobster fishers to use ropeless gear in closed areas following public opposition from commercial fishing groups and a Maine legislator.

“A packed house of fishermen – with NEFSA members making up the strong majority – made their concerns loud and clear both in person and through the flood of public comments leading up to the vote. This is another major win for American commercial fisheries,” New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) said in a social media post.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Management council votes to postpone rope-less lobster gear rule in Maine

October 2, 2025 — At its meeting on September 25 in Gloucester, Mass., the New England Fishery Management Council voted to postpone its decision allowing lobstermen fishing in federal waters to use alternative, rope-less gear.

The decision was welcome news to the lobster industry and to congressman Jared Golden, who urged NEFMC to abandon the proposal in a letter dated September 23.

“Maine’s lobstermen are facing tremendous uncertainty, with various agencies operating in parallel considering new regulations that would fundamentally alter what it looks like to haul traps off the coast of Maine,” Golden said. “Congress enacted a moratorium on requiring this kind of gear, and that moratorium is still in effect while more data is gathered and studied. This framework, if adopted, would muddy the waters about what is required of Maine’s harvesters, and there’s no need for it.”

The moratorium Golden referred to was adopted in the U.S. congressional budget for 2023 with the unanimous support of Maine’s senators and representatives. The moratorium at the federal level paused the development of new lobster gear requirements until 2028.

Read the full article at Penobscot Bay Press