NOAA Fisheries announces 2023 specifications for the Atlantic spiny dogfish fishery (see below), as recommended by both the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. These specifications decrease the coastwide commercial quota by 59 percent from fishing year 2022 in response to declining trends in stock biomass and productivity.
Million pounds | Metric tons | |
Acceptable Biological Catch | 17.17 | 7,788 |
Annual Catch Limit = Annual Catch Target | 17.09 | 7,751 |
Total Allowable Landings | 12.48 | 5,663 |
Commercial Quota | 12.01 | 5,449 |
All other management measures and requirements, including the 7,500-lb federal trip limit, remain unchanged. As always, when state and federal trip limits differ, the more restrictive measures apply to all vessels with a federal permit