We approved Amendment 23 on January 24, 2023, and the final rule was published and implemented on February 1, 2023. This action implements a revised Atlantic mackerel rebuilding plan to have the stock rebuilt by 2032. In 2019, we implemented an initial 5-year Atlantic mackerel rebuilding plan, but in 2021 the Atlantic mackerel management track assessment determined that the Atlantic mackerel stock was still overfished and overfishing was still occurring. That assessment also noted that under the original rebuilding plan, the stock was expected to be less than half rebuilt by 2023 (the terminus year of that rebuilding plan).
In addition to the revised Atlantic mackerel rebuilding plan, this amendment implements the 2023 Atlantic mackerel specifications which include:
- An acceptable biological catch (ABC) of 8,094 mt.
- ABC deductions for expected Canadian catch (2,197 mt), U.S. recreational catch (2,143 mt), and U.S. estimated commercial discards (115 mt).
- A cumulative commercial quota of 3,639 mt.
- A 20-fish per person recreational possession limit (including private anglers and for-hire crew).
- A status quo river herring and shad catch cap of 129 mt.
- A modified commercial fishery closure approach summarized in the table below.
Modified Fishery Closure Approach
|
|
Time of Year |
Unharvested Domestic Annual Harvest Remaining |
2023 Closure Threshold Amounts |
Possession Limit Adjustments |
|
Initial Closure |
Before May 1 |
886 mt |
2,753 mt |
40,000 lb for Tier 1, 2, or 3 limited access permits; 5,000 lb for incidental/open access permits |
|
May 1 or after |
443 mt |
3,196 mt |
||
|
Final Closure |
Any time of year |
100 mt |
3,539 mt |
5,000 lb for all federal Atlantic mackerel permit holders |
More details on this action and revisions to existing regulations can be found in the Amendment 23 final rule.
This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
