In 2021, Framework Adjustment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP) implemented herring fishery specifications for 2021-2023. In September 2022, the New England Fishery Management Council finalized recommendations for herring fishery specifications for 2023-2025. The Council’s recommended 2023 specifications, currently under our review, would replace the default 2023 specifications that were implemented through Framework 8. Therefore, beginning on January 1, 2023, the herring fishery will operate under the default 2023 specifications that were implemented through Framework 8 (Table 1).
Table 1. Initial 2023 Herring Fishery Specifications.
|
Specification |
Initial 2023 Values (mt) |
|
Overfishing limit (OFL) |
44,600 |
|
Acceptable biological catch (ABC) |
8,767 |
|
Management uncertainty |
4,669 |
|
Annual catch limit (ACL)* |
4,098 |
|
Domestic annual harvest |
4,098 |
|
Border transfer |
0 |
|
Domestic annual processing |
4,098 |
|
U.S. at-sea processing |
0 |
|
Area 1A sub-ACL (28.9%)* |
1,184 |
|
Area 1B sub-ACL (4.3%) |
176 |
|
Area 2 sub-ACL (27.8%) |
1,139 |
|
Area 3 sub-ACL (39%) |
1,598 |
|
Fixed gear set-aside |
30 |
|
Research set-aside as percentage of sub-ACL |
0 |
* If New Brunswick weir landings are less than 3,012 mt through October 1, 2023, then 1,000 mt will be subtracted from the management uncertainty buffer and reallocated to the Area 1A sub-ACL and ACL.
When the final rule implementing 2023-2025 herring fishery specifications is published, the specifications set through that action will replace the default 2023 specifications that were implemented through Framework 8. We will publish another bulletin announcing the 2023-2025 specifications once the rule is approved and finalized.
This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
