Today, NOAA Fisheries finalized measures for Framework 7 to the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan. This rule:
- Sets quota specifications for the golden tilefish fishery for fishing years 2022-2024
- Changes the start of the golden tilefish fishing year from November 1 to January 1 to improve the administration of the fishery and extends the 2022 fishing year through December 31, 2022
- Modifies the annual specifications process so that specifications would be set for the maximum number of years needed to be consistent with the Northeast Region Coordinating Council-approved stock assessment schedule
The final specifications are outlined below.
Table 1. Final specifications for 2022-2024
|
Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) |
1,964,319 lb |
|
Commercial Quota – Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Fishery |
1,763,478 lb |
|
Incidental Quota |
75,410 lb |
|
Incidental Trip Limit |
500 lb or 50 percent, by weight, of all fish, including |
|
Recreational Bag Limit |
8-fish recreational bag-size limit per angler, per trip |
We will send Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) shareholders a new 2022 IFQ permit reflecting the increase to their 2022 allocation. Once they have renewed their IFQ permit for the 2023 fishing year, we will issue their 2023 allocation, which will become effective on January 1, 2023.
This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
