Georges Bank Yellowtail Flounder News

In August/September 2011, as a result of lower than expected recruitment and continued poor stock conditions, a joint U.S./Canada management body made up of managers and fishermen and known as the Transboundary Management Guidance Committee, recommended reduced catch limits for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder for fishermen in both countries in 2012. The New England Fishery Management Council adopted these total allowable catches at its September 2011 Council meeting and incorporated them into its latest revision to the groundfish fishery management plan (Framework 47). NOAA Fisheries Service approved and implemented the new catch limits on May 1.

Given the magnitude of the catch limit reduction (61 percent) in 2012, NOAA Fisheries and the Council established a joint working group to work with the fishing industry and other interested parties to identify fishing opportunities despite the significant catch limit reductions.

• April 27 -- NOAA Fisheries Service and New England Fishery Management Council announce formation of joint agency working group
• April 30 -- NOAA Fisheries Service announces steps to assist fishing industry 
• May 1 -- New Management Measures announced for 2012 fishing year:
  • Final Rule to Implement Framework 47 to Multispecies Fishery Management Plan
  • Final Rule to Implement 2012 Sector Operations Plans
• May 23 - Working Group Meeting
  • This meeting was recorded.
    Download the audio of the two sessions (MP3 file format) below
    • Audio 1 (AM session)
    • Audio 2 (PM session)
  • Participant list
  • Agenda
  • Joint Statement from Samuel Rauch, acting assistant administrator, NOAA Fisheries Service and C.M. "Rip" Cunningham, chair, New England Fishery Management Council, from Yellowtail Working Group Meeting in New Bedford, MA
  • Georges Bank Yellowtail Flounder Science Presentation
    (Chris Legault, NEFSC)
  • Bycatch Reduction/Hotspot Reporting Presentation
    (Cate O'Keefe, SMAST)
  • Georges Bank yellowtail flounder catch presentation
    (Dr. J. Michael Lanning)
  • Yellowail flounder management presentation
    (Tom Nies, New England Fishery Management Council)
• June 18 -- Joint Groundfish Committee and Scallop Committee meet to review the discussions from the working group and updated yellowtail flounder catch projections.
  • Meeting summary
• June 21 --  New England Fishery Management Council adopts Joint Committee recommendations and requests that NOAA Fisheries Service:
  • Use its current regulatory authority to reduce the scallop Georges Bank yellowtail flounder sub-ACL to 90 percent of 174.3 mt (156.9 mt), and increase the groundfish GB yellowtail flounder sub- ACL by the amount of this reduction (150.6 mt) to 368.3 mt.
  • Take emergency action to temporarily relieve the scallop fishery from any accountability measure that would have been triggered by catch of Georges Bank yellowtail flounder less than 307.5 mt.
• July 16 -- NOAA Fisheries Service announces adjustments to the 2012 fishing year Georges Bank yellowtail flounder annual catch limits (ACLs) for the scallop and Northeast multispecies fisheries.
  • Temporary Rule
• October 1 -- NOAA Fisheries Service proposes to partially exempt the scallop fishery from fishing year 2012-related Georges Bank yellowtail flounder accountability measures.
  • Proposed Rule
  • Environmental Assessment

• If you have questions about the Georges Bank Yellowtail Flounder Working Group, please contact Brian.Hooper@noaa.gov.