Recent Announcements

• November 3, 2009 - Changes for Midwater Trawl Vessels Fishing in Groundfish Closed Area I (CORRECTED MAP IMAGE)
• November 3, 2009 - Correction to October 28, 2009, Permit Holder Letter Regarding Changes for Midwater Trawl Vessels Fishing in Groundfish Closed Area I
• November 2, 2009 - NOAA Fisheries Service Extends Deadline for 2011 Groundfish Data Corrections to December 31, 2009
• October 30, 2009 - Potential Opportunities To Join A Multispecies Sector For 2010 Fishing Year
• October 28, 2009 - Changes for Midwater Trawl Vessels Fishing in Groundfish Closed Area I
• September 25, 2009 - Fourth Workshop On Sector Reporting In The Groundfish Fishery On October 14-15, 2009 At Our Northeast Regional Office
• September 10, 2009 - Effective September 17, 2009, NE multispecies days-at-sea (DAS) vessels NE Multispecies DAS vessels are prohibited from using a flounder trawl net when fishing in the Eastern U.S./Canada Area (Area 2)
• September 1, 2009 - NOAA Fisheries expects to provide increased at-sea monitoring for all segments of the NE multispecies fishery for the 2010 fishing year
• July 6, 2009 - The Possession Limit Of 5,000 Lb Per Trip For Georges Bank Winter Flounder Is No Longer In Effect, And There Is No Possession Limit For This Stock. Also, The Possession Limit For White Hake Is Increased From 1,000 Lb Per Days-At- Sea (DAS) To 2,000 Lb Per DAS. The Maximum Amount Of White Hake That May Be Retained Will Remain At 10,000 Lb Per Trip
• June 24, 2009 - Closing The Eastern U.S./Canada Area On June 26, 2009 To Limited Access NE Multispecies DAS Vessels For The Remainder Of The First Quarter Of The 2009 Fishing Year
• June 11, 2009 - Third Letter to Multispecies Permit Holders Detailing Their Potential Sector Contributions Data for Option 5 of the Proposed Amendment 16
• June 3, 2009 - Effective June 5, 2009, The Georges Bank Yellowtail Flounder Trip Limit Is Reduced From 5,000 lb Per Trip To 2,500 lb Per Trip For Limited Access NE Multispecies Days-At-Sea Vessels Fishing In The U.S./Canada Management Area
• May 4, 2009 - Historic Landings Data Over The Two Time Periods Being Considered By The Council For Sector Allocations Under Amendment 16 (i.e., 1996-2006 & 2003-2007)
• April 24, 2009 - NE Multispecies Gear Declaration Procedures Which Will Be in Place at the Start of the Fishing Year, May 1, 2009
• April 15, 2009 - Closing Of The Eastern U.S./Canada Area On April 16, 2009 To Limited Access NE Multispecies DAS Vessels For The Remainder Of The 2008 Fishing Year
• April 8, 2009 - NOAA Commits $16 Million to Assist the Northeast Fishing Industry To Ease Transition to New Management of Groundfish
• April 6, 2009 - NOAA Announces Interim Rules to Reduce Overfishing and Rebuild Northeast Groundfish
• March 25, 2009 - Update on Requests For Mutispecies Sector Data Summaries and Data Release For Calculation Of Mutispecies Sector Shares
• March 6, 2009 - Adjustment To Both The Eastern Georges Bank (GB) Cod Landing Limit And The GB Yellowtail Flounder Trip Limit For The Remainder Of The 2008 Fishing Year (through April 30, 2009)
• March 1, 2009 - Updated Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Instructions for the Northeast Region
• February 17, 2009 - Multispecies Sectors Aggregate Landings Data Reports

Framework 42 Court Updates

• April 14, 2009 - Order Of Dismissal As Moot For The Remaining Counts Of The FW 42 Litigation
• April 10, 2009 - US District Court Reinstates FW 42 in its entirety
• April 9, 2009 - Update on FW 42 Court -- NOAA files second notice of consideration of Mixed Stock Exception
  • Exhibit 1
  • Exhibit 2
  • Exhibit 3
  • Exhibit 4
• February 26, 2009 - List of Measures Currently In Effect Following the February 17, 2009, and February 23, 2009, Court Orders to Reinstate the NE Multispecies Regulations Implemented Under Framework Adjustment 42 to the NE Multispecies FMP, but Continue the Suspension of Differential DAS Counting
• February 23, 2009 - Court Ruling on NOAA's Notice of Consideration of Mixed-Stock Exception
  • Media Advisory
• February 19, 2009 - NOAA Fisheries Service Submits Consideration of Mixed Stock Exception Report to Judge
  • Second Declaration of Pat Kurkul
  • Federal Defendents' Notice of Consideration of Mixed Stock Exception
  • Appendix A: DRAFT Consideration and Analysis of the Application of the Mixed-Stock Exception to Ending Overfishing and its Applicability to Framework 42 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan
  • Appendix B: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
  • Appendix C: Letter from New England Fishery Management Council
  • Appendix D: Further Consideration and Analysis of the Application of the Mixed-Stock Exception to Ending Overfishing and its Applicability to Framework 42 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan
• February 17, 2009 - U.S. District Court Judge Edward Harrington Order
• February 13, 2009 - List Of Measures Not Impacted By The Court Order to Suspend The NE Multispecies Regulations Implemented Under Framework Adjustment 42 To The NE Multispecies FMP
• February 2, 2009 - NOAA Fisheries Service requests reconsideration of suspension of FW 42 -- Documents submitted to the Court
• Media Advisory
• Motion to alter or amend the Court's order
• Memorandum in support of motion to alter or amend the Court's order and in support of motion for stay pending resolution of motion
• Declaration of Patricia Kurkul
• Attachment A
• Attachment B
• Attachment C- Table of pre-Framework 42 measures
• Motion for stay pending resolution of motion to alter or amend the Court's order
• January 26, 2009 - U.S. District Court of Massachusetts suspends FW 42
• January 14, 2009 - Proposed Interim Management Measures for Groundfish

Recent And Upcoming Actions

• Final Rule; Modification to the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank Herring Midwater Trawl Gear Letter of Authorization
• Temporary Rule; Interim Action Extension And Request For Comments; Northeast Multispecies Fishery
• Supplemental Notice Of Intent To Prepare An Environmental Impact Statement; Request For Comments; Essential Fish Habitat Components of Fishery Management Plans (Northeast Multispecies, Atlantic Sea Scallop, Monkfish, Atlantic Herring, Skates, Atlantic Salmon, and Atlantic Deep-Sea Red Crab) 5-year Review
  • E-Mail comments may be submitted to comments@nefmc.org
  • Written comments must be received on or before 5 pm EST, November 4, 2009
• Temporary Rule; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Modification of the Gear Requirements for the U.S./Canada Management Area
• Secretarial Final Interim Action; Georges Bank Winter Flounder & White Hake Interim Measures
• Temporary Rule; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Closure of the Eastern U.S./Canada Area
• Temporary Rule; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Modification of the Yellowtail Flounder Landing Limit for the U.S./Canada Management Area
• Final Rule; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Regulation Revisions
• Temporary Rule; Closure; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Closure of the Eastern U.S./Canada Management Area
• Final Rule; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; 2009 Georges Bank Cod Hook Sector Operations Plan and Agreement, and Allocation of Georges Bank Cod Total Allowable Catch
  • Supporting Documents - Sector Agreement & Environmental Assessment
• Final Rule; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; 2009 Georges Bank Cod Fixed Gear Sector Operations Plan and Agreement, and Allocation of Georges Bank Cod Total Allowable Catch
  • Supporting Documents - Sector Agreement & Environmental Assessment
• Temporary Final Rule; Interim Measures; Request For Comments; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Secretarial Interim Action New England Groundfish
  • E-Mail comments may be submitted, identified by RIN 0648-AW87, via the Federal eRulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov
  • Comments must be received by June 12, 2009
  • Supporting Documents - EA, RIR, FRFA
• Temporary Rule; NE Multispecies Fishery; Modification of the Yellowtail Flounder Landing Limit for the U.S./Canada Management Area
• Temporary Rule; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Reduction of the Landing Limit for Eastern Georges Bank Cod in the U.S./Canada Management Area
• AMENDMENT 13 - End Overfishing & Rebuild Overfished Stocks
• AMENDMENT 14- Small Mesh Multispecies Fishery
  • Limited Access Program and Control Date Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
• AMENDMENT 16- Scoping Process
• FRAMEWORK 43- Exempted Herring Fishery
  • Federal Register Notice
  • Permit Holder Letter
• GB FIXED GEAR SECTOR- Establishment of a new sector within the NE Multispecies FMP
  • Federal Register Notice
• FRAMEWORK 42- Biennial adjustment: GB yellowtail flounder rebuilding, reduce fishing mortality in 6 species, and modifications of several existing programs, including DAS
  • FW 42 Webpage
  • Federal Register Notice
  • Permit Holder Letter
  • Correction To Permit Holder Letter
• Dealer Reporting Web Page

Past Actions - Federal Register Documents

• 1994-2009

Programs

• New Sector Management Homepage -- Learn more about the development of fishing sectors in the groundfish fishery
• DAS Leasing and Transfer Program - Learn your DAS Leasing Baseline and get a List of Compatible Vessels
• Special Management Programs — Fishing Industry Homepage
• Vessel Monitoring System
• Sector Allocation Program — Under Development
• Charter/Party Regulations — Under Development
• U.S. & Canadian Transboundary Management Guidance Committee

Information Sheets

• Small Mesh Fishery Exemptions
• Large Mesh Fishery Exemptions
• Closed Area Regulations
• Charter/Party and Recreational Fishing
• Landing/Possession and Size Limits

Charts — Fishery Specific Charts

Forms - Permit Applications And Request Forms

FishWatch - U.S. Seafood Facts

• Atlantic Cod
• Haddock
• Atlantic Pollock
• Winter Flounder
• Yellowtail Flounder