Commercial fishermen of Atlantic herring in Area 1A will be prohibited fishing from today.
The closure of Atlantic herring season from Management Area 1A begins from Ocotber 27, 2011, because herring harvesters are projected to reach 95 percent of the allowable harvest quota for the period. The closure will remain in effect through midnight on December 31, 2011. The landing restriction is in accordance with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Atlantic Herring Management Plan, which addresses the need to control “effort” (fishing days) in the fishery to prevent harvesters from exceeding the Total Allowable Catch for each management area, which can trigger early closure.
Expert said that the TAC of Area 1A has been harvested before peak market. States involved in the herring fishery are allowed to extend the fishery by controlling fishing effort through landing restrictions. The goal is to provide a consistent supply of herring to the market by controlling landings. An exception to the rule is that any vessel may land herring taken as an incidental catch in ASMFC Management Area 1A, up to a maximum of 2,000 pounds.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission serves as a deliberative body coordinating the conservation and management of the 15 Atlantic coast states’ shared near-shore fishery resources for sustainable use.
