Northeast Multispecies Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures

Annual Catch Limits

An annual catch limit is the amount of each stock that is allowed to be caught per year. For the Northeast multispecies fishery (groundfish), the total annual catch limit for each stock is divided into sub-annual catch limits or sub-components for the following: 

• Sectors
• Common pool
• Recreational fisheries
• State waters fisheries
• Other fisheries that catch groundfish as bycatch, such as scallop vessels

Accountability Measures

Accountability measures are management controls that prevent catch limits from being exceeded, or correct for overages if they occur. The Northeast multispecies fishery has a variety of accountability measures, which differ depending on the fishery responsible for the overage, and on the stock.

Accountability Measures for Allocated Stocks

Allocated Stocks

• Georges Bank cod
• Gulf of Maine cod
• Georges Bank haddock
• Gulf of Maine haddock
• Georges Bank yellowtail flounder
• Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic yellowtail flounder
• Cape Cod/Gulf of Maine yellowtail flounder
• American plaice
• Witch flounder
• Georges Bank winter flounder
• Gulf of Maine winter flounder
• Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic winter flounder
• Redfish
• White hake
• Pollock

Sectors

If an individual sector exceeds its quota (annual catch entitlement) of a particular stock during the fishing year, vessels participating in that sector may not fish in the stock area of that stock unless and until the sector leases in additional quota from another sector.

If an individual sector ends the fishing year with an overage in the sector’s quota (annual catch entitlement), the sector is required to do a pound-for-pound payback in the following fishing year.

For more information, see the Sectors page.

Common Pool

The common pool quota for most allocated stocks is divided into trimester total allowable catches.  If the common pool is expected to reach 90 percent of its trimester total allowable catch for a particular stock, there is a corresponding area that is closed for the remainder of the trimester to common pool vessels fishing with gear capable of catching that stock. 

If the common pool ends a year with an overage in the common pool’s sub-annual catch limit, the common pool’s sub-annual catch limit in the next fishing year is reduced pound-for-pound to pay back the overage. 

Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic winter flounder is the only allocated stock without a trimester total allowable catch. If the common pool triggers the accountability measure for this stock, three specific areas are closed to common pool trawl vessels for the following fishing year.

For more information, see the Common Pool page.

Recreational Fisheries

For stocks that have an allocation for the recreational fishery, the Regional Administrator can reactively or proactively adjust measures to prevent the fishery from exceeding the recreational sub-annual catch limit in the future.

For more information, see the Recreational page.

Other Fisheries

Several stocks have an allocation to a non-groundfish fishery, and associated accountability measures if triggered. Note: Not all accountability measures are triggered by an overage of the sub-annual catch limit; for instance, some require an overage of the sub-annual catch limit and total annual catch limit.

Accountability Measures for Unallocated Stocks 

Unallocated Stocks

• Atlantic halibut
• Ocean pout
• Northern windowpane flounder
• Southern windowpane flounder
• Atlantic wolffish

Generally, if the overall annual catch limit for an unallocated stock is exceeded, groundfish vessels (common pool and sector) vessels are subject to an area closure or restriction.  For certain stocks, an accountability measure may be triggered for other fisheries, specifically the scallop fishery and non-groundfish trawl vessels using a codend mesh size greater than or equal to 5 inches.

For more information, see the species-specific accountability measures pages.