Final Rule to Implement 2025 Monkfish Fishing Year Quotas
Summary
NOAA Fisheries is implementing monkfish quotas for the 2025 fishing year based on specifications approved by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. There were no overages in 2023 and there is no new information that would require changes to the 2025 quotas previously announced in August 2023 in Framework Adjustment 13 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan. As a result, this action finalizes these 2025 quotas. The quotas are the same as the 2024 quotas and are in place from May 7, 2025 until April 30, 2026.
Because this action will be effective after the May 1, 2025 beginning of the 2025 fishing year for the Monkfish fishery, fishing year 2024 quotas will "roll over" and be in place until May 7, 2025. However, fishing year 2024 and 2025 quotas are the same, so no there will be no disruption to the start of the 2025 monkfish fishing year.
All other monkfish requirements/measures, including annual DAS allocations, remain the same.
Table 1 – Specifications for Fishing Year 2025
| Management Area | Northern Area | Southern Area |
| Acceptable Biological Catch | 6,224 | 5,861 |
| Annual Catch Limit | 6,224 | 5,861 |
| Management Uncertainty (3%) | 187 | 176 |
| Annual Catch Target (Total Allowable Landings + discards) | 6,038 | 5,685 |
| Expected Discards | 729 | 2,205 |
| Total Allowable Landings | 5,309 | 3,481 |