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Proposed Measures for the Federal American Lobster Fishery

Overview

Fishing Type
Commercial
Affected Species
Action Status
Proposed Rule
Published
07/11/2022
Point of Contact
Allison Murphy, (978) 281-9122
Read Amendment

Summary

At the recommendation of the Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission, NOAA Fisheries is proposing new measures for the federal American lobster fishery. Measures include:

  1. Area 2 ownership cap that would restrict most permit holders to 800 active traps, effective two fishing years after the final rule is effective (likely 2024). A permit holder with an allocation that exceeds this limit would be capped at their current number of traps and may not purchase additional traps.
  2. Area 3 active trap cap reductions and a new, aggregate ownership cap with proportionate reductions that would allow permit holders to own 5 times the number of the active trap cap.

Trap Reduction Year

Active Trap Cap

Percent Reduction

Aggregate Ownership Cap

2021 (current limits)

1,945

n/a

n/a

2023

1,805

7%

9,025

2024

1,629

10%

8,145

2025

1,548

5%

7,740

A permit holder with an allocation that exceeds this limit would be capped at their current number of traps and may not purchase additional traps.

  1. Mandatory electronic harvester reporting, including several additional lobster-specific data elements, for all federal lobster permit holders using the federal vessel trip report (VTR), no earlier than January 1, 2023.

Last updated by Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office on 07/11/2022

Electronic Reporting