Proposed Measures for the Federal American Lobster Fishery

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.

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.

3. 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.