NOAA Fisheries has approved updated squid and butterfish specifications for the 2018 through 2020 fishing years. Atlantic mackerel specifications for 2018 remain unchanged, as previously implemented.
Get the full summary of information about mackerel, squid, and butterfish fishery regulations.
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2018 Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Specifications (lb) |
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Specifications |
Mackerel |
Butterfish |
Illex |
Longfin |
|
Allowable Biological Catch |
43,867,581 |
39,244,487 |
52,910,943 |
51,588,169 |
|
Annual Catch Limit |
24,270,690 |
39,244,487 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Commercial Annual Catch Target (ACT) |
20,489,317 |
37,282,263 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Recreational ACT/Recreational Harvest Limit |
1,353,638 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Domestic Annual Harvest (DAH, or annual quota) |
20,231,151 |
26,659,600 |
50,518,927 |
50,556,406 |
|
Tier 3 Mackerel Allocation (7% of DAH) |
1,416,180 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
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Butterfish Mortality Cap in longfin squid fishery |
|
8,562,754 |
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River herring/shad catch cap in the mackerel fishery |
180,779 |
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The longfin squid DAH is allocated into trimesters as follows:
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Trimester |
Percent |
lb |
|
I (Jan-Apr) |
43 |
21,739,255 |
|
II (May-Aug) |
17 |
8,594,589 |
|
III (Sep-Dec) |
40 |
20,222,562 |
Projected 2019 and 2020 Specifications
The Illex and longfin squid 2019 and 2020 specifications will remain the same as those specified for the 2018 fishing year (see above). The butterfish mortality cap will also remain the same for the 2019 and 2020 fishing years. The table below shows the projected 2019 and 2020 butterfish specifications. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council may revise the projected 2019 and 2020 specifications for all species based on an annual review of available data.
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Projected Butterfish Specifications (lb) |
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|
Specifications |
2019 |
2020 |
|
Allowable Biological Catch |
59,762,910 |
70,686,815 |
|
Annual Catch Limit |
59,762,910 |
70,686,815 |
|
Commercial Annual Catch Target |
55,280,692 |
63,618,134 |
|
Domestic Annual Harvest (DAH, or annual quota) |
44,226,067 |
52,363,410 |
