2024 Fishing Year Limited Access General Category Individual Fishing Quota Allocations

Image

New Requirements

**Effective April 1, 2024** Prohibition on Transiting Scallop Rotational Areas and the Western Gulf of Maine Closure Area

To better enforce the Sea Scallop Rotational Area Management Program, Framework 38 prohibits all vessels fishing under a scallop declaration from entering or transiting any scallop rotational areas (unless the vessel is on a declared trip into that area, or otherwise specified) and the Western Gulf of Maine Closure Area. For fishing year 2024, the Area I and the Area I-Quad Scallop Rotational Areas will be corridors for continuous transiting, and transit will be permitted.

Continuous transit, for these purposes, means that a vessel has fishing gear stowed and not available for immediate use and travels through an area with a direct heading, consistent with navigational safety, while maintaining expeditious headway throughout the transit without loitering or delay.

Image

**Effective April 22, 2024** 5-minute Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) reporting on Federal Scallop Trips

Beginning on April 22, 2024, all scallop vessels with active VMS units will be subject to constant reporting at 5-minute intervals when seaward of the VMS demarcation line on a federal scallop declaration. When inshore of the VMS demarcation line, vessels will report at a 30-minute interval. The increased VMS reporting rate will not apply to vessels participating in state-waters scallop fisheries and excludes any scallop trip associated with the Scallop State Water Exemption Program. NOAA Fisheries encourages vessels to contact their VMS provider to determine the best service plan to meet their needs.

**Effective April 1, 2024** Pre-Trip Notification System

Beginning April 1, 2024, scallop vessel owners and operators will be required to notify NOAA Fisheries of their intent to fish using the Pre-Trip Notification System (PTNS) instead of the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. Notifications for an April 1st sail date must be entered through PTNS, up to 10 days in advance.

The new process will allow vessels to enter their own notifications online using the PTNS website. Vessels will log into the PTNS website with their individual Fish Online username and password. This will be the primary means of trip notification and trip changes. Vessels can submit a notification anytime between 10 days and 48 hours before the intended trip, a decrease in the current 72-hour notification requirement. 

Scallop permit holders are encouraged to visit the Scallop PTNS webpage for more details.

Resources:

• PTNS Scallop Vessel User Guide (PDF, 18 pages)
• PTNS Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 10 pages)
• Instructional video
• Survival Craft Requirements Regarding Capacity

Fishing Year 2024 IFQ Allocations

The table below includes the LAGC fleet fishing year 2024 IFQ allocations effective April 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025. We will upload your vessel’s updated 2024 IFQ and your IFQ letter to Fish Online based on the following allocations. Vessels can exchange IFQ via Fish Online or the IFQ Transfer Form.

**REMINDER** For IFQ vessels, all scallop harvest counts against your IFQ, regardless of where it is caught, including state waters.

IFQ Overage Payback (accountability measure)

You are prohibited from exceeding your IFQ allocation at any time during the fishing year. If you have exceeded your IFQ, you must balance an overage through temporary IFQ leases and/or permanent allocation transfers prior to any additional fishing activity. However, balancing an IFQ overage does not negate any potential violation related to exceeding your IFQ. If you exceed your yearly IFQ allocation, we will deduct any overages that remain at the end of the fishing year from the following year’s IFQ allocation on a pound-for-pound basis.

In-shell (Shell Stock) Possession Limits

• The in-shell (shell stock) possession limit of scallops is a weight conversion (8.33 lb of in-shell scallops = 1 lb of scallop meats).
• For Access Area trips, vessels may not possess or land, per trip, more than 800 lb of shucked scallops, or possess more than 6,664 lb of in-shell scallops shoreward of the VMS Demarcation Line.
• For open area trips, vessels may not possess or land, per trip, more than 600 lb of shucked scallops, or possess more than 4,998 lb of in-shell scallops shoreward of the VMS Demarcation Line.

2024 Access Area Closures

The following areas are closed for scallop fishing year 2024 (see map above and coordinates below):

• Area I-Quad
• Area I-Sliver
• Nantucket Lightship (expanded area)

Fishing Year 2024 Access Area Allocations

Framework 38 will allocate LAGC IFQ vessels a fleet-wide number of trips for fishing year 2024 and no default trips for fishing year 2025. The scallop catch associated with the total number of trips for all areas combined (856 trips) for fishing year 2024 is equivalent to 5.5 percent of total projected catch from access areas.

LAGC Access Area trips can be taken in any of the available areas (Area I, Area II, or New York Bight). Once the Regional Administrator has determined that the total number of LAGC IFQ access area trips have been or are projected to be taken all of the access areas will then be closed to LAGC IFQ fishing.

Fishing Years 2024 LAGC IFQ Trip Allocations for Scallop Access Areas

^* LAGC Access Area trips can be taken in any of the available areas until Regional Administrator determines that the total number of LAGC IFQ trips have been or are projected to be taken.

Atlantic Sea Scallop Quota Monitoring Page

LAGC Incidental Scallop Target TAC: The incidental scallop target TAC for fishing year 2024 is 50,000 lb.  Vessels issued an LAGC Incidental Catch scallop permit may land up to 40 lb shucked or 333 lb of in-shell scallops per trip.

Fishing Year 2024 Flatfish ACLs in the Scallop Fishery:

*Proposed by the New England Fishery Management Council in Framework 66 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan

Important LAGC Program Reminders

Observer Program Updates

Set-Aside Compensation

LAGC IFQ vessels are eligible for additional compensation when carrying an observer on board and fishing trips longer than 1 day (24 hours). The daily compensation rate of 250 lb will be prorated at 12-hour increments for trips exceeding 24 hours. The amount of compensation a vessel could receive on 1 trip would be capped at 2 days (48 hours) and vessels fishing longer than 48 hours will not receive additional compensation allocation. For example, if the observer compensation rate is 250 lb/day and an LAGC IFQ vessel carrying an observer departs on July 1 at 2200 and lands on July 3 at 0100, the length of the trip would equal 27 hours, or 1 day and 3 hours. In this example, the LAGC IFQ vessel would be eligible for 1 day plus 12 hours of compensation allocation, i.e., 375 lb. An LAGC IFQ vessel will be able to harvest the trip limit and the daily compensation rate on the observed trip, or the vessel could harvest any unfished compensation on a subsequent trip while adhering to the commercial possession limit.

If NOAA Fisheries selects your IFQ vessel for an open area or access area observed trip, you will receive observer compensation credit as described above if the observer set-aside has not been fully harvested. You can fish those additional pounds on the observed IFQ trip above the regular possession limit or on a subsequent trip that fishing year. However, if you harvest the additional pounds on a subsequent trip, you must remain within the possession limits.

We monitor the compensation rates and observer set-aside use closely throughout the year. If information suggests that a different rate is necessary to account for unexpected fishery conditions, we will change the compensation rate as appropriate and necessary. 

LAGC Calendar Day Landing Restriction

LAGC vessels may not land scallops more than once per calendar day. For example, an LAGC vessel that lands scallops on Monday may depart on a second trip on the same day it landed scallops (Monday), but cannot land scallops again until Tuesday.

Scallop Pre-Landing Notification

LAGC IFQ vessels must send a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Scallop Pre-Landing Notification form at least 6 hours before arrival on the way back to port, or immediately after fishing ends if less than 6 hours before arrival. In addition, you must submit this form on trips that are not declared as scallop trips, but on which scallops are kept incidentally. 

Forms must include the:

• Operator’s permit number;
• Vessel trip report (VTR) serial number recorded from that trip's VTR;
• Estimated amount of scallop meats and/or bushels to be landed;
• Estimated time and date of arrival in port;
• Port city and state at which the scallops will be landed; and
• Whether any scallops were caught in the NGOM.

Daily Scallop Catch Reports

Scallop catch reports are required to be submitted daily for vessels that fish for, possess, or retain scallops and not also fishing under a Northeast multispecies DAS or sector allocation. These reports must be submitted in 24-hour intervals for each day of fishing that begins at 0000 hours and ends at 2400 hours. The reports must be submitted before 9:00 a.m. local time each day for the previous day’s catch. Each report must include the:

• Operator’s permit number;
• VTR serial number;
• Date fish were caught;
• Total pounds of scallop meets kept; and
• Total pounds of all other fish kept.

Protected Species Reminders:

Commercial Fishing Reporting of Protected Species Takes

Protected Species Handling and Resuscitation Requirements and Guidelines

Stellwagen Bank Historic Shipwreck Avoidance

NOAA Fisheries, in conjunction with NOAA Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Program, requests that vessels avoid shipwreck sites on southern Stellwagen Bank within the Sanctuary by keeping gear 400 feet away from each of the site locations listed below. For details on the location of the wrecks please visit the Stellwagen Bank Historic Shipwreck Avoidance Webpage.

Shell Stock Restrictions

• Vessels fishing in the Georges Bank paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) closure area may not retain in-shell scallops.
• LAGC IFQ vessels may possess no more than 4,998 lb of in-shell scallops shoreward of the VMS demarcation line on an open area trip.
• A vessel declared into the Sea Scallop Area Access Program may not possess more than 6,664 lb of in-shell scallops outside of the access area.
• Vessels issued an LAGC NGOM scallop permit and IFQ vessels fishing in the NGOM may possess no more than 1,666 lb in-shell scallops shoreward of the VMS demarcation line.

Fishing Year 2024 Rotational Area Coordinates

Access Areas for Fishing Year 2024

 Area II Access Area

¹ The intersection of 41°30′ N lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 41°30′ N lat., 66°34.73′ W long.

² From Point AII2 connected to Point AII3 along the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary.

³ The intersection of 40°40′ N lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 40°40′ N lat. and 65°52.61′ W long.

New York Bight Scallop Rotational Area

Area I Scallop Rotational Area

Closed Areas Reverting to Open Area

Elephant Trunk

Closed Areas for Fishing Year 2024

Area I-Sliver Scallop Rotational Area

Area I-Quad Scallop Rotational Area

Nantucket Lightship Scallop Rotational Area

Georges Bank Accountability Measure Area

¹ The intersection of 41°30′ N lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 41°30′ N lat., 66°34.73′ W long.

² From Point GBAM2 connected to Point GBAM3 along the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary.

³ The intersection of 40°30′ N lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately, 65°44.34′ W long.