This action adjusts the 2022 specifications for the Atlantic herring fishery to account for catch overages and carryover of unharvested catch (i.e., underages) from 2020. We recently completed our final catch accounting for 2020 and determined that there were catch overages in Areas 1A and 1B and catch underages in Areas 2 and 3. Because the adjusted Area 1B sub-ACL is zero, none of the sub-ACL is available for harvest in 2022 and a vessel may not fish for, possess, or retain herring from Area 1B for the remainder of the 2022 fishing year. A vessel may transit Area 1B with herring on board provided herring were caught in an area where the sub-ACL is available for harvest and gear is stowed and not available for immediate use.
Herring Annual Catch Limits (ACL), Catch, and Carryover (mt)
|
Final 2020 sub-ACLs |
2020 Catch |
2020 Overages (+) Overages (-) |
Allowable Carryover (up to 5 percent*) |
Initial 2022 sub-ACLs |
Adjusted 2022 sub-ACLs |
|
|
Area 1A |
4,244 |
4,353 |
+ 109 |
NA |
1,184 |
1,075 |
|
Area 1B |
483 |
831 |
+ 348 |
NA |
176 |
0** |
|
Area 2 |
3,120 |
353 |
- 2,767 |
156 |
1,139 |
1,295 |
|
Area 3 |
4,378 |
4,054 |
- 324 |
219 |
1,598 |
1,817 |
|
ACL*** |
12,224 |
9,591 |
NA |
NA |
4,098 |
3,813 |
*Carryover is based on 5 percent of the initial 2020 sub-ACLs: Area 1A = 3,244 mt; Area 1B = 483 mt; Area 2 = 3,120 mt; and Area 3 = 4,378 mt. These initial sub-ACLs were adjusted in season to become the final 2020 sub-ACLs.
**Because the 2020 overage in 1B exceeds the initial 2022 1B sub-ACL, the adjusted 2022 1B sub-ACL is zero.
***The ACL is reduced by overages but not increased by carryover; therefore, the adjusted 2022 ACL is only affected by the 2020 overages in Areas 1A and 1B.
This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
