Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery: Limited Access General Category Scallop Vessels Updated Allocations for the 2020 Fishing Year and Other New Measures

The following information describes new measures implementing Framework Adjustment 32 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan and a summary of how they may affect your fishing plans and activities for the 2020 fishing year. 

 

Fishing Year 2020 Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Allocations

The table below includes the LAGC fleet fishing year 2020 IFQ allocations effective April 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021.  We will upload your vessel’s updated 2020 IFQ to Fish Online based on the following allocations.  

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

LAGC Fleet Allocations

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.

2020 Access Area Closures

The following areas are closed for scallop fishing year 2020 (see map above and coordinates below):

• Closed Area II-Southwest and Extension
• Nantucket Lightship-Triangle

Areas Reverting to Open Area

• Nantucket Lightship-Hatchet
• Nantucket Lightship-West
  • This area will revert to the open area on May 31, 2020, to allow for 2019 carryover trips to occur.

Fishing Year 2020 Access Area Allocations

Framework 32 allocates effort into four rotational access areas (Mid-Atlantic Access Area (MAAA), Nantucket Lightship-North Access Area (NLS-N), Nantucket Lightship-South-Deep Access Area (NLS-S-D), and Closed Area I Access Area (CAI)).

Fishing Year 2020 LAGC IFQ Trip Allocations for Scallop Access Areas

LAGC Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) Management Area Scallop Possession Limit and Total Allowable Catch (TAC)  

NGOM TACs for Fishing Year 2020

Framework 32 implements a 350,000-lb annual NGOM TAC for fishing year that is split between the LAGC and the limited access fleets.  The limited access portion of the TAC may only be fished by vessels participating in the Research Set-Aside (RSA) program that are participating in a project that has been allocated NGOM RSA allocation.  During the 2018 fishing year the LAGC fleet exceeded its portion of the NGOM TAC by 3,718 lb.  This triggers a pound-for-pound deduction to the LAGC portion of the NGOM TAC to account for the overage.  Because final catch accounting data for the 2018 fishing year was not available in time to implement this deduction in the 2019 fishing year, the LAGC portion of the NGOM TAC for the 2020 fishing year is reduced by 3,718 lb to account for the overage.  The resulting LAGC NGOM TAC is 206,282 lb and the total 2020 NGOM TAC is 346,282 lb. 

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

Stellwagen Bank Scallop Closed Area

Framework 32 closes the Stellwagen Bank Closed Area through fishing year 2021. This closure protects a substantial number of small scallops that have not recruited into the fishery. 

Stellwagen Bank Scallop Closed Area

LAGC Incidental Scallop Target TAC: The incidental scallop target TAC for fishing year 2020 is 50,000 lb. Vessels issued an LAGC Incidental Catch scallop permit may land up to 40 lb shucked or 5 U.S. bu of in-shell scallops per trip.

Fishing Year 2020 Flatfish ACLs in the Scallop Fishery Proposed in Framework 59 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan

Important LAGC Program Reminders

Observer Program Updates

Set-Aside Compensation

If NOAA Fisheries selects your IFQ vessel for an open area or access area observed trip, you will receive observer compensation credit of 250 lb per trip 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 the 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. 

Call In and Survival Craft Requirements

Please read the following letters regarding important information and updates.

Survival Craft Requirements Regarding Capacity

Industry Funded Scallop Program Call In Requirements

Industry Funded Scallop Call In Guide

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 and NGOM 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.

Shell Stock Restrictions

• Vessels fishing in the Georges Bank paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) closure area may not retain in-shell scallops.
• Vessels may possess no more than 75 bu of in-shell scallops shoreward of the VMS demarcation line.
• A vessel declared into the Sea Scallop Area Access Program may not possess more than 75 bu 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 25 bu in-shell scallops shoreward of the VMS demarcation line.

Fishing Year 2020 Rotational Area Coordinates

Access Areas for Fishing Year 2020

Closed Area I Access Area

Mid-Atlantic Access Area

Nantucket Lightship-North Access Area

Nantucket Lightship-South-Deep Access Area

Closed Area II Access Area

¹ The intersection of 41°00′ N. lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 41°00′ N. lat. and 66°09.33′ W. long.

² From Point CAIIA5 connected to Point CAIIA6 along the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary.

³ The intersection of 41°30′ N. lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 41°30′ N. lat., 66°34.73′ W. long.

Closed Areas for Fishing Year 2020

Closed Area II-Southwest and Extension Closed Area

¹ The intersection of 41°0′ N. lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 41°0′ N. lat. and 66°09.33′ W. long.

² From Point CAIISWE 4 connected to Point CAIISWE5 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.

Nantucket Lightship-Triangle Closed Area

Stellwagen Bank Closed Area