The Area I, Area II, and New York Bight Scallop Access Areas are closed to LAGC individual fishing quota (IFQ) scallop vessels effective 0001 hr, on July 13, 2024.
As of July 13, 2024, no scallop vessel fishing under LAGC IFQ regulations may fish for, possess, or land scallops in or from the Area I, Area II, or New York Bight Scallop Access Areas. The scallop regulations require that we close this area(s) once we project that the LAGC fleet has used the 856 combined trips allocated to them in these areas.
Vessels that have complied with the observer notification requirements, have declared a trip into the Area I, Area II, or New York Bight Scallop Access Areas using the correct Vessel Monitoring System VMS code, and have crossed the VMS demarcation line before 0001 hr, July 13, 2024, may complete their trip and retain and land scallops caught from the area.
This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.