NOAA Fisheries is implementing monkfish quotas for the 2022 fishing year based on specifications approved by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. There were no overages in 2020 and there is no new biological information, so we are now finalizing the 2022 quotas that were previously announced in September 2020. The quotas are the same as the 2020 and 2021 quotas and are in place from May 1, 2022 until April 30, 2023.
Table 1 -- Monkfish Specifications for Fishing Year 2022 (in metric tons)
Catch Limits |
Northern Area |
Southern Area |
Acceptable Biological Catch |
8,351 |
12,316 |
Annual Catch Limit |
8,351 |
12,316 |
Management Uncertainty |
3 percent |
3 percent |
Annual Catch Target (Total Allowable Landings + discards) |
8,101 |
11,947 |
Discards |
1,477 |
6,065 |
Total Allowable Landings |
6,624 |
5,882 |
All other requirements remain the same.