The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council developed Framework 16 in order to address potential latent effort in the Illex squid fishery. NOAA Fisheries is approving and implementing the following measures, as recommended by the Council:
Volumetric Hold Baseline for Limited Access Illex Squid Vessels
Framework 16 creates a volumetric hold baseline requirement for limited access Illex squid permits. In order to establish this baseline, a vessel issued a limited access Illex squid permit must have its hold capacity certified by a qualified individual or entity. The vessel’s fish hold capacity measurement, including a signed certification by the qualified individual or entity, must be submitted to NOAA Fisheries within 12 months of the implementation of this final rule (by November 29, 2025) in order for its 2026 vessel permit application to be complete. A similar volumetric hold baseline requirement was implemented for Tier 1 and Tier 2 Atlantic mackerel permit holders through Amendment 11 to the Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish FMP in 2011. If a vessel already has a volumetric hold baseline related to its Tier 1 or Tier 2 Atlantic mackerel permit, that hold baseline can be used for its limited access Illex squid permit as well.
If a limited access Illex squid permit is in Confirmation of Permit History (CPH) when fish hold capacity measurements are due (on November 29, 2025), the default volumetric hold baseline for that CPH permit will be established based on the fish hold capacity measurement of the first replacement vessel greater than 20 ft after the permit is removed from CPH (at which point the vessel’s fish hold would have to be measured under the certification requirements before fishing under the permit). If a permit in CPH already had an existing fish hold capacity measurement for the vessel immediately preceding the permit’s placement into CPH that met the measurement certification requirements, the fish hold capacity measurement could be used to establish a volumetric hold baseline for the Illex squid permit within the implementation period (by November 29, 2025).
If an Illex squid vessel is upgraded (either through refitting or replacement), the upgraded vessel’s hold capacity may not exceed the vessel hold capacity baseline by more than 10 percent. The modified fish hold, or the fish hold of the replacement vessel, must be surveyed by a qualified surveyor and submitted to NOAA Fisheries unless the replacement vessel already has an appropriate fish hold capacity measurement on file.
Processing Type for Limited Access Illex and Longfin Squid Vessels
Framework 16 enables NOAA Fisheries to collect information on processing type from vessels issued a limited access Illex or Tier 1 longfin squid permit. This information will be collected annually through the permit renewal process, beginning in permit year 2025 (starting January 1, 2025).
Clarification of Existing Regulations
Finally, Framework 16 clarifies an existing requirement for limited access Illex squid vessels to submit daily vessel monitoring system (VMS) catch reports when on declared Illex trips. Reports must include:
- Electronic vessel trip report (eVTR) identifier.
- Month, day, and year.
- Total weight (lb) of Illex squid kept.
- Total weight (lb) of all fish (including Illex squid) kept.
Daily VMS catch reports must be submitted in 24-hr intervals for each day of a declared Illex trip, and must be submitted by 9:00 a.m. on the following day. Reports are required to be submitted even if the Illex squid caught that day have not yet been landed.
This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
