The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council finalized its recommendations for the final 2024 and projected 2025 Illex and final 2024 and projected 2025-2026 longfin squid specifications during its April and August 2023 meetings, respectively, and reaffirmed the 2024 butterfish and 2024 and projected 2025 Atlantic chub mackerel specifications during its June 2023 meeting. NOAA Fisheries is implementing the Council’s recommended specifications. The 2024 specifications implemented through this action replace the 2023 rollover specifications that the Illex squid, longfin squid, butterfish, and chub mackerel fisheries have been operating under since the start of the fishing year (January 1, 2024).
Illex Squid
The 2024 and projected 2025 Illex squid specifications are identical to what was in place in 2023 (Table 1).
Table 1. 2024-2025 Illex Squid Specifications (mt).
| Specification | 2024 | 2025 (Projected) |
| Overfishing limit (OFL) | Unknown | Unknown |
| Acceptable biological catch (ABC) | 40,000 | 40,000 |
| Commercial Discard Set-Aside | 1,369 (3.42%) | 1,369 (3.42%) |
| Initial optimum yield (IOY) | 38,631 | 38,631 |
| Domestic annual harvest (DAH)/domestic annual processing (DAP) | 38,631 | 38,631 |
Longfin Squid
The 2024 and projected 2025-2026 longfin squid specifications are nearly identical to what was in place for 2023. The only change is a slight increase in the longfin squid discard rate (from 2 percent to 2.16 percent), resulting in a 0.17-percent decrease in the commercial quota (Table 2).
Table 2. 2024-2026 Longfin Squid Specifications (mt).
| Specification | 2024 | 2025-2026 (Projected) |
| OFL | Unknown | Unknown |
| ABC | 23,400 | 23,400 |
| Commercial Discard Set-Aside | 506.3 (2.16%) | 506.3 (2.16%) |
| IOY | 22,893.7 | 22,893.7 |
| DAH/DAP | 22,893.7 | 22,893.7 |
The percentage of the longfin squid quota allocated to each trimester remains unchanged from what was in place in 2023 (Table 3).
Table 3. Longfin Squid Quota Trimester Allocations.
| Trimester | Percent | Metric Tons |
| I (January-April) | 43 | 9,844.3 |
| II (May-August) | 17 | 3,891.9 |
| III (September-December) | 40 | 9,157.5 |
| Total | 100 | 22,893.7 |
Butterfish
Projected 2024 butterfish specifications were set through the final rule implementing 2023-2025 specifications for the Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The 2024 butterfish OFL, ABC, ACT, and DAH are all reduced relative to what was in place in 2023 (Table 4).
Table 4. Reaffirmed 2024 Butterfish Specifications (mt).
| Specification | 2024 |
| OFL | 16,096 |
| ABC/ACL | 15,764 |
| Annual Catch Target (ACT) | 14,976 |
| Assumed Discards | 1,248 |
| Total Discard Set-aside (all sources) | 5,132 |
| Butterfish Cap in Longfin Fishery | 3,884 |
| DAH | 9,844 |
The percentage of the butterfish mortality cap allocated to the longfin squid fishery during each trimester remains unchanged from what was in place during 2023 (Table 5).
Table 5. Allocation of the Butterfish Mortality Cap among Longfin Squid Trimesters.
| Trimester | Percent | Metric Tons |
| I (January-April) | 43 | 1,670 |
| II (May-August) | 17 | 660 |
| III (September-December) | 40 | 1,554 |
| Total | 100 | 3,844 |
Chub Mackerel
Projected 2024-2025 chub mackerel specifications were also set through the final rule implementing 2023-2025 specifications for the Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish FMP. The reaffirmed 2024 and projected 2025 chub mackerel specifications are identical to what was in place in 2023 (Table 6).
Table 6. Reaffirmed 2024 and Projected 2025 Atlantic Chub Mackerel Specifications (mt).
| Specification | 2024 | 2025 (Projected) |
| ABC | 2,300 | 2,300 |
| ACL | 2,262 | 2,262 |
| ACT | 2,171 | 2,171 |
| Total Allowable Landings | 2,041 | 2,041 |
This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
