This action increases the Atlantic herring Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (ACL) and the ACL for the remainder of fishing year 2025. Because NMFS determined herring landings in the New Brunswick weir fishery were less than 2,722 mt through October 1, 2025, we subtracted 1,000 mt from the management uncertainty buffer and re-allocated it to the herring Area 1A sub-ACL and the ACL.
When 92 percent of the adjusted herring Area 1A sub-ACL is reached, no person may fish for, possess, transfer, land, purchase, or sell more than 2,000 lb of herring in or from Area 1A per trip or per calendar day from a vessel issued and holding a valid federal herring permit, and dealers are prohibited from receiving or purchasing from a vessel more than 2,000 lb of herring catch from Area 1A per trip, per calendar day.
When 95 percent of the adjusted herring ACL is reached, no person may fish for, possess, transfer, land, purchase, or sell more than 2,000 lb of herring in or from all herring management areas per trip or per calendar day from a vessel issued and holding a valid federal herring permit, and dealers are prohibited from receiving or purchasing from any vessel more than 2,000 lb of herring catch per trip, per calendar day.
Atlantic Herring Specifications for 2025
| Current Specifications (mt) | Adjusted Specifications (mt) | |
| Overfishing Limit | 18,273 | 18,273 |
| Acceptable Biological Catch | 6,741 | 6,741 |
| Management Uncertainty | 4,031 | 3,031 |
| Optimum Yield/ACL | 2,710 | 3,710 |
| Domestic Annual Harvest | 2,710 | 3,710 |
| Border Transfer | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic Annual Processing | 2,710 | 3,710 |
| U.S. At-Sea Processing | 0 | 0 |
| Area 1A Sub-ACL | 783 | 1,783 |
| Area 1B Sub-ACL | 117 | 117 |
| Area 2 Sub-ACL | 753 | 753 |
| Area 3 Sub-ACL | 1,057 | 1,057 |
| Fixed Gear Set-Aside | 30 | 30 |
| Research Set-Aside (RSA)* | 0% | 0% |
After accounting for the previous 2025 catch in Area 1A, the remaining 2025 sub-ACL for Area 1A is 773.5 mt. However, the 2,000 lb possession limit will be triggered when catch reaches 633.3 mt, or 92 percent of the Area 1A sub-ACL.
| Adjustment Process | Area 1A Sub-ACL |
| Area 1A sub-ACL | 1,783 mt |
| Deduct 30 mt of fixed gear set-aside (fully harvested in 2025) | 1,753 mt |
| Determine 92% threshold for possession limit adjustment | 1,613 mt |
| Previous 2025 Area 1A catch | -979.5 mt |
| Available Area 1A sub-ACL before possession limit reduction | 633.3 mt |
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts have currently specified zero landing days for herring harvested from Area 1A, but the ASMFC’s Atlantic Herring Management Board will be meeting soon to select landing days. For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, the ASMFC’s Atlantic Herring Management Plan Coordinator, at (703) 842-0740 or efranke@asmfc.org.
This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
