Atlantic Mixed Species Trap/Pot Fishery - MMPA List of Fisheries

U.S. fisheries are classified under the Marine Mammal Protection Act according to the level of interactions that result in incidental mortality or serious injury of marine mammals.

New England/Mid-Atlantic

Southeast

Current Classification on the List of Fisheries

Category	II
Estimated Number of Participants	3,493
Target Species	hagfish, shrimp, conch/whelk, red crab, Jonah crab, rock crab, black sea bass, scup, tautog, cod, haddock, Pollock, redfish (ocean perch) white hake, spot, skate, catfish, stone crab, and cunner
Applicable Take Reduction Plans	Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (ALWTRP)
Observer Coverage	There has not been observer coverage in this fishery.
Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured	Fin whale, WNA Humpback whale, Gulf of Maine

^ Number of participants estimates are based on state and federal fisheries permit data. The estimated number of participants is expressed in terms of the number of active participants in the fishery, when possible. If this information is not available, the estimated number of vessels or persons licensed for a particular fishery is provided. If no recent information is available on the number of participants, then the number from the most recent LOF is used. NOAA Fisheries acknowledges that, in some cases, these estimations may be inflating actual effort.

*Observer coverage levels include the latest information reported in the most current final Stock Assessment Report (SAR).

¹ Indicates the stock or species is driving the classification of the fishery.

Basis for Current Classification

Based on analogy with the Category I “Northeast/Mid-Atlantic American lobster trap/pot fishery” and the Category II “Atlantic blue crab trap/pot fishery.” The gear used in these lobster and crab pot fisheries, which have been involved in entanglement events, is similar to the gear used in this fishery.

Distribution

The fishery includes all trap/pot operations from the U.S.-Canada border south through the waters east of the fishery management demarcation line between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico (50 CFR 600.105), but does not include the following Category I, II, and III trap/pot fisheries: Northeast/Mid-Atlantic American lobster trap/pot; Atlantic blue crab trap/pot; FL spiny lobster trap/ pot; Southeastern U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico stone crab trap/pot; U.S. Mid-Atlantic eel trap/pot; and the Southeastern U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico golden crab fisheries.

Gear Description

This fishery uses trap/pot gear.

Management

The fishery is managed under various Interstate Fishery Management Plans and is subject to ALWTRP implementing regulations.

Historical Information

Original Category (Year added to the LOF)	II (2003)
Original Number of Participants	Unknown
Basis for Original Classification	Listed as Category II based on analogy with the Category I “Northeast/Mid-Atlantic American lobster trap/pot fishery” and the Category II “Atlantic blue crab trap/pot fishery.” This fishery was created by pairing the "Mid-Atlantic Mixed Species Trap/Pot" (Category III), the "U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S. Atlantic Black Seabass Trap/Pot" (Category III), and the "Northeast Trap/Pot" (Category II), and any other trap/pot gear not identified on the LOF at that time. The gear used in other trap/pot fisheries is similar to that used in lobster pot fisheries, and while entanglement events cannot be attributed to a specific trap/pot fishery, it is likely that entanglements occur in fisheries other than lobster and crab trap/pots. NOAA Fisheries did not believe that incidental serious injury and mortality in non-lobster trap/pot fisheries warrants Category I classification because there are far fewer participants in these fixed gear fisheries.
Past Names	Effort in this fishery was included in the “Gulf of Maine, U.S. Mid-Atlantic mixed species trap/pot" (Category III) until 2001. In 2001, the fishery was split into the "Northeast Trap/Pot fishery" (Category II based on analogy) and the "Mid-Atlantic trap/pot fishery" (Category III). In 2003, these two fisheries were combined with the “U.S. Mid-Atlantic & Southeast U.S. Atlantic black sea bass trap/pot fishery" and other trap/pot gear not included in other fisheries listed on the LOF to form this fishery, the "Atlantic Mixed Species Trap/Pot" (Category II).
Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list)	harbor porpoise (Gulf of ME/Bay of Fundy); minke whale (Canadian East coast)

Timeline of Changes

2021	Estimated number of participants updated from 3,332 to 3,493.
2019	Estimated number of participants updated from 3,436 to 3,332.
2017	Estimated number of participants updated from 3,284 to 3,436.
2016	Estimated number of participants updated from 3,467 to 3,284.
2013	Estimated number of participants updated from 3,526 to 3,467.
2012	Estimated number of participants updated from 1,912 to 3,526.
2011	Updated the fishery’s description to remove American eel from the list of target species. Estimated number of participants updated from unknown to 1,912. This estimation may be an inflation of actual effort; however, it represents the potential effort for the fishery, given the multiple gear types several state permits may allow for.
2008	Added the following text to the fishery description for this fishery to describe the areas fished and excluded fisheries: "The Atlantic mixed species trap/pot fishery (Category II) includes all trap/pot operations for species from the Maine/Canada border down through the waters east of the fishery management demarcation line between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico (50 CFR 600.105) -- but not including waters where trap/pot fisheries are currently listed as Category I, II and III. This currently refers to the following fisheries: Northeast/Mid-Atlantic American lobster trap/pot; Atlantic blue crab trap/pot; Florida spiny lobster trap/pot; Southeastern U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico stone crab trap/pot; U.S. Mid-Atlantic eel trap/pot fisheries; and the Southeastern U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico golden crab fishery.” Cunner added to the list of target species. Updated the fishery description of this fishery to reflect that it is now subject to ALWTRP implementing regulations under an October 5, 2007, rulemaking (72 FR 57104, October 5, 2007).
2007	Expanded the list of target species to include hagfish, shrimp, conch/whelk, red crab, Jonah crab, rock crab, black sea bass, scup, tautog, cod, haddock, Pollock, redfish (ocean perch) white hake, spot, skate, catfish, American eel, and stone crab.
2006	Added a superscript “2” after this fishery, indicating that the fishery is categorized by analogy.
2005	Removed minke whale (Canadian east coast) and harbor porpoise (Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy) from the list of species/stocks killed/injured in this fishery because interactions had not been documented in recent years.