Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Shellfish Dive, Hand/Mechanical Collection Fishery - MMPA List of Fisheries

Current Classification on the List of Fisheries

^ 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

There are no documented cases of marine mammal interactions.

Distribution

Year-round

Gear Description

This fishery collects shellfish by either free diving or using SCUBA in shallow water. Most often a support vessel transports the diver(s) to the fishing site and carries the landings to port. In deeper waters, helmet diving systems are used and the diver is tethered to the vessel with air pumped from the surface. Divers normally use small rakes or hoes to scrape target species off rocks or dig them out of the seabed. Generally, the catch is placed in bags that are either towed to the surface by the boat or floated to the surface using an air source and a lift bag. Divers rarely work deeper than about 20 meters (66 feet).

Management

Chesapeake Bay Program Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan; Oyster Fishery FMP7; and NEFSC, MAFMC, & SAFMC:  Interstate FMP for Atlantic Sea Scallops

Historical Information