Gulf of Maine Atlantic Herring Purse Seine 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.
Current Classification on the List of Fishery
Category | III |
Estimated Number of Participants | >7 |
Target Species | Atlantic herring |
Applicable Take Reduction Plans | None |
Observer Coverage | From 2015 to 2019, percent observer coverage (number of trips observed/total commercial trips reported) was 8, 7, 8, 3 and 4 respectively. |
Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured | Harbor seal, Western North Atlantic Gray seal, Western North Atlantic |
^ 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 reports of marine mammal mortalities in this fishery. Marine mammals do become captured by gear in these fisheries but because the mesh size of nets used is small there is only a small chance of entanglement. When marine mammals including humpback whales, fin whale and/or sei whales are caught in this gear, they are released alive without injury and thus are not included as species/stocks that are incidentally killed/injured by this fishery.
Distribution
Occurs year round but is more abundant during summer months (May - October) when herring is distributed through the Gulf of Maine and at night.
Gear Description
This fishery uses purse seine gear. A purse seine “is a deep nylon mesh net with floats on the top and lead weights on the bottom. Rings are fastened at intervals to the lead line and a purse line runs completely around the net through the rings. One end of the net remains in the vessel and the other end is attached to a power skiff or “bug boat” that is deployed from the stern of the vessel and remains in place while the vessel encircles a school of fish with the net. Then the net is pursed and brought back aboard the vessel through a hydraulic power block. Purse seines vary in size according to the size of the vessel and the depth to be fished. Most purse seines used in the New England herring fishery range from 30 to 50 meters deep.
Management
This gear is managed jointly by the MAFMC and ASFMC fishery management plans (FMPs). Relevant FMPs include, but may not be limited to the Atlantic Herring FMP (FR 70(19), 50 CFR Part 648.200 through 648.207) and the Northeast Multispecies (FR 67, CFR Part 648.80 through 648.97). This fishery is primarily managed by total allowable catch.
Historical Information
Original Category (Year added to the LOF) | III (1989) |
Original Number of Participants | 30 |
Basis for Original Classification | No reports of marine mammal mortalities. Marine mammals do become captured by gear in these fisheries but because the mesh size of nets used is small there is only a small chance of entanglement. When marine mammals are caught in this gear, they are generally released without injury. |
| Observer Coverage | During the period 1994 to 2002, estimated observer coverage (number of trips observed/total commercial trips reported) was 0. From 2003 to 2010, percent observer coverage was 0.34, 9.8,0.27, 0, 3.2, 12, 21 and 12, respectively. |
Past Names | N/A |
Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list) |
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Timeline of Changes
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2012 |
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2011 |
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2007 |
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