New England and Mid-Atlantic Offshore Surf Clam and Quahog Dredge 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	III
Estimated Number of Participants	Unknown
Target Species	Surf clam, ocean quahog
Applicable Take Reduction Plans	None
Observer Coverage	Observer coverage is mandated by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation & Management Act.
Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured	None documented

^ 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 marine mammal interactions.

Distribution

This fishery includes all offshore quahog and surf clam dredges operating from the Canada-Maine border through Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Gear Description

Water is pumped onto the seafloor to clear sand and make target species more easily accessible. Target species are then caught in dredge which is pulled over the floor.

Management

Managed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Surf Clam and Ocean Quahog FMP.

Historical Information

Original Category (Year added to the LOF)	III (1989)
Original Number of Participants	100
Basis for Original Classification	There are no documented marine mammal interactions
Past Names	“U.S. Mid-Atlantic Offshore Surf Clam and Quahog Dredge” and "Mid-Atlantic Offshore Clam"
Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list)	N/A

Timeline of Changes

2016	Renamed from “U.S. Mid-Atlantic Offshore Surf Clam and Quahog Dredge” to New England and Mid-Atlantic Offshore Surf Clam and Quahog Dredge” to reflect the full distribution of the fishery.
2011	Estimated No. of vessels/persons operating changed to “unknown”.
1994	Renamed from "Mid-Atlantic offshore clam" to “U.S. Mid-Atlantic Offshore Surf Clam and Quahog Dredge” to include dredge fishery for quahogs.

Last updated by Office of Protected Resources on 02/15/2019

List of Fisheries

More On This Topic

The Fishadelphia team. Credit: Dr. Talia Young.

Podcast

Fishadelphia: Connecting Communities with Fresh Seafood

New England/Mid-Atlantic

National

Photograph from the North Atlantic right whale Catalog #3560 of "Snow Cone," a North Atlantic right whale sighted December 2, 2021 that was entangled in gear and with a new calf. Photo credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission taken under NOAA permit 20556.

North Atlantic right whale Catalog #3560 ‘Snow Cone’ sighted December 2, 2021 entangled and with a new calf. Photo credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission taken under NOAA permit 20556.

Video