



U.S. fisheries are classified under the Marine Mammal Protection Act according to the level of incidental mortality or serious injury of marine mammals.
Category |
I |
Estimated Number of Participants |
4,072 |
Target Species |
Atlantic cod, haddock, pollock, yellowtail flounder, winter flounder, witch flounder, American plaice, windowpane flounder, spiny dogfish, monkfish, silver hake, red hake, white hake, ocean pout, skate spp, mackerel, redfish, and shad. |
Applicable Take Reduction Plans |
|
Observer Coverage |
(includes descriptions of Northeast anchored float and Northeast drift gillnets) During the period 1990-2018, estimated percent observer coverage (number of trips observed/total commercial trips reported) was 1, 6, 7, 5, 7, 5, 4, 6, 5, 6, 6, 4, 2, 3, 6, 7, 4, 7, 5, 4, 17,19, 15, and 11, 18, 14, 10, 12 and 11, respectively. |
Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured |
Bottlenose dolphin, Northern Migratory coastal; Bottlenose dolphin, WNA offshore; Common dolphin, WNA; Fin whale, WNA; Gray seal, WNA; Harbor porpoise, GME/BF; Harbor seal, WNA; Harp seal, WNA; Humpback whale, GME; Minke whale, Canadian east coast; North Atlantic right whale, WNA; Risso's dolphin, WNA; White-sided dolphin, WNA. |
^ 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.
The annual mortality and serious injury to harbor porpoises (Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy [GME/BF] stock), humpback whales (Gulf of Maine stock), minke whales (Canadian east coast stock), and North Atlantic right whales (western north Atlantic [WNA] stock) in this fishery exceeds 50% of each stock’s Potential Biological Removal (PBR) level.
The fishery operates from the U.S.-Canada border to Long Island, New York, at 72° 30'W. long. south to 36° 33.03'N. lat. (corresponding with the Virginia-North Carolina border) and east to the eastern edge of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), including the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and Southern New England, and excluding Long Island Sound and other waters where gillnet fisheries are listed as Category II and III. At this time, these Category II and III fisheries include: the Northeast anchored float gillnet; Northeast drift gillnet; Long Island Sound inshore gillnet; and RI, southern MA (to Monomoy Island), and NY Bight (Raritan and Lower NY Bays) inshore gillnet. Fishing effort occurs year-round, peaking from May-July primarily on continental shelf regions in depths from 30-750 ft (9-228.6 m), with some nets deeper than 800 ft (244 m).
This fishery uses sink gillnet gear, which is anchored gillnet (bottom-tending net) fished in the lower one-third of the water column. The dominant material is monofilament twine with stretched mesh sizes from 6-12 in (15-30.5 cm) and string lengths from 600-10,500 ft (183-3,200 m), depending on the target species. The mesh size and string length vary by the primary fish species targeted for catch.
This fishery is managed by several interstate and federal FMPs.
(includes descriptions of Northeast anchored float and Northeast drift gillnets) Total metric tons of fish landed from 1998 to 2012 were 22,933, 18,681, 14,487, 14, 634, 15,201, 17,680, 19,080, 15.390, 14,950, 15,808, 18,808, 17,207, 18,170, 19,279 and 17,490 respectively (NMFS). Data on total quantity of gear fished (i.e., number of sets) have not been reported consistently among commercial gillnet fishermen on vessel logbooks, and therefore will not be reported here.
Original Category (Year added to the LoF) |
I (1996) |
Original Number of Participants |
341 |
Basis for Original Classification |
This fishery was categorized as a Category I based on observer data showing the annual estimated incidental mortality and serious injury from 1990-1993 of Atlantic white-sided dolphins was 102 animals/year, or 81.6% of PBR (PBR=125), and mortality and serious injury of harbor porpoise was 1,875 animals/year, which exceeded PBR (PBR=403). |
Past Names |
Northeast multispecies sink gillnet (including species as defined in the Multispecies Fisheries Management Plan and spiny dogfish and monkfish) 1997-1999. New England multispecies sink gillnet (including species as defined in the Multispecies Fisheries Management Plan and spiny dogfish and monkfish) 1992-1997. |
Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list) |
Hooded seal, WNA; Long-finned pilot whale, WNA; |
2022 |
|
2021 |
|
2020 |
|
2019 |
|
2017 |
|
2016 |
|
2013 |
|
2012 |
|
2011 |
|
2010 |
|
2009 |
|
2008 |
|
2007 |
|
2006 |
|
2005 |
|
2001 |
|
1999 |
|
1997 |
|