Industry-Funded Monitoring in the Northeast

Atlantic Herring Industry-Funded Monitoring Program Suspended Beginning in April 2023

•Beginning on April 1, 2023, Atlantic herring trips will not be eligible for industry-funded monitoring (IFM) coverage.

•Herring IFM coverage will remain suspended until federal funding becomes available to cover NOAA Fisheries’ cost responsibilities.

•Herring vessels must comply with the pre-trip notification system (PTNS) requirement for the fishery and carry a Northeast Fishery Observer Program (NEFOP) observer when selected for Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology (SBRM) coverage

Learn more about the suspension

Atlantic Herring Industry-Funded Monitoring

The New England Fishery Management Council established a 50 percent monitoring coverage target. This applies to at-sea monitoring aboard vessels with Category A or B herring permits using midwater trawl, bottom trawl, or purse seine gear on declared herring trips. Coverage target is achieved using a combination of data from existing monitoring programs and monitoring coverage. 

The Goal

Overall, industry-funded monitoring is intended to provide increased accuracy in catch estimates. Specific goals include:

• Accurate estimates of catch (retained and discarded)
• Accurate catch estimates for incidental species with catch caps (haddock and river herring/shad)
• Affordable monitoring for the herring fishery

The Program

Additional information about the program:

• Summary of requirements
• Infographic: Industry Funded Monitoring the Atlantic Herring fishery
• About the new Pre-Trip Notification System (PTNS)
• PTNS Portal

Affected Species

Industry-funded monitoring includes these species: Atlantic herring, American shad, blueback herring, haddock and alewife.

• Atlantic Herring, information about the species management and industry-funded monitoring.
• Haddock, information about the species management.

Providers for Industry-Funded Monitors

If you want to become a monitor, contact one of our approved providers.