Data
Industry Funded Scallop Reports for the Northeast
The reports track observer coverage assignment, achieved coverage, and the desired target coverages…
Atlantic Sea Scallop
Atlantic Sea Scallop
Placopecten magellanicus
Also Known As
Scallop, Sea scallop, Giant scallop
Quick Facts
Region
New England/Mid-Atlantic
About the Species
The primary Atlantic sea scallop fishery operates along the Atlantic coast from the Mid-Atlantic to the US/Canada border. The scallop fishery uses predominantly paired or single scallop dredges throughout the entire range of the fishery. To a lesser extent, and mainly in the Mid-Atlantic region, the scallop fishery uses trawl gear. Most vessels land scallops as shucked meats (the adductor muscle) but some vessels also land whole (in-shell) scallops. U.S. wild-caught Atlantic sea scallop is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations. Implementing regulations are found at 50 CFR part 648 subpart D.
Population
Above target population level.
Fishing Rate
At recommended level.
Habitat Impacts
Area closures and gear restrictions protect habitat that are affected by some kinds of trawl and dredge gear.
Bycatch
Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch.
Population Status
- According to the 2018 stock assessment, Atlantic sea scallops are not overfished and are not subject to overfishing. Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART.
Appearance
- Scallops are bivalves (having two shells), like clams and oysters.
- The shells are held together by the adductor muscle (the part of the scallop Americans typically eat).
- Sea scallops have a saucer-shaped shell with scalloped or fluted edges.
- The upper shell is usually reddish-pink or brown in color. The lower shell is white or cream.
- A small percentage (5-10 percent) of sea scallops are albinos, with white upper and lower shells.
- Sea scallop shells are smooth and lack the prominent ribbing that is characteristic of most other scallop shells. It is thought that the sea scallop’s smooth shell is an adaptation to allow it to propel itself faster and farther.
Biology
- Sea scallops can live up to 20 years. They grow quickly for the first few years of their life.
- The largest scallop ever reported was about 9 inches in shell height, but they typically don’t grow larger than 6 inches.
- Sea scallops can reproduce by age 2, but don’t produce many eggs or sperm until they are about 4 years old.
- They are very fertile—a female sea scallop can produce hundreds of millions of eggs per year. For this reason, scallops may respond more rapidly to management actions than species that reproduce slowly and in small numbers.
- Sea scallops usually spawn in late summer or early fall. They also may spawn in the spring, especially in the Mid-Atlantic Bight.
- After hatching, scallop larvae remain in the water column for 4 to 6 weeks before settling on the ocean floor.
- Sea scallops feed by filtering phytoplankton or other small organisms out of the water column, which can actually help to improve water quality by removing suspended materials.
- Many kinds of pelagic fish and invertebrates eat scallop larvae.
- Cod, wolffish, eel pout, flounder, crabs, lobster, sea turtles, and sea stars feed on juvenile and adult scallops.
- Using its adductor muscle to snap its top and bottom shells open and shut, a sea scallop can propel itself through the water. This helps them escape predators, such as sea stars, that other bivalves like mussels, clams, and oysters can’t avoid.
Where They Live
- Atlantic sea scallops are found in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, from Newfoundland to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
Fishery Management
- NOAA Fisheries and the New England Fishery Management Council manage the Atlantic sea scallop fishery.
- Managed under the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan:
- Managers determine a total allowable catch for the scallop fishery based on estimates of the scallop population. They allocate this catch amount to different groups of the fishery, depending on their permit type and historical catch, through days-at-sea and number of trips to special access areas.
- Other management measures include:
- Limits on crew size.
- Areas closed to scallop dredging to allow young scallops to grow large and reproduce, and to reduce bycatch of non-targeted species.
- Vessels harvesting scallops must use vessel monitoring systems (a satellite communications system used to monitor fishing activities).
- Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQs), a type of catch share program, for Limited Access General Category permit holders.
- There is a sea scallop fishery in the Gulf of Maine that operates in both federal and state waters. This fishery primarily occurs in Maine state waters and is managed by the state through gear and seasonal restrictions and rotational closures. The federal component of the fishery is managed through daily catch limits and gear restrictions.
Harvest
- Commercial fishery:
- In 2019, commercial landings of Atlantic sea scallop totaled more than 60.6 million pounds of sea scallop meats and were valued at approximately $570 million, according to the NOAA Fisheries commercial fishing landings database. These figures may not match other agency sources of data due to confidential information.
- Scallop vessels from Massachusetts, Virginia, and New Jersey are responsible for the majority of the U.S. harvest.
- The principal U.S. commercial fisheries for sea scallop are in the Mid-Atlantic (from Virginia to Long Island, New York) and on Georges Bank and neighboring areas, such as the Great South Channel and Nantucket Shoals. There is also a small, primarily inshore fishery for sea scallops in the Gulf of Maine.
- The U.S. sea scallop fishery is extremely important to the U.S. economy and is the largest wild scallop fishery in the world.
- Gear types, habitat impacts, and bycatch:
- U.S. commercial fishermen harvest sea scallops year-round, primarily using turtle deflector–style scallop dredges that catch scallops much like rakes collect leaves.
- A small number of fishermen use otter trawls, mostly in the Mid-Atlantic.
- Divers and Digby dredges are sometimes used in near-shore areas in the Gulf of Maine.
- The bottom fishing gears used to harvest scallops, such as dredges and trawls, can remove some bottom habitat–forming organisms, including tubeworms and sponges.
- Managers have implemented a variety of measures to protect habitat from potential impacts of fishing gear:
- Several areas are closed year-round to harvesting scallops to protect sensitive habitat.
- Managers have implemented a rotational access area program, which restricts where and when scallop vessels can fish, benefitting both habitat and scallop populations.
- Fishermen use 4-inch rings in their scallop dredges that increase the dredges’ efficiency, catching larger scallops and allowing smaller scallops and other small marine life to return to the sea floor by passing through the dredge rings. The 4-inch rings reduce the amount of time dredges contact the bottom.
- Sea turtles, finfish (such as yellowtail flounder, skates, and monkfish), and undersized scallops can be incidentally caught in the scallop fishery.
- Managers seasonally prohibit fishing in areas where finfish species congregate, reducing catch of these untargeted species.
- Scallop fishermen receive annual allocations of windowpane and yellowtail flounder that they can catch. If the catches are exceeded, managers will implement measures to minimize catch of these species in a future fishing year (e.g., gear restrictions and seasonal closures).
- Scallop vessels in the Mid-Atlantic must use a turtle deflector dredge and chain mat when and where sea turtles occur on scallop grounds. The turtle deflector dredge excludes sea turtles from being caught in the dredge and prevents serious injuries to the turtles.
- Scallop dredges using “twine-tops” must adhere to gear modifications designed to allow fish to escape.
- Research and experimentation with different techniques and gears, as well as education efforts, have helped reduce bycatch.
- Managers and the fishing industry continue to collaborate to redesign scallop dredges to reduce flounder bycatch and to minimize injuries to and capture of sea turtles.
Featured News
Commercial Fishing Regulations
Fishing Year 2020 Scallop Fishery Allocations
|
Overfishing Limit |
56,186 mt (123,868,900 lb) |
|---|---|
|
Acceptable Biological Catch/ACL (discards removed) |
45,414 mt (100,120,700 lb) |
|
Incidental Catch |
23 mt (50,706 lb) |
|
Northern Gulf of Maine Overall TAC |
93 mt (205,000 lb) |
|
Northern Gulf of Maine Limited Access TAC |
158.8 mt (350,000 lb) |
|
Northern Gulf of Maine LAGC TAC |
93.6 mt (206,282 lb) |
|
Research Set-Aside (RSA) |
567 mt (1,250,000 lb) |
|
Observer Set-Aside |
454 mt (1,000,899 lb) |
|
ACL for fishery |
44,370 mt (97,819,110 lb) |
|
Limited Access ACL |
41,930 mt (92,468,490 lb) |
|
LAGC Total ACL |
2,440 mt (5,379,279 lb) |
|
LAGC IFQ ACL (5% of ACL) |
2,219 mt (4,892,058 lb) |
|
Limited Access with LAGC IFQ ACL (0.5% of ACL) |
222 mt (489,426 lb) |
|
Limited Access ACT |
37,819 mt (83,376,620 lb) |
|
APL |
22,370 mt (49,317,410 lb) |
|
Limited Access Projected Landings (94.5% of APL) |
21,140 mt (46,605,720 lb) |
|
Total IFQ Annual Allocation (5.5% of APL) |
1,230 mt (2,711,686 lb) |
|
LAGC IFQ Annual Allocation (5% of APL) |
1,119 mt (2,466,973 lb) |
|
Limited Access with LAGC IFQ Annual Allocation (0.5% of APL) |
112 mt (246,918 lb) |
Quotas
Quotas for Atlantic sea scallop fishery change every year or every two years. If specifications are not in place at the start of a fishing year, default specifications will go into place.
Size Requirements
Minimum Shell Height
The minimum shell height for in-shell scallops that may be landed or possessed at or after landing is 3.5 inches (8.9 cm). Shell height is a straight line measurement from the hinge to the part of the shell that is farthest away from the hinge.
Maximum Shell Height
There is no maximum scallop size.
Possession and Trip Limits
Scallop possession limits vary by permit, area, and year.
To see the Limited Access scallop vessel allocations for the 2020 fishing year, read the March 30, 2020 bulletin.
To see the Limited Access General Category scallop vessel allocations for 2019 fishing year, read the March 30, 2020 bulletin. Download the spreadsheet of 2020 LAGC allocations.
One-for-One Access Area Allocation Exchanges
Vessels may exchange unharvested scallop pounds allocated into one access area for another vessel's unharvested scallop pounds allocated into another access area. These exchanges may only be made for the amount of the current trip possession limit (full-time: 18,000-lb and part-time: 17,000 lb).
In addition, these exchanges may be made only between vessels with the same permit category: A full-time vessel may not exchange allocations with a part-time vessel, and vice versa.
Atlantic Sea Scallop Individual Fishing Quota Cost Recovery Program
-
2016 Annual Report (June 2017)
Other Species Regulations
Northeast Multispecies
Possession Limits for LAGC Vessels
LAGC vessels are prohibited from landing Northeast multispecies, unless they are on a declared Northeast multispecies trip (i.e., they cannot be on a declared IFQ trip and retain Northeast multispecies).
Possession Limits for LA Vessels
Unless otherwise prohibited, limited access scallop vessels also issued a valid Northeast multispecies permit, that have declared into a trip and fishing within the Sea Scallop Access Areas may possess and land, per trip, up to a maximum of 1,000 lb of all New England multispecies combined.
Additional restrictions for Atlantic cod, haddock, and yellowtail flounder are listed below:
-
Atlantic cod: Vessels may possess up to 100 lb (45.4 kg) of Atlantic cod per trip, provided such fish is intended for personal use only and cannot be not sold, traded, or bartered
-
Haddock: Vessels may possess and land haddock up to the overall possession limit of all Northeast multispecies combined, except that vessels are prohibited from possessing or landing haddock from January 1 through June 30
-
Yellowtail Flounder: Vessels are prohibited from possessing yellowtail flounder
Scallop DAS Trips
Unless otherwise prohibited, limited access scallop vessels also issued a valid Northeast multispecies permit, that have declared into the scallop DAS program may possess and land, per trip:
-
Northeast Multispecies: A maximum of 300 lb of all Northeast multispecies combined
-
Yellowtail Flounder: Vessels are prohibited from possessing yellowtail flounder
Monkfish
Monkfish Incidental Trip Limits for Limited Access Vessels
For LA vessels while on a Scallop DAS or in the Sea Scallop Access Area Program have the following limits:
Areas: NFMA & SFMA
Gear: All Gear
Landing Limit (tail weight per DAS): 300 lb (873 lb whole weight)
Monkfish Incidental Trip Limits for LAGC Vessels
Scallop Dredge Exemption Areas: 50 lb (tail weight) per trip
West of 72’30’’ (i.e., in the Mid-Atlantic exemption area): LAGC vessels may use trawls or dredges, and the monkfish possession limit depends on gear size.
When using mesh size equal to or larger than 5.5” diamond/6” square in body, extensions, and codend – 5% of the total weight of fish on board, up to 450 lb trip
When using mesh size smaller than 5.5” diamond/6” square in body, extensions, and codend – 50 lb per day, up to 150 lb per trip
Maximum Fish Size: None
Reporting A Commercial Catch
Reporting Requirements
Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Requirements
All vessels issued a federal scallop permit are required to have an active VMS unit and must use their VMS unit to declare all vessel activity including fishing trips and transiting.
Observer Requirements
-
Limited Access (LA) Vessels: Call for both Open Area and Access Area trips. 72 hours notice before the intended sail date is required and notice should be no more than 10 days prior to sail date.
-
LA General Category Vessels: Call for both Open Area and Access Area trips. Notify weekly by Thursday if you expect to make any trips from Sunday through Saturday of the following week.
Review the Industry-Funded Scallop Observer Program Call-In Guide.
Catch Reporting and Vessel Trip Reports
Vessel Trip Reports
A vessel trip report (VTR) must be received by NOAA Fisheries or postmarked within 15 days after the end of the reporting month. For vessels that also hold a Northeast multispecies permit, VTRs must be submitted weekly by Tuesday of the week after the fishing trip ends.
Copies of VTRs must be retained on board the vessel for one year after the date of the last entry on the log and otherwise retained for three years after the date of the last entry on the log.
If no fishing activity took place during a reporting period (week or month), then a VTR must be submitted stating that no fishing trips were taken.
Read the VTR Instructions.
VMS Catch Reports
Scallop vessels may be required to submit two catch reports through VMS. Read the instructions for completing VMS forms.
Scallop Catch Report
The first form is required by all LA and LAGC vessels that are fishing for, possessing, or retaining scallops, and not also fishing under a Northeast multispecies DAS or sector allocation. The form, often referred to as the scallop catch report, is used to monitor scallop and yellowtail flounder catch on scallop trips.
These reports must be submitted in 24-hour intervals for each day of fishing that begins at 0000 hours and ends at 2400 hours. The reports must be submitted before 9 a.m. each day for the previous day’s catch. The reports include:
-
Fishing Vessel Trip Report logbook page number;
-
Total pounds of scallop meats kept;
-
Total pounds of all other fish kept.
The Scallop Pre-Landing Notification Form
The second report you may need to submit is the Scallop Pre-Landing Notification Form, which is required under the following four circumstances:
-
When on a declared limited access trip;
-
When on a declared limited access general category (LAGC) trip; or
-
When a vessel with an LAGC or Northern Gulf of Maine scallop permit is on a declared trip outside the scallop fishery when scallops are kept.
(This includes limited access vessels that are also issued IFQ or NGOM permits when landing scallops and not on a declared scallop day-at-sea or on an access area trip allocated through their full-time, part-time, or occasional permits.)
The pre-landing notification form must be submitted at least 6 hours before landing scallops, and before crossing the VMS demarcation line. If your scallop harvesting ends less than 6 hours before landing, then the report is to be sent immediately upon leaving the fishing grounds.
This form serves two important purposes: (1) To support timely monitoring and attribution of scallop landings to vessel permits; and (2) to notify NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement of where vessel operators plan to land scallops.
Please contact the Northeast VMS Team with questions.
Commercial Gear Information
Dredge Gear Requirements
Maximum Dredge Width
Limited Access vessels (excluding vessels in the Small Dredge Program) may not use a dredge(s) with a combined dredge width of more than 31 ft. Limited Access vessels enrolled in the Small Dredge Program may only fish with one dredge, and the dredge width may not exceed 10.5 ft.
LAGC vessels may fish with a maximum combined dredge width of 10.5 ft, measured at the widest point in the bail of the dredge. The only exception is for LAGC vessels fishing in the Mid-Atlantic Exemption Area, where vessels may use dredge gear with a combined dredge width of no more than 31 ft.
Minimum Mesh Size
The mesh size of any material on the top of any scallop dredge (twine top) may not be smaller than 10-inch square or diamond mesh.
Minimum Ring Size
The ring size in any scallop dredge possessed or used by scallop vessels may not be smaller than 4 inches.
Link Restrictions
No more than double links between rings may be used in or on all parts of the dredge bag, except the dredge bottom. No more than triple linking shall be used in or on the dredge bottom portion and the diamonds.
Damaged links that are connected to only one ring, i.e., “hangers,” are allowed if they occur between two links that both couple the same two rings. Dredge rings may not be attached via links to more than four adjacent rings. Thus, dredge rings must be rigged in a configuration such that, when a series of adjacent rings are held horizontally, the neighboring rings form a pattern of horizontal rows and vertical columns.
Gear Restrictions and Obstructions
No material, device, or link configuration may be used if it results in obstructing the release of scallops that would have passed through a legal sized and configured net and dredge. No chafing gear or cookies may be used on the top of the dredge.
All limited access and LAGC IFQ vessels that are fishing for scallops must have no more than seven rows in the apron between the twine top and the clubstick, year-round and in all areas. This is intended to further reduce flatfish bycatch.
Management Areas
Fishing Year 2020 Rotational Area Coordinates
Access Areas for Fishing Year 2020
Closed Area I Access Area
Point |
N latitude |
W longitude |
|
CAIA1 |
41°30′ |
68°30′ |
|
CAIA2 |
40°58′ |
68°30′ |
|
CAIA3 |
40°54.95′ |
68°53.37′ |
|
CAIA4 |
41°04′ |
69°01′ |
|
CAIA5 |
41°30′ |
69°23′ |
|
CAIA1 |
41°30′ |
68°30′ |
Mid-Atlantic Access Area
Point |
N latitude |
W longitude |
|
MAA1 |
39°30′ |
73°10′ |
|
MAA2 |
39°30′ |
72°30′ |
|
MAA3 |
38°30′ |
73°30' |
|
MAA4 |
38°10′ |
73°30' |
|
MAA5 |
38°10′ |
74°20′ |
|
MAA6 |
38°50′ |
74°20′ |
|
MAA7 |
38°50′ |
73°42′ |
|
MAA1 |
39°30′ |
73°10′ |
Nantucket Lightship-North Access Area
Point |
N latitude |
W longitude |
|
NLSN1 |
40°50′ |
69°30′ |
|
NLSN2 |
40°50′ |
69°00′ |
|
NLSN3 |
40°28′ |
69°00′ |
|
NLSN4 |
40°28′ |
69°30′ |
|
NLSN1 |
40°50′ |
69°30′ |
Nantucket Lightship-South-Deep Access Area
Point |
N latitude |
W longitude |
|
NLSSD1 |
40°22′ |
69°30′ |
|
NLSSD2 |
40°15′ |
69°30′ |
|
NLSSD3 |
40°15′ |
69°00′ |
|
NLSSD4 |
40°28′ |
69°00′ |
|
NLSSD5 |
40°28′ |
69°17′ |
|
NLSSD1 |
40°22′ |
69°30′ |
Closed Area II Access Area
Point |
N latitude |
W longitude |
Note |
|
CAIIA1 |
41°30′ |
67°20′ |
|
|
CAIIA2 |
41°11′ |
67°20′ |
|
|
CAIIA3 |
41°11′ |
66°41′ |
|
|
CAIIA4 |
41°00′ |
66°41′ |
|
|
CAIIA5 |
41°00′ |
(1) |
(2) |
|
CAIIA6 |
41°30′ |
(3) |
(2) |
|
CAIIA1 |
41°30′ |
67°20′ |
1 The intersection of 41°00′ N. lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 41°00′ N. lat. and 66°09.33′ W. long.
2 From Point CAIIA5 connected to Point CAIIA6 along the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary.
3 The intersection of 41°30′ N. lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 41°30′ N. lat., 66°34.73′ W. long.
Closed Areas for Fishing Year 2020
Closed Area II-Southwest and Extension Closed Area
Point |
N latitude |
W longitude |
Note |
|
CAIISWE1 |
41°11′ |
67°20′ |
|
|
CAIISWE2 |
41°11′ |
66°41′ |
|
|
CAIISWE3 |
41°0′ |
66°41′ |
|
|
CAIISWE4 |
41°0′ |
(1) |
(2) |
|
CAIISWE5 |
40°40′ |
(3) |
(2) |
|
CAIISWE6 |
40°40′ |
67°20′ |
|
|
CAIISWE1 |
41°11′ |
67°20′ |
|
1 The intersection of 41°0′ N. lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 41°0′ N. lat. and 66°09.33′ W. long.
2 From Point CAIISWE 4 connected to Point CAIISWE5 along the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary.
3 The intersection of 40°40′ N. lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 40°40′ N. lat. and 65°52.61′ W. long.
Nantucket Lightship-Triangle Closed Area
Point |
N latitude |
W longitude |
|
NLST1 |
40°28′ |
69°30′ |
|
NLST2 |
40°28′ |
69°17′ |
|
NLST3 |
40°22′ |
69°30′ |
|
NLST1 |
40°28′ |
69°30′ |
Stellwagen Bank Closed Area
Point |
N latitude |
W longitude |
|
SB1 |
42°26′ |
70°27′ |
|
SB2 |
42°26′ |
70°15′ |
|
SB3 |
42°20′ |
70°15′ |
|
SB4 |
42°20′ |
70°27′ |
|
SB1 |
42°26′ |
70°27′ |
Other Atlantic Sea Scallop Management Area Coordinates
NGOM Scallop Management Area
|
Point |
N. Latitude |
W. Longitude |
|---|---|---|
|
NGOM1 |
42°20' |
Massachusetts Shoreline |
|
NGOM2 |
42°20' |
69°40' |
|
NGOM3 |
42°49.5' |
69°40' |
|
NGOM4 |
43°12' |
69°00' |
|
NGOM5 |
43°41' |
68°00' |
|
G2 |
43°58' |
67°22' |
|
G1 |
Northward along the irregular U.S.-Canada maritime boundary to the shoreline |
Northward along the irregular U.S.-Canada maritime boundary to the shoreline |
GOM Scallop Dredge Exemption Area
|
Point |
N. Latitude |
W. Longitude |
|---|---|---|
|
SM1 |
41°35′ |
70°00′ |
|
SM2 |
41°35′ |
69°40′ |
|
SM3 |
42°49.5′ |
69°40′ |
|
SM4 |
43°12′ |
69°00′ |
|
SM5 |
43°41′ |
68°00′ |
|
SM6 |
43°58′ |
67°22′ |
|
SM7 |
Northward along the irregular U.S.-Canada maritime boundary to the shoreline |
Northward along the irregular U.S.-Canada maritime boundary to the shoreline |
Great South Channel Scallop Dredge Exemption Area
|
Point |
N. Latitude |
W. Longitude |
|---|---|---|
|
GSC 1 |
42°06′ |
69°40′ |
|
GSC 2 |
41°30′ |
69°10′ |
|
GSC 3 |
41°30′ |
69°23′ |
|
GSC 4 |
40°50′ |
68°49.2′ |
|
GSC 5 |
40°50′ |
69°29.46′ |
|
GSC 6 |
41°10′ |
69°50′ |
|
GSC 7 |
41°10′ |
70°00′ |
|
GSC 8 |
41°35′ |
70°00′ |
|
GSC 9 |
41°35′ |
69°40′ |
Southern New England Scallop Dredge Exemption Area
Bounded on the west, south and east by straight lines connecting the following points in the order stated:
|
Point |
N. Latitude |
W. Longitude |
|---|---|---|
|
Sc1 |
South facing shoreline of Long Island, NY |
72°30′ |
|
Sc2 |
40°00′ |
72°30′ |
|
Sc3 |
40°00′ |
71°40′ |
|
Sc4 |
39°50′ |
71°40′ |
|
Sc5 |
39°50′ |
70°00′ |
|
Sc6 |
South facing shoreline of Nantucket, MA |
70°00′ |
|
Sc7 |
North facing shoreline of Nantucket, MA |
70°00′ |
|
Sc8 |
South facing shoreline of Cape Cod, MA |
70°00′ |
Bounded on the northwest by straight lines connecting the following points in the order stated:
|
Point |
N. Latitude |
W. Longitude |
|---|---|---|
|
Sc9 |
41°00′ |
East facing shoreline of the south fork of Long Island, NY |
|
Sc10 |
41°00′ |
71°40′ |
|
Sc11 |
South facing shoreline of RI |
71°40′ |
The Mid-Atlantic Exemption Area
This area is bounded on the east by the western boundary of the Southern New England Dredge Exemption area, as described above.
Accountability Measure Areas
Georges Bank Accountability Measure Area
|
Point |
Latitude |
Longitude |
Note |
|---|---|---|---|
|
GBAM1 |
41°30’ N |
67°20’ W |
|
|
GBAM2 |
41°30’ N |
The intersection of 41°30′ N. lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 41°30′ N. lat., 66°34.73′ W. long. |
From Point GBAM2 connected to Point GBAM3 along the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary. |
|
GBAM3 |
40°30’ N |
The intersection of 40°30′ N. lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately, 65°44.34′ W. long. |
From Point GBAM2 connected to Point GBAM3 along the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary. |
|
GBAM4 |
40°30’ N |
67°20’ W |
|
|
GBAM1 |
41°30’ N |
67°20’ W |
Mid-Atlantic Accountability Measure Area
All waters west of 71° W. Long.
Science Overview
Status
This stock is not overfished, nor is overfishing occurring.
Find out more about landings, distribution, and assessments.