NMFS Issues Final Rule to Reduce Marine Mammal Mortality in Commercial Fishing Operations

Summary

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has issued a final rule to amend regulations for the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (ALWTRP), aiming to reduce the incidental mortality and serious injury of endangered whale species in commercial fisheries, including the Northeast sink gillnet, Northeast/Mid-Atlantic American lobster trap/pot, Mid-Atlantic gillnet, Southeast Atlantic gillnet, and Southeastern U.S. Atlantic shark gillnet fisheries.