Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fisheries; Control Date for Loligo and Illex Squid

Zusammenfassung

NMFS announces a future proposed rulemaking for the Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish (MSB) fisheries. This rulemaking could institute catch share programs in the Loligo and Illex fisheries to manage future access in these fisheries in order to control capacity. NMFS also reaffirms the most recent control date of May 20, 2003, for the Loligo and Illex fisheries, which may be used for establishing eligibility criteria for determining levels of future access to the squid fisheries. This announcement alerts interested parties of potential eligibility criteria for future access so as to discourage speculative entry into the squid fisheries while the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) considers if and how access to the squid fisheries should be controlled with catch share programs.