Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies and Monkfish Fisheries; Monkfish Fishery Management Plan

Résumé

NMFS issues this final rule to implement approved measures contained in the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). These regulations implement the following measures: Establishment of two monkfish management areas; target total allowable catch levels (TACs); limited access; effort limits through days-at-sea (DAS) allocations; trip limits and incidental harvest allowances; minimum size and mesh limits; gear restrictions; spawning season closures; a framework adjustment process; permitting and reporting requirements; and other measures for administration and enforcement. The intended effect of this rule is to stop overfishing and rebuild the monkfish stock. In addition, NMFS informs the public of the approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of the collection-of-information requirements contained in this rule and publishes the OMB control numbers for these collections.