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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 11
July 2008
Scallop allocations set for 2008 and 2009
GLOUCESTER, MA – The 2008 scallop fishing year began on March 1 under temporary fishery specifications, and then on June 1, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) implemented actual days-at-sea allocations, access-area trips, and catch quotas for both 2008 and 2009.
NMFS now is working to get the new limited-access general category individual fishing quota (IFQ) program on line by March 1, 2009. But in this latest action, the agency implemented contingency measures for the general category fishery in case it cannot review, process, and hear appeals for all applicants seeking the new IFQ permit by the start of the next fishing year.
The 2008 fishing year quota is straightforward: 20,140 metric tons (mt) – roughly 44.4 million pounds – with 90% allocated to the regular limited-access fleet and 10% allocated to the general category fishery.
In 2009, however, one of two things will happen. If the IFQ program is implemented on March 1, then the regular limited-access fleet will receive 94.5% of the total 20,820-mt quota, while the new general category IFQ fleet will receive 5.5%. The idea is that 5% will go to the new fleet and 0.5% will go to regular limited-access vessels that qualified for an IFQ permit in addition to their full-time, part-time, or occasional status.
If the IFQ program is not ready for implementation by March 1, 2009, then regular limited-access vessels will be allocated 90% of 20,820-mt quota and general category vessels will receive 10%, the same split as 2008.
The quota for the Northern Gulf of Maine Management Area for both 2008 and 2009 is 70,000 pounds. When the quota is reached, the area will close to all scallop fishing for the rest of the fishing year.
Open-area days
Open-area days-at-sea allocations for regular limited-access vessels were implemented as follows:
Full-time boats – 35 days in 2008 and 42 days in 2009 unless the IFQ program is delayed, in which case full-time vessels would be allocated 37 days to account for the lower quota allocated to this segment of the fishery;
Part-time boats – 14 days in 2008 and 17 days in 2009 unless the IFQ program is delayed, in which case part-time boats would be allocated 15 days; and
Occasional boats – Three days in both 2008 and 2009.
According to NMFS, any vessel that exceeded its 2008 allocation by fishing too many days between March 1 and June 1 will have its overage deducted from next year’s allocation.
Access-area trips
The rotational access-area schedule and number of trips allowed into each area is as follows:
Full-time boats in 2008 – One trip in the Nantucket Lightship Closed Area and four trips in the Elephant Trunk Access Area;
Full-time boats in 2009 – One trip in Closed Area II, three trips in the Elephant Trunk, and one trip in the Delmarva area;
Part-time boats in 2008 – One trip in the Elephant Trunk and one trip in the Nantucket Lightship area or two trips in the Elephant Trunk;
Part-time boats in 2009 – Two trips total, one of which may be taken in Closed Area II and/or Delmarva and up to two trips in the Elephant Trunk area, depending on whether the first option is utilized;
Occasional boats in 2008 – One trip only either in Nantucket Lightship or the Elephant Trunk;
Occasional boats in 2009 – One trip only either in Closed Area II or the Elephant Trunk or Delmarva;
General category in 2008 – 667 total trips in Nantucket Lightship and, for the Elephant Trunk area, 1,671 trips, which were fully taken as of June 18, resulting in a closure of the area to general category fishing for the rest of the fishing year; and
General category in 2009 – 1,964 trips in the Elephant Trunk and 728 trips in Delmarva.
NMFS emphasized that 2009 trips in both the Elephant Trunk and Delmarva areas may be reduced if 2008 surveys show a lower than expected exploitable biomass.
The scallop possession limit on access-area trips for both 2008 and 2009 is 18,000 pounds for full- and part-time vessels and 7,500 pounds for occasional vessels.
Yellowtail bycatch
Scallopers once again will be limited to catching no more than 9.8% of the available yellowtail flounder total allowable catch (TAC) that’s set under the groundfish plan.
Georges Bank yellowtail are not a factor in the Elephant Trunk area, so for 2008, the TAC only applies to the Nantucket Lightship area. The catch cap is 67,407 pounds. The 2009 yellowtail cap for Closed Area II has not been established yet.
If limited-access scallopers exceed the yellowtail limit, the area will be closed to scalloping for the rest of the fishing year. However, NMFS, using an already established formula, then will allocate additional open-area days to vessels that still have unused access-area trips.
General category
Until the new IFQ program is implemented, the general category fishery will operate under a hard quota system.
The general category’s 10% total share of the quota will be subdivided into four quarters and allocated as follows:
March through May – 35% or 1,523,375 pounds in 2008 and, if the IFQ program isn’t ready, then 1,606,508 pounds in 2009;
June through August – 40% or 1,741,000 pounds in 2008 and, in the absence of IFQs, 1,836,010 pounds in 2009;
September through November – 15% or 652,875 pounds in 2008 and, in the absence of IFQs, 688,504 pounds in 2009; and
December through February – 10% or 435,250 pounds and, in the absence of IFQs, 459,002 pounds.
Other measures
Framework 19 implemented several other provisions, including: a 30-day vessel monitoring system power-down allowance with a letter of exemption for vessels not engaged in any fishing; adjustment of the overfishing definition; a prohibition on deckloading more than 50 bushels of in-shell scallops outside the boundaries of an access-area for vessels on an access-area trip; industry funded observer program and research set-aside TACs; and the establishment of a new Hudson Canyon Access Area closure to protect high concentrations of small scallops.
The framework also implemented an IFQ cost recovery program for vessels that will eventually participate in the new general category IFQ fishery. Cost recovery for IFQ program administration is now required under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. For IFQ scallopers, NMFS will “recover” up to 3% of the ex-vessel value of harvested scallops to offset implementation costs.
NMFS said it would announce cost recovery details at a later time for vessel owners that qualify for the new IFQ program.
For more information on any of the Framework 19 measures, call the NMFS Sustainable Fisheries Division in Gloucester at (978) 281-9315. /cfn/
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