Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Excessive Shares Amendment (Amendment 20)

Amendment 20 to the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishery Management Plan (FMP), also referred to as the Excessive Shares Amendment, establishes limits on how much quota share or annual cage tags an individual or business can hold or control over the course of a fishing year. These changes are intended to ensure the management plan is consistent with requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and to improve the management of these fisheries.

Specifically, this action establishes:

• Caps on quota share of 35 percent for surfclam and 40 percent for ocean quahog.

• Caps on annual cage tags of 65 percent for surfclam and 70 percent for ocean quahog over the course of the fishing year.

• These caps would be monitored based on the total amount of ‘potential control’ an individual or business has over the course of the fishing year. ‘Potential Control’ would represent any allocation held directly, or held by all owners (in the case of businesses) or all immediate family members (in the case of individuals).

• To adjust the maximum duration of multi-year specifications actions to match the stock assessment schedule.

Amendment Status: NOAA Fisheries published a final rule to implement Amendment 20 on November 23, 2022.

Contact

José Montañez, (302) 526-5258, jmontanez@mafmc.org

Amendment Development Timeline and Status

July 2017: The Council held four scoping hearings and accepted written comments to gather public input on the proposed amendment.

August-September 2019: The Council held a series of public hearings on the draft amendment. The final public hearing document is available here.

December 2019: The Council selected preferred alternatives and approved the amendment for submission to the Secretary of Commerce. Additional details are available in the press release.

September 2020: Council staff submitted the final amendment to NOAA Fisheries for review.

August 2022: NOAA Fisheries published a proposed rule.

November 7, 2022: NOAA Fisheries notified the Council that it had approved Amendment 20.

November 23, 2022: NOAA Fisheries published a final rule.

Documents

Most recent documents are listed at the top

November 2022: Amendment Approval

• NOAA Letter to MAFMC: Amendment 20 Approval

• Amendment 20 - Final Environmental Assessment

• Final Rule (11/23/22)

August 2022: Proposed Rule

• Amendment 20 to the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog FMP - Environmental Assessment

• Proposed Rule (8/24/22)

December 2019 Council Meeting - Review public comments and take final action

• Briefing Materials

• Supplemental: Summary of the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog (SCOQ) Committee Meeting – December 2, 2019

• Presentation

• Press Release: Council Approves Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Excessive Shares Amendment

July 2019: Public Hearings

• Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Excessive Shares Amendment - Public Hearing Document

• Press Release: Mid-Atlantic Council to Hold Public Hearings for Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Excessive Shares Amendment

October 2017 Council Meeting - Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Goals and Objectives Workshop

• Briefing Materials (Tab 3)

• Synthesis Document for Review of Goals and Objectives for the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishery Management Plan

• Presentation

August 2017 Council Meeting - Review Scoping Comments

• Briefing Materials

• Scoping Comments

• Staff Presentation

July 2017: Excessive Shares Amendment Scoping Hearings

• Excessive Shares Amendment Scoping Guide

• Press Release: Mid-Atlantic Council to Hold Scoping Hearings for Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Excessive Shares Amendment