The following announcement was published by NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Office on November 4, 2014:
Effective Date: 0001 hours, November 4, 2014
We have transferred 1,900 mt of butterfish to the butterfish directed fishery from the butterfish mortality cap on the longfin squid fishery. NMFS can transfer quota between the directed butterfish fishery and the butterfish mortality cap if quota is not being used under one of the allocations, but a closure is likely for the other allocation. As of October 30, 2014, only 12 percent of the butterfish mortality cap had been harvested, but 86 percent of the directed butterfish quota had been harvested. We decided to move quota from the butterfish mortality cap to the directed butterfish fishery to allow the directed fishery to continue to operate. Because very little of the butterfish mortality cap has been harvested this year, we do not believe that the transfer will prevent the longfin squid fishery from operating through December 31, 2014.
Effective immediately, the quota for the directed butterfish fishery is increased from 3,200 mt to 5,100 mt. When harvest reaches 4,182 mt (82 percent of the new 5,100 mt directed butterfish quota), the butterfish trip limit will be reduced to 5,000 lb (from unlimited) for longfin squid butterfish moratorium permit holders using a mesh size greater than 3 inches.
Also effective immediately, the butterfish mortality cap on the longfin squid fishery is reduced to 1,984 mt from 3,884 mt. The directed longfin squid fishery will be closed if butterfish discards reach 1,885 mt (95 percent of the 1,984 mt butterfish mortality cap).
Please check the GARFO quota monitoring website for more information on the status of the directed butterfish fishery and the butterfish mortality cap:
http://www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/aps/monitoring/longfinsquid.html
For Information Contact: NOAA Fisheries Sustainable Fisheries Division, (978) 281 – 9315