NOAA Fisheries announces measures to implement Amendment 7 to the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan (also referred to as the Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment), as adopted by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The purpose of this comprehensive amendment is to update the FMP with the best scientific information available, and to respond to changes in the fishery over time. Specifically, this action will:
Update the Bluefish FMP goals and objectives from those that were initially established in 1991, to better reflect the current fishery.
Re-allocate bluefish quota between fishery sectors; allocating 14 percent to the commercial fishery and 86 percent to the recreational fishery.
Re-allocate bluefish commercial quota to the states from Maine to Florida based on a recent 10 years of landings data including a 0.1-percent minimum default allocation. This change in commercial allocation to the states would be phased in equally over a period of seven years, so each state would only experience 1/7th of the change in allocation percentages each year until 2028.
Implement a 7-year rebuilding plan.
Revise the sector quota transfer measures to allow quota to be transferred in either direction (from commercial to recreational sector or vice versa), with a revised maximum transfer cap of 10-percent of the acceptable biological catch.
Revise the specifications process to account for sources of management uncertainty separately between the commercial and recreational fishery sectors.
For more information, read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register, or the bulletin posted on the web.
Questions?
Fishermen: Contact Cynthia Ferrio, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 978-281-9180
Media: Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, 978-281-9103