New England Council Meets to Tweak Scallop Fishing Rules
Published Date: 11/18/2025
Notice
Summary
The New England Fishery Management Council is holding a public meeting on November 19, 2025, to decide new rules for scallop fishing in 2026 and 2027. This affects fishermen and businesses in New England’s fishing zone by setting catch limits, fishing days, and area access. The meeting will help protect scallops while supporting the fishing community’s future.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 5 mixed.
Framework 40 Sets 2026–2027 Scallop Rules
On November 19, 2025 the Scallop Advisory Panel will consider Framework 40 (FW40) to set specifications for fishing year 2026 and default specifications for 2027. FW40 includes items such as the overfishing limit/acceptable biological catch/annual catch limit (ABC/ACL) that will determine how much scallop catch is allowed.
Days-at-Sea and Area Access for Limited Access Vessels
FW40 will set days-at-sea and access area allocations for Limited Access vessels for fishing year 2026 (with defaults for 2027). Those rules determine how many days these vessels can fish and which areas they may access.
Quota and Trip Allocation for LAGC IFQ Component
FW40 will address quota and access area trip allocation to the Limited Access General Category (LAGC) Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) component and set a target total allowable catch (TAC) for LAGC incidental catch for fishing year 2026. These allocations affect how much LAGC IFQ participants can harvest.
Total Allowable Landings for Northern Gulf of Maine
FW40 will set the Total Allowable Landings (TAL) for the Northern Gulf of Maine management area for fishing year 2026. The TAL determines the total pounds of scallops that can be landed from that area.
Observer and Research Program Set-Asides
FW40 will set aside portions of catch for observer and research programs for fishing year 2026. These set-asides remove a portion of the catch from commercial allocation to support monitoring and research.
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