Scallop Managers Meet to Set Two Years of Fishing Rules
Published Date: 11/3/2026
Notice
Summary
The New England Fishery Management Council is holding a public meeting on November 17, 2026, to decide fishing rules for scallops in 2027 and 2028. This affects fishermen and businesses in New England’s waters by setting catch limits, fishing days, and quota shares. These decisions help protect scallop populations while supporting the fishing economy.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 1 costs, 4 mixed.
Catch limits set for 2027–2028
The Council will select final overfishing limits and acceptable biological catch/annual catch limits (ABC/ACL) that will apply for fishing year 2027 and, by default, fishing year 2028. These catch limit decisions determine how much scallop can be legally caught and thus affect fishing businesses' allowable harvest.
Days-at-sea limits for vessels
The Council will set days-at-sea rules for fishing year 2027 (and default 2028) that determine how many days Limited Access vessels may fish. Limits on days-at-sea change how much time vessels can spend fishing and can affect how much catch and revenue a vessel can earn.
Quota and access-area allocations decided
The Council will set access area allocations for Limited Access vessels and allocate quota and access-area trip shares to the Limited Access General Category (LAGC) Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) component for fishing year 2027 and default 2028. These allocation decisions determine who gets quota and where vessels can fish, affecting how fishing revenue is distributed among participants.
Northern Gulf of Maine landings limit
The Council will set a Total Allowable Landings (TAL) for the Northern Gulf of Maine management area for fishing year 2027 (and default 2028). The TAL sets a region-specific cap on how much scallop can be landed from that area, affecting fishermen who work in the Northern Gulf of Maine.
LAGC incidental catch target and set‑asides
The Council will set a target-Total Allowable Catch (target-TAC) for LAGC incidental catch and create set-asides for the observer and research programs for fishing year 2027 (and default 2028). These set-asides and target-TAC reduce the portion of catch available for regular landing and allocate portions for monitoring and research.
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