LAGC IFQ Report

Deirdre Boelke, NEFMC Staff, Scallop PDT Chair

Inshore Scallop Workshop February 22-23, 2016 1

Outline of Presentation 1. History of Scallop Fishery and Management Plan 2. Summary of scallop resource information

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1. History of Commercial Fishery  Commercial harvest began along the US/CA continental

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shelf in the late 1880s, but catch relatively low at first. Discovery of scallops on GB in 1930s led to development of offshore scallop fleets – but more serious after WWII Sporadic fishing in Mid-Atlantic (MA) since 1920s Three components: GOM, GB, and Mid-Atlantic Harvest reached historic high in 1977 (18,000 mt) and large increases in ex-vessel prices

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1. History of Scallop Management US fishery began in mid-1900s with sporadic booms and busts FMP – 1982 Amendment 4 – 1994 GB closed Areas – 1994

FW 11 – 1999 GB access areas first open Amendment 10 - 2004

Scallop FMP Source: SARC 2014 (NEFSC 2014)

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GB closures

Area Rotation 4

1. Scallop FMP - 1982  About 80 vessels in 1970 and over 300 in 1977 (but 100 of

those NE trawl with only 1% of catch)  Catches fell in 1979 and 1980 despite increases in effort  Council develops FMP: overall objective to maximize over time the social and economic benefits from harvesting scallops - Restore adult stock to reduce fluctuations in recruitment and abundance - Enhance yield per recruit - Evaluate research and enforcement costs - Minimize adverse environmental impacts

 Alternatives considered: controlling catch through quotas,

control fishing practices (meat count and min. shell size), controlling effort (limited entry and fishing time) 5

1. Amendment 4 - 1994  Limited entry, DAS limits, gear restrictions  Criteria - one trip with more than 400 pounds in either 1988  

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or 1989, extended for new vessels under construction Permit category based on number of days used in 1990, or average of 1985-1990 days (FT:150, PT: 37-149, Occ: 0.48) is not occurring

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Source: SARC 2014 (NEFSC 2014)

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Questions?

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