Effective at 0845 hours on November 29, 2018, the possession and trip limits for Georges Bank cod are adjusted, as summarized in the table below, for the remainder of the 2018 fishing year, through April 30, 2019.

*The Small Vessel Category trip limit of 300 lb of cod, yellowtail flounder, and haddock combined remains in place.

If you are not participating in a Special Access Program, have declared your trip through the vessel monitoring system (VMS) or interactive voice response (IVR) system, and have crossed the VMS demarcation line prior to 0845 hours on November 29, 2018, you may land up to new possession and trip limits for that trip.

If you are participating in a Special Access Program, have declared your trip through VMS or the IVR system, and have crossed the VMS demarcation line prior to 0845 hours on November 29, 2018, you are not subject to the new possession and trip limits for that trip.

Please note that the Georges Bank cod trip limit for vessels participating in the Closed Area II Haddock Special Access Program has been reduced to 500 lb per trip to make it consistent with the trip limit when not participating in a Special Access Program. This reduction in the trip limits for vessels participating in the Special Access Programs is expected to prevent an overage of the common pool’s annual quota allocation.

For more information read the bulletin posted on our website or the notice published in the Federal Register this morning.

Questions?

Fishermen: Contact Spencer Talmage, Regional Office, 978-281-9232 

Media: Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, 978-281-9175