CONTACT:
Renee Zobel: (603) 868-1095
November 27, 2019
DURHAM, N.H. – Commercial fishermen will be prohibited from landing Atlantic herring taken from Management Area 1A effective 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, November 27, 2019, because herring harvesters are projected to reach 92% of the allowable harvest quota for the period. The closure will remain in effect through midnight on May 31, 2020.
The landing restriction is in accordance with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan, which addresses the need to prevent harvest from exceeding the allowable catch limit. The provision calls for closing the directed fishery for herring when 92% of the allowable harvest quota is projected to be taken.
An exception to the rule is that any vessel may land herring taken as an incidental catch in ASMFC Management Area 1A, up to a maximum of 2,000 pounds.
For more information about the closure, call N.H. Fish and Game’s Marine Fisheries Division, located in Fish and Game’s Region 3 Office in Durham, at (603) 868-1095.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission serves as a deliberative body coordinating the conservation and management of the 15 Atlantic coast states’ shared near-shore fishery resources for sustainable use. Visit http://www.asmfc.org.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state’s marine, fish and wildlife resources and their habitats. Visit http://www.wildnh.com/marine.