The Division of Marine Fisheries is providing this notice of regulatory measures for the 2011 Winter I fishing period for scup:

Winter I fishing period from January through April 2011: It is unlawful for a commercial fisherman to land greater than 30,000-lbs. of scup in any one-week period to be reduced to 1,000-lbs. of scup per trip when 80 percent of the period quota is projected to be reached. One-week periods shall be based on calendar weeks and begin on any Sunday at 12:00 AM and end on the following Saturday at 11:59 PM.  For purposes of enforcing this provision, enforcement officers may use federal vessel trip reports or dealer records.

These limits complement commercial scup rules published by NOAA Fisheries and are consistent with the ASMFC interstate plan. The Winter I period commercial scup fishery is managed under a coast-wide quota by NOAA Fisheries. 

Comments on these measures will be accepted until 5PM on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 by email (marine.fish@state.ma.us), fax (617.626.1509), or mail (251 Causeway St., Suite 400; Boston, MA 02114).