The Division of Marine Fisheries (MarineFisheries) through the ASMFC Northern Shrimp Section has increased the number of allowed landing days for the 2013 northern shrimp trawl fishery. Effective February 11, 2013, the trawl fishery will be able to land shrimp on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Note that Wednesday is no longer a landing day.  The Section’s action is based on observed low landings since the start of the northern shrimp trawl season on January 22nd and the desire to provide trawl fishermen with greater flexibility and safer access to the resource. Landing days for the trap fishery, which began on February 5th, remain unchanged with trappers landing on every day but Sunday. The Section maintained the requirement to have each fishery close when 85% of its total allowable catch (TAC) is projected to be reached (trawl fishery TAC is 539.02 mt and the trap fishery TAC is 80.54 mt) and a 4-day advance notice will be issued prior to the closure of each fishery.

For more information, please contact Mike Armstrong at michael.armstrong@state.ma.us.