News

News  2022 Quota Outlook

1/11/2022
  • Division of Marine Fisheries

The quotas described herein are subject to change. Check the Division’s quota monitoring webpage for updates.

Atlantic Herring: 9,034,544 pounds (coastwide quota)
The Atlantic herring fishery will face another quota reduction in 2022, roughly 15% from 2021, bringing it to a new all-time low. This decrease was expected as it was set as part of a 3-year specification package for 2021–2023 that followed on the heels of the 2019 stock assessment. Based on that assessment, the stock was declared overfished by NOAA Fisheries in October 2020, putting the New England Fishery Management Council on a two-year clock to implement a rebuilding plan. The Council submitted its plan to NOAA Fisheries in late 2021 (Framework 9), which will use Amendment 8’s ABC control rule as the basis for setting F(rebuild). Due to the anticipated mid-year implementation, 2022 is considered a “bridge year” in the rebuilding plan and the previously adopted limits won’t be affected. The status quo limits for 2023 however are expected to be reconsidered in light of the scheduled 2022 stock assessment update. The coastwide limit is allocated among four management areas in allocations of 28.9% to Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine), 4.3% to Area 1B (offshore Gulf of Maine), 27.8% to Area 2 (south of Cape Cod), and 39% to Area 3 (Georges Bank).

Atlantic Menhaden: 5,417,812 pounds (MA quota)
The 2022 coastwide commercial quota—and MA’s 1.27% share of it—are status quo with 2021. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) adopted the 2021–2022 coastwide commercial quotas at a 10% reduction from 2020 based on projections that this level of harvest (roughly 428 million pounds) would have a 50% probability of achieving the newly-adopted ecological reference point (ERP) fishing mortality target by the second year. The ERP target and threshold levels of fishing mortality are more conservative than the single-species reference points in order to account for menhaden’s role as forage in the ecosystem. Massachusetts’ initial quota of roughly 5.4 million pounds has the potential to be increased by state transfers of quota, and the state may also opt into the episodic event fishery which provides access to a 1% set-aside of the coastwide quota (~4.3 million pounds for 2022 which is available to ME–NY when certain conditions apply). In 2021, the MA fishery landed over 9.9 million pounds of menhaden, which was made possible by an additional 2.5 million pounds of quota via state transfers, over 1.9 million pounds of landings under the episodic event set-aside quota, and limited use of the incidental catch and small-scale fishery allowance during closed periods. The ASMFC is expected to take public comment this winter on potential changes to the state-by-state quotas, episodic event set-aside, and incidental catch and small-scale fishery allowance for implementation in 2023.

Black Sea Bass: 998,901 pounds (MA quota)
Massachusetts’s 2022 quota for black sea bass is up 26% from 2021 (when it was 791,700 pounds) due to a combination of factors: an increase in the coastwide commercial quota and the implementation of a new allocation formula. Regarding the coastwide quota, it has been increased 6% from 6.09 million pounds in 2021 to 6.47 million pounds based on the results of the most recent stock assessment. The allocation approach is changing per Addendum XXXIII to the interstate management plan. The addendum adjusts the states’ shares in response to changes in the species’ distribution since they were initially set in 2003 based loosely on landings from 1980–2001. For 2022, this means a  state share of 15.4% for Massachusetts. 

Bluefish: 254,748 pounds (MA quota)
The coastwide commercial quota for bluefish is increasing from 2.77 million pounds in 2021 to 3.54 million pounds in 2022, a 28% increase. However, due to a revision in the state shares allocation formula, Massachusetts’ quota will increase 37% (up from 185,904 pounds in 2021). The 2022 coastwide quota incorporates the results of the 2021 stock assessment, the implementation of rebuilding for the overfished stock, and a revised commercial/recreational allocation of the overall catch limit. The rebuilding plan, based on a constant fishing mortality approach, is expected to allow catches to increase as the stock rebuilds. The original sector allocation of 17% commercial/83% recreational based on 2009-2018 landings data as well as 1981–1989 landings data have been replaced by a 14%/86% split consistent with 1981–2018 catch data. New state-by-state commercial allocations that reflect more recent landings are being phased in over seven years, the projected timeline for rebuilding. For 2022, this means a state share of 7.20% for Massachusetts. Landings in 2021 would have been restricted by the state’s initial quota if not for a 50,000-pound quota transfer from New Jersey, which allowed for landings in excess of 220,000 pounds for the year (95% of the adjusted quota).

Horseshoe Crab: 165,000 crabs (MA quota)
Massachusetts’ commercial quota for horseshoe crabs remains unchanged. This quota is for crabs harvest for bait purposes (primarily used in the whelk and eel pot fisheries). Horseshoe crabs harvested for other purposes (primarily biomedical use) and released are not counted against this quota. Landings in 2021 amounted to roughly 92% of the quota. 

Scup: 1,713,747 pounds (MA Summer Period quota)
At 20.38 million pounds, the 2022 coastwide commercial quota for scup is nearly status quo with 2021 (20.50 million pounds), as are the seasonal and state-specific allocations of it. The quota is divided among three seasons. The Winter I (January–April) and Winter II (October–December) Periods receive 45.11% and 15.94% of the coastwide quota, respectively; this equates to 9.19 and 3.25 million pounds for 2022. Quota during these periods is open to all states at federally-set trip limits. The fisheries have not been constrained by these quotas in recent years. The Summer Period fishery (May–September) receives 38.95% of the coastwide quota (7.94 million pounds for 2022), which is further distributed into state shares with Massachusetts’ at 21.6% (or 1.71 million pounds for 2022). Our Summer Period harvest in 2021 was roughly 535,000 pounds, continuing a downward trend. Overall, the commercial scup fishery is unconstrained by its quota due to insufficient market demand for this abundant stock.

Spiny Dogfish: 17,144,556 pounds (ME–CT regional quota)
The coastwide commercial quota is status quo at 29.56 million pounds for the May 1, 2022 through April 30, 2023 fishing year. The Northern Region of Maine through Connecticut receives 58% of the coastwide quota, or roughly 17.14 million pounds. Most of the landings in our region occur in Massachusetts and between the months of June and November. This year’s Northern Region fishery is nearing its conclusion with below 5 million pounds landed, about 40% less than the year prior at this time. The NEFMC and MAFMC voted in favor of an incremental increase to the federal water trip limit, from 6,000 pounds to 7,500  pounds, and the ASMFC is likely to establish the same for the Northern Region state waters limit for FY2022. 

Striped Bass: 735,240 pounds (MA quota)
Massachusetts’ 2022 commercial striped bass quota will be unchanged from that in 2020–2021. All states’ commercial quotas were reduced in 2020 in order to end overfishing and achieve the target fishing mortality rate. While only landing 53% of that quota in 2020, the fishery made use of a slightly earlier season opening date and additional fishing day per week in 2021 to achieve the year’s quota. The fishery was closed on October 2 for the year.

Summer Flounder: 1,391,846 pounds (MA quota)
Massachusetts’ 2022 state quota for summer flounder (fluke) is up 37% from 2021. The coastwide commercial quota of 15.53 million pounds represents a 24% increase from 2021 (12.49 million pounds). Massachusetts’ share increases to a larger degree because of the new allocation approach implemented in 2021. For 2022, this method results in an effective share of 8.96% of the commercial quota for MA, rather than its historic 6.82% share. State landings in 2021 totaled roughly 700,000 pounds, or 69%  of the 1.02-million-pound quota. The Division will be proposing revisions to the state fishing regulations for 2022 to make use of its increased share of the commercial quota amidst changing conditions in the state’s fishery. 

Tautog: 60,986 pounds  (MA quota)
Massachusetts’ 2022 tautog quota will be slightly lower than its baseline amount of 64,753 pounds due to a small overage of the 2021 quota (which was set at the baseline amount). The quota sustained the 2021 fishery until early November, similar to recent years, with less than a 6% overage to account for in 2022. 2021 marked the second year of mandatory commercial harvester tagging in the tautog fishery, an interstate management plan requirement aimed at curtailing illegal commercial harvest and sales. 

By Nichola Meserve, Fishery Policy Analyst

  • Division of Marine Fisheries 

    The Division of Marine Fisheries manages the state’s commercial and recreational saltwater fisheries and oversees other services that support the marine environment and fishing communities.
  • Help Us Improve Mass.gov  with your feedback

    Please do not include personal or contact information.
    Feedback