Mid-Atlantic Gillnet Fishery - MMPA List of Fisheries
U.S. fisheries are classified under the Marine Mammal Protection Act according to the level of interactions that result in incidental mortality or serious injury of marine mammals.
Current Classification on the List of Fisheries
Category |
I |
Estimated Number of Participants |
4,020 |
Target Species |
monkfish, spiny dogfish, smooth dogfish, bluefish, weakfish, menhaden, spot, croaker, striped bass, large and small coastal sharks, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, American shad, black drum, skate spp., yellow perch, white perch, herring, scup, kingfish, spotted seatrout, and butterfish. |
Applicable Take Reduction Plans |
Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan |
Observer Coverage |
During the period 1995-2018, the estimated percent observer coverage was 5, 4, 3, 5, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 3, 4, 2, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 9, respectively. |
Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured |
Bottlenose dolphin, Northern Migratory coastal; Bottlenose dolphin, Southern Migratory coastal1; Bottlenose dolphin, Northern North Carolina (NC) estuarine system1; Bottlenose dolphin, Southern NC estuarine system1; Bottlenose dolphin, WNA offshore; Common dolphin, WNA; Gray seal, WNA; Harbor porpoise, Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy; Harbor seal, WNA; Harp seal, WNA; Hooded seal, WNA; Humpback whale, Gulf of Maine; Minke whale, Canadian East Coast |
^ Number of participants estimates are based on state and federal fisheries permit data. The estimated number of participants is expressed in terms of the number of active participants in the fishery, when possible. If this information is not available, the estimated number of vessels or persons licensed for a particular fishery is provided. If no recent information is available on the number of participants, then the number from the most recent LOF is used. NOAA Fisheries acknowledges that, in some cases, these estimations may be inflating actual effort.
*Observer coverage levels include the latest information reported in the most current final Stock Assessment Report (SAR).
1 Indicates the stock or species is driving the classification of the fishery.
Basis for Current Classification
The 2010 LOF included a superscript “1” following bottlenose dolphin (WNA coastal stock) because the annual mortality and serious injury of that stock in this fishery was greater than 50% of the stock’s Potential Biological Removal (PBR) level. When the stocks of bottlenose dolphins killed/injured in this fishery were updated on the 2011 LOF, the superscript “1” was retained after each of these stocks because NOAA Fisheries cannot yet differentiate to which stock a killed/injured animal belongs. Until NOAA Fisheries is able to do so, each stock of bottlenose dolphin is considered to be driving the classification of the fishery.
Distribution
The fishery uses drift and sink gillnets, including nets set in a sink, stab, set, strike, or drift fashion, with some unanchored drift or sink nets used to target specific species. This fishery operates year-round west of a line drawn at 72° 30′ W. long. south to 36° 33.03′ N. lat. (VA/NC border) and east to the eastern edge of the EEZ and north of the NC/SC border, not including waters where Category II and Category III inshore gillnet fisheries operate in bays, estuaries, and rivers. This fishery includes any residual large pelagic driftnet effort in the mid-Atlantic, shark and dogfish gillnet effort in the mid-Atlantic, and those North Carolina small and large mesh beach-anchored gillnets formerly placed in the Category II Mid-Atlantic haul/ beach seine fishery in the mid-Atlantic zone described.
Gear Description
This fishery uses drift and sink gillnets, including nets set in a sink, stab, set, strike, or drift fashion, with some unanchored drift or sink nets used to target specific species. The dominant material is monofilament twine with stretched mesh sizes from 2.5-12 in (6.4-30.5 cm), and string lengths from 150-8,400 ft (46-2,560 m).
Management
Gear in this fishery is managed by several federal and interstate Fishery Management Plans by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, ALWTRP, HPTRP, and BDTRP. Fisheries are primarily managed by total allowable catch limits; individual trip limits (quotas); effort caps (limited number of days at sea per vessel); time and area closures; and gear restrictions and modifications.
Total Effort
Total metric tons of fish landed from 1998 to 2012 were 15,494, 19,130, 16,333, 14,855, 13,389, 13,107, 15,124, 12, 994, 8,755, 9,359, 8,622, 8,703, 10,725, 11,292 and 9,035, respectively (NOAA Fisheries). Data on total quantity of gear fished (i.e. number of sets) have not been reported consistently among commercial gillnet fishermen on vessel logbooks, and, therefore, will not be reported here.
Historical Information
Original Category (Year added to the LOF) |
II (1996) |
Original Number of Participants |
>655 |
Basis for Original Classification |
This fishery was categorized as a Category II based on stranding information for bottlenose dolphins, harbor porpoises, and humpback whales. Observer effort from 1993-1995 did not document interactions; however, stranding network data revealed that half of harbor porpoises stranding in the Northeast region showed the presence of net marks. Net marks were also found on stranded bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales. Records suggested the level of humpback whale entanglement was more than 1% of the stock’s PBR, but entanglements could not be definitively linked to this fishery due to the inability to identify from which specific fishery the gear originated. |
Past Names |
U.S. mid-Atlantic coastal gillnet fishery” until 2003; Mid-Atlantic coastal gillnet fishery” until 2005. |
Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list) |
Risso's dolphin (WNA) White-sided dolphin (WNA) |
Timeline of Changes
2024 |
|
2021 |
|
2020 |
|
2019 |
|
2017 |
|
2016 |
|
2013 |
|
2012 |
|
2011 |
|
2010 |
|
2009 |
|
2008 |
|
2007 |
|
2006 |
|
2005 |
|
2003 |
|
2001 |
|
1998 |
|
1997 |
|