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RECREATIONAL MEASURES FOR GULF OF MAINE COD
NEW ENGLAND FISHERY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL RECOMMENDS RECREATIONAL MEASURES FOR GULF OF MAINE COD
The New England Fishery Management Council met February 1-3, 2022 by webinar and devoted the third day of the meeting to groundfish issues. The Council developed recommendations on recreational fishing measures for Gulf of Maine cod and haddock for the 2022 fishing year for consideration by the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Offfice (GARFO) of NOAA Fisheries, which consults with the Council but is responsible for setting the measures.
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The Council annually develops recommendations for recreational for cod and haddock. These measures, which take the form of bag limits, seasons, and minimum fish sizes are proactive accountability measures (AMs) that are intended to allow the recreational fishery to “achieve but not exceed” the sub-annual catch limits (sub-ACLs) for these stocks. GARFO considers the Council’s recommendations but has the final say in determining and implementing the measures.
For the 2022 groundfish fishing year, which begins on May 1, the Council recommended the following:
GULF OF MAINE COD:
Open Season: September 1 to October 7, 2022, and April 1-14 for all modes (private, party, charter) Bag Limit: One fish per day per person Minimum Size: 22 inches
GULF OF MAINE HADDOCK:
Open Season: May 1, 2022 through February 28/29, 2023, and April 1-30, 2023, leaving only March 2023 closed to recreational fishing for this stock. Bag Limit: 20 fish per day per person. Minimum Size: 17 inches.
The Council’s recommendations include (1) and expanded fall season for cod over the 2021 fishing year; (2) an increase in the minimum size from 21” to 22”; and (3) a bag limit increase for haddock from the current 15 fish to 20 fish.
Based on recommendations form its Groundfish Committee, the Council initially discussed a 22” to 28” slot limit for Gulf of Maine cod. However, the Council concluded that a single 22” minimum size better balanced the risk of exceeding the cod sub-ACL while allowing recreational fishermen to achieve the sub-ACL for haddock.
The recreational fishery has not exceeded or achieved its sub-ACL for either Gulf of Maine cod or Gulf of Maine haddock for the past three fishing years.
