US Spiny Dogfish Management Measures for 2012
Council Recommends Increase in Spiny Dogfish Quota
Press Release by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Press Contact: Kathy Collins17 October 2011
The Mid-Atlantic Council met October 11-13, 2011 in Galloway, NJ to adopt spiny dogfish
management measures for the 2012 fishing year. Following an update on the current status of the spiny
dogfish stock and a review of the Scientific and Statistical Committee’s (SSC’s) recommendations, the
Council voted to recommend that the commercial quota for spiny dogfish be 35.694 million pounds in
2012. The Council also voted to recommend a 2012 daily commercial trip limit of 4,000 pounds. Both
of these actions represent increases over the existing quota (20 million pounds) and trip limit (3,000
pounds).
The Mid-Atlantic and New England Councils jointly manage spiny dogfish. In order for these
recommendations to go into effect in federal waters, similar measures will have to be adopted by the
New England Council at its November 2011 meeting. The National Marine Fisheries Service will then
have to approve both Councils’ recommendations. Management measures for state water fisheries will
be determined by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission at its November 2011 meeting.
These increases follow a ten year rebuilding effort during which the directed fishery for spiny dogfish
was effectively eliminated through a combination of very low quotas and trip limits. Declaration of the
rebuilt status of the spiny dogfish stock came from the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2010.
Source (PDF): Press Release ‘ Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’