Atlantic Herring Plan Overview
The Atlantic herring fishery is managed through an overall annual catch limit (ACL), which is reduced from the overfishing limit and acceptable biological catch to address scientific uncertainty and management uncertainty. The ACL is divided into sub-ACLs for management areas in a manner to prevent overfishing on individual stock components. ACLs and sub-ACLs are set through a specifications process every two years. Atlantic herring is overfished, but overfishing is not occurring. Atlantic herring is in a rebuilding plan.Related News, Press Releases, and Announcements
- Atlantic Herring: Council Takes Final Action on Fishing Year 2025-2027 Specifications; Requests In-Season Adjustment
- Council Receives Herring Amendment 10 Scoping Summary and Provides Guidance; Approves 2024-2028 Research Priorities
- Last Call for Atlantic Herring Amendment 10 Scoping Comments
- Come Join Us at the 49th Maine Fishermen’s Forum to Talk About Atlantic Cod, Atlantic Herring, Gulf of Maine Scallops
- Atlantic Herring: Council Updates Amendment 10 Problem Statement; Approves Scoping Document and Meeting Schedule
- Council Seeks Applicants to Fill 2024-2025 Advisory Panel Seats for Whiting, Skates, Monkfish, GAP/RAP, Herring, and Scallops
- Atlantic Herring: Council to Develop Amendment 10 to Address Fishery Issues; Launches Planning Process for Scoping Meetings
- Atlantic Herring: Council Adopts Problem Statement for Action to Revisit Inshore Midwater Trawl Area From Amendment 8
- Atlantic Herring: Council Signs Off on 2023-2025 Specifications; Receives Stock Assessment Overview
- Council Seeks Applicants for All 2023-2025 Advisory Panels; Wide Range of Monkfish, Groundfish, Rec Fishermen Needed
- Atlantic Herring: Council Receives Update on 2023-2025 Specs; Discusses Status of Framework 7, Industry-Funded Monitoring
- Atlantic Herring: Council Approves Stock Rebuilding Plan and Adjustments to Accountability Measures in Framework 9
- Council Receives Updates on Offshore Wind, Atlantic Herring, EBFM, and More; Approves 2021-2025 Research Priorities
- Atlantic Herring: Council Provides Guidance on Actions to Rebuild Stock, Consider Spawning Protection on Georges Bank
- Atlantic Herring: Council Adopts 2021-2023 Specifications; Adjusts Herring Measures to Facilitate Mackerel Harvest
- Council Calendar: Here’s the August/September 2020 Meeting and Public Hearing Lineup – Join Our Webinars!
- Council Discusses Skates, Atlantic Herring, Red Hake, EBFM, Habitat, and Research Priorities at June Meeting
- Council Calendar: Here’s the June 2020 Advisory Panel and Committee Meeting Lineup – Join Our Webinars!
- Atlantic Herring: Council Receives Progress Report on Two Framework Adjustments; New Stock Assessment Underway
- Council Receives Skate, Herring, Dogfish, and EBFM Updates
- Atlantic Herring: Council Initiates Framework to Consider Spawning Protection in Offshore Areas; Reviews MSE Process
- New England Joins Mid-Atlantic to Require eVTRs for Vessels with Federal Commercial Permits for Council-Managed Species
- Atlantic Herring: Council Conducts “Debrief” on MSE Process for ABC Control Rule; Tell Us How You Think it Went!
- NEFMC Seeks Applicants for Fishery Advisory Panels
- Atlantic Herring: Council Approves Framework 6 Containing 2019-2021 Specifications and Revised Overfishing Definition
- Council Hosts Offshore Wind Special Session; Discusses EBFM, Commercial eVTRs, and RSA Program Review
- Atlantic Herring: 2019-2021 Research Set-Aside Award Supports Bycatch Avoidance in Midwater Trawl Fishery
- Atlantic Herring Framework 6: Council Discusses Options for 2019-2021 Specifications and Revised Overfishing Definition
- Council Seeks Contractor for Atlantic Herring Offshore Spawning Discussion Document; April 22, 2019 Submission Deadline
- Council Discusses Whiting, Enforcement, Dogfish, Herring, Ecosystem Management, and More at December Meeting
- Atlantic Herring: Council Approves Amendment 8 Control Rule, Buffer Zone; Asks NMFS to Set 2019 Specs
- Council Seeks Input From Fishermen and Research Partners on RSA Programs; Take the Online Survey!
- Atlantic Herring Research Set-Aside Competition Underway; 2019-2021 Proposals Due by September 20, 2018
- Atlantic Herring: Council Reaffirms Current Approach for River Herring/Shad; Launches 2019-2021 Specs Package
- Atlantic Herring: Council to Conduct Seven Public Hearings on Amendment 8 in May and June
- Council Discusses Offshore Wind, Clam Dredge FW, Skates, Groundfish, Herring, IFM at Mid-April Meeting
- Council Seeks Contractor to Update “Stocks in the Atlantic Herring Fishery” Discussion Document
- Atlantic Herring: Council Votes to Send Amendment 8 Out to Public Hearing With No Preferred Alternatives
- Atlantic Herring: Council Discusses Amendment 8 ABC Control Rules; Passes on Picking “Preferred Alternative”
- NEFMC Seeks Contractor for Atlantic Herring MSE Work
- Council Approves Atlantic Herring Alternatives for Analysis
- Council Selects Alternatives for IFM Amendment; Picks Atlantic Herring A and B Boat Measures
- Stakeholder Input at Core of Atlantic Herring Amendment 8; No Action on Framework 5
- Atlantic Herring Framework 5 and Amendment 8 Take Shape
- Council Receives Atlantic Herring Amendment 8 Update
- Atlantic Herring Workshop, May 16-17, Portland, ME
- Herring Amendment 8 scoping comment period extended to September 30, 2015
- Council Approves Measures to Protect River Herring and Shad
Upcoming Meetings
Past Meetings
Plan Amendments, Frameworks, and Specifications
Plan Amendments
Under Development
September 28, 2023
The Council is proposing to take action through Amendment 10 to address spatial and temporal allocation and management of Atlantic herring at the management unit level to minimize user conflicts, contribute to optimum yield, and support rebuilding of the resource. The Council also is proposing to take action to enhance river herring (alewife and blueback herring) and shad (American shad and hickory shad) avoidance and other catch reduction measures to better support ongoing coastwide restoration efforts for those species.
June 25, 2021
This Amendment is part of the Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment.
January 11, 2021
This Amendment proposes a long-term Acceptable Biological Catch control rule for the Atlantic herring fishery and proposes measures to address potential localized depletion and user conflicts with predators of herring and other user groups.
February 7, 2020
This Amendment is part of the Omnibus Industry-Funded Monitoring Amendment and Environmental Assessment.
June 30, 2015
This action establishes standards of precision for bycatch estimation for all Northeast Region fisheries.
March 25, 2013
Amendment 5 was developed to: Improve the collection of real-time, accurate catch information; enhance the monitoring and sampling of catch at-sea; and address bycatch issues through responsible management.
March 2, 2011
This amendment brings the FMP into compliance with new Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) requirements by: revising definitions and the specifications-setting process consistent with annual catch limit (ACL) requirements; and establishing fishery closure thresholds, a haddock incidental catch cap, and overage paybacks as accountability measures (AMs). In addition, the amendment: designates herring as a ‘‘stock in the fishery;’’ establishes an interim acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rule; and makes adjustments to the specification process by eliminating consideration of total foreign processing (JVPt), including joint venture processing (JVP) and internal waters processing (IWP). It also eliminates reserve from the specifications process and eliminates the Council’s consideration of total allowable level of foreign fishing (TALFF).
April 9, 2018
This action implements approved regulations for the New England Fishery Management Council’s Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment 2.
February 27, 2008
Part of SBRM. NMFS is implementing approved management measures contained in the Standardized Bycatch Reporting
June 1, 2007
Amendment 1 establishes a limited access program. Amendment 1 also includes the following measures: An open access incidental catch permit; a change in the management area boundaries; establishment of a purse seine/fixed gear-only area; establishment of a maximum sustainable yield (MSY) proxy; an approach to determining the distribution of area-specific Total Allowable Catches (TACs); a multi-year specifications process; a research quota set-aside for herring-related research; a set-aside for fixed gear fisheries; a change in the midwater trawl gear definition; and additional measures that could be implemented through the framework adjustment process. Also, NMFS informs thepublic of the approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of the collection-ofinformation requirements contained in this final rule and publishes the OMB control numbers for these collections.
Framework Adjustments/Specifications
December 19, 2024
This interim final rule makes an in-season adjustment to the 2025 Atlantic herring specifications and sub-annual catch limits for the four Atlantic herring management areas – Areas 1A, 1B, 2, and 3.
Under Development
June 24, 2024
This action includes specifications for the 2025-2027 Atlantic herring fishing years.
June 27, 2024
UPDATE: On June 27, 2024, the New England Fishery Management Council voted to “discontinue development” of the Northern Edge framework, citing the following rationale.
March 23, 2023
This action includes specifications for the 2023-2025 Atlantic herring fishing years.
February 5, 2024
This omnibus action establishes a new Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC) in Southern New England through framework adjustments to the groundfish, scallop, monkfish, skate, and Atlantic herring plans.
July 19, 2022
This action contains measures to develop a rebuilding plan for Atlantic herring and adjust herring accountability measures (AMs).
April 1, 2021
This action includes 2021-2023 fishing year specifications and adjustments to herring measures that may inhibit the Atlantic mackerel fishery from achieving its optimum yield.
Under Development
September 23, 2019
This action contains measures to protect spawning adult herring on Georges Bank.
May 6, 2020
This framework contains updated overfishing/overfished definitions, fishery specifications for FY2019-2021, and a temporary prohibition on carryover of unharvested herring catch.
May 19, 2020
Omnibus Clam Dredge Framework
February 8, 2019
This action implements in-season adjustment for 2018 and 2019 to prevent overfishing of the herring resource and lower the risk of the stock becoming overfished.
December 1, 2016
NMFS is implementing final specifications and management measures for the 2016–2018 Atlantic herring fishery.
February 26, 2015
Framework 4 was developed to further enhance catch monitoring and address discarding in the herring fishery.
July 8, 2014
NMFS implements final regulations to establish a process for setting river herring (alewife and blueback) and shad (American and hickory) catch caps for the herring fishery.
September 30, 2013
NMFS is implementing Framework Adjustment 2 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (Framework 2) and the 2013–2015 fishery specifications for the Atlantic herring fishery (2013–2015 specifications).
February 16, 2010
NMFS announces final specifications for the 2010–2012 fishing years for the Atlantic herring (herring) fishery. The intent of this final rule is to conserve and manage the herring resource and provide for a sustainable fishery. This final rule also makes minor corrections to existing regulations.
January 24, 2002
This final rule modifies the annual specification of herring quota for Management Area 1A by establishing two quota periods.