UPDATE: On June 27, 2024, the New England Fishery Management Council voted to “discontinue development” of the Northern Edge framework, citing the following rationale.
“Information presented in the June Plan Development Team (PDT) memo and the draft framework document highlights the importance of the Habitat Management Area to a variety of species, including Atlantic cod, American lobster, Atlantic herring, and to the long-term productivity of the Georges Bank scallop resource. Identifying an appropriate time for an access program is challenging because scallop meat yields peak in June and July during an important season for juvenile cod settlement and egg-bearing lobsters on the bank. Additionally, all access season alternatives developed by the PDT overlap with peak cod spawning period (March-May). Identifying appropriate areas for an access program is difficult because of concerns regarding enforceability and the presence of juvenile cod habitat in Alternative 3 and the limited amount of fishable bottom available to accommodate hundreds of scallop vessels in the area encompassed in Alternative 2. Allowing access to the Northern Edge Area could undermine long-term attainment of optimum yield in the scallop fishery because the large, high-density scallop aggregations on the Northern Edge are likely an important larval source for scallop beds on the Southern Flank of Georges, the Great South Channel, and Nantucket Lightship. Outcomes from the recent Joint Habitat/Scallop Committee meeting revealed a lack of agreement regarding appropriate rotational intervals and access seasons after over a year of work on this action, highlighting the fundamental conflict between the optimal timing for scallop yield and the importance of the Northern Edge to other fishery resources.”
The New England Fishery Management Council is developing an action to consider revisions to the Habitat Management Area on the Northern Edge of Georges Bank. The Council prioritized this work in December 2022 when it established 2023 priorities. On April 18, 2023, the Council approved the goal and objectives for this work and initiated a joint habitat-scallop framework action. On April 16, 2024, the Council approved two spatial concepts for further development as scallop access areas.
The fishing gear restrictions associated with the Habitat Management Area on the Northern Edge are intended to minimize the impacts of fishing on essential fish habitats (EFH) for numerous species. As such, this framework would amend each of the New England Council’s fishery management plans (FMPs) that have a connection to the Habitat Management Area in terms of designated EFH. The affiliated FMPs include scallops, groundfish, herring, monkfish, and skates.
- Northern Edge Habitat-Scallop Framework Goal and Objectives
- Memo from Habitat and Scallop PDTs to Council about Concept Areas (April 2024)
- Habitat Management Considerations for the Northern Edges of Georges Bank – White Paper Prepared by Habitat Plan Development Team
- Impact of Disturbance on Habitat Recovery in Habitat Management Areas on the Northern Edge of Georges Bank: Ecosystem Perturbation Experiment – Before/After Control Impact (BACI) Study Final Report
Alternatives 2 and 3 for Further Consideration in Addition to Alternative 1, No Action
The maps above show the two draft alternatives to be considered for further development as rotational scallop access areas in the Northern Edge framework. These are in addition to Alternative 1, which is “no action.” – New England Fishery Management Council graphics
The Northern Edge is roughly defined as the area encompassed within the Closed Area II Habitat Management Area (HMA) and the adjacent portion of the Northern Flank of Georges Bank. – New England Fishery Management Council graphic
The map above shows approximate area sizes for productive scallop grounds (blue outlines) with recent Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data, which is representative of scallop fishing between April and June 2022. The size of the Northern Edge is similar to areas that have experienced concentrated fishing, such as Stellwagen Bank. Area sizes are based on the boundaries used in the Scallop Area Management Simulator (SAMS) model, which is used to project scallop biomass. – New England Fishery Management Council graphic