(a) Mid-Atlantic forage species. Unless otherwise prohibited in § 648.80, a vessel issued a valid commercial permit in accordance with § 648.4 may fish for, possess, and land up to 1,700 lb (771.11 kg) of all Mid-Atlantic forage species combined per trip in or from the EEZ portion of the Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit, as defined in paragraph (b) of this section. A vessel not issued a permit in accordance with § 648.4 that is fishing exclusively in state waters is exempt from the possession limits specified in this section.
(b) Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit. The Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit is the area of the Atlantic Ocean that is bounded on the southeast by the outer limit of the U.S. EEZ; bounded on the south by 35°15.3′ N lat. (the approximate latitude of Cape Hatteras, NC); bounded on the west and north by the coastline of the United States; and bounded on the northeast by the following points, connected in the order listed by straight lines:
| Point
| Latitude
| Longitude
|
|---|
| 1 | 40°59.32′ N | 73°39.62′ W
|
| 2 | 40°59.02′ N | 73°39.41′ W
|
| 3 | 40°57.05′ N | 73°36.78′ W
|
| 4 | 40°57.87′ N | 73°32.85′ W
|
| 5 | 40°59.78′ N | 73°23.70′ W
|
| 6 | 41°1.57′ N | 73°15.00′ W
|
| 7 | 41°3.40′ N | 73°6.10′ W
|
| 8 | 41°4.65′ N | 73°0.00′ W
|
| 9 | 41°6.67′ N | 72°50.00′ W
|
| 10 | 41°8.69′ N | 72°40.00′ W
|
| 11 | 41°10.79′ N | 72°29.45′ W
|
| 12 | 41°12.22′ N | 72°22.25′ W
|
| 13 | 41°13.57′ N | 72°15.38′ W
|
| 14 | 41°14.94′ N | 72°8.35′ W
|
| 15 | 41°15.52′ N | 72°5.41′ W
|
| 16 | 41°17.43′ N | 72°1.18′ W
|
| 17 | 41°18.62′ N | 71°55.80′ W
|
| 18 | 41°18.27′ N | 71°54.47′ W
|
| 19 | 41°10.31′ N | 71°46.44′ W
|
| 20 | 41°2.35′ N | 71°38.43′ W
|
| 21 | 40°54.37′ N | 71°30.45′ W
|
| 22 | 40°46.39′ N | 71°22.51′ W
|
| 23 | 40°38.39′ N | 71°14.60′ W
|
| 24 | 40°30.39′ N | 71°6.72′ W
|
| 25 | 40°22.38′ N | 70°58.87′ W
|
| 26 | 40°14.36′ N | 70°51.05′ W
|
| 27 | 40°6.33′ N | 70°43.27′ W
|
| 28 | 39°58.29′ N | 70°35.51′ W
|
| 29 | 39°50.24′ N | 70°27.78′ W
|
| 30 | 39°42.18′ N | 70°20.09′ W
|
| 31 | 39°34.11′ N | 70°12.42′ W
|
| 32 | 39°26.04′ N | 70°4.78′ W
|
| 33 | 39°17.96′ N | 69°57.18′ W
|
| 34 | 39°9.86′ N | 69°49.6′ W
|
| 35 | 39°1.77′ N | 69°42.05′ W
|
| 36 | 38°53.66′ N | 69°34.53′ W
|
| 37 | 38°45.54′ N | 69°27.03′ W
|
| 38 | 38°37.42′ N | 69°19.57′ W
|
| 39 | 38°29.29′ N | 69°12.13′ W
|
| 40 | 38°21.15′ N | 69°4.73′ W
|
| 41 | 38°13.00′ N | 68°57.35′ W
|
| 42 | 38°4.84′ N | 68°49.99′ W
|
| 43 * | 38°2.21′ N | 68°47.62′ W
|
(c) Transiting. Any vessel issued a valid permit in accordance with § 648.4 may transit the Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit, as defined in paragraph (b) of this section, with an amount of Mid-Atlantic forage species on board that exceeds the possession limits specified in paragraph (a) of this section to land in a port in a state that is outside of the Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit, provided that those species were harvested outside of the Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit and that all gear is stowed and not available for immediate use as defined in § 648.2.
(d) Transiting. Any vessel issued a valid permit in accordance with § 648.4 may transit the Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit, as defined in paragraph (c) of this section, with an amount of Mid-Atlantic forage species or Atlantic chub mackerel on board that exceeds the possession limits specified in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, respectively, to land in a port in a state that is outside of the Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit, provided that those species were harvested outside of the Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit and that all gear is stowed and not available for immediate use as defined in § 648.2. The transitting provisions specified in this paragraph (d) for a vessel possessing Atlantic chub mackerel are effective through December 31, 2020.
[82 FR 40733, Aug. 28, 2017, as amended at 85 FR 47117, Aug. 4, 2020]