Evaluation of Vessel Baselines Restrictions

Overview

The Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils are evaluating vessel baseline restrictions to inform whether to prioritize future management actions to modify them. Vessel baseline restrictions apply to most commercial, limited access fisheries managed by the Councils and require that replacement or upgrades to vessels remain within 10% of the permitted vessel’s baseline length and 20% of its horsepower. Industry participants have reported challenges in acquiring suitable replacement vessels or engines that meet these specifications, particularly for smaller vessels. 

MAFMC Staff Contacts

Joint Advisory Panel Meetings

To inform this evaluation, three Advisory Panel input meetings will be held via webinar in May 2026. These will include a brief introduction to baseline regulations and fishing vessel data, then open for questions and discussion.

Next Steps

The Councils will receive a short update at their June meetings, including a summary of the AP input. The full evaluation will be presented to the NEFMC in September and the MAFMC in October 2026. If the Councils agree to initiate a management action to consider revisions to the vessel baseline restrictions, there will be additional opportunities for Advisory Panel and public input in the future.  

Alternative Gear Marking Framework

This joint omnibus framework action will consider revisions to gear marking regulations to allow the use of fixed gear without a persistent buoy line, also called on-demand fishing gear, in all New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council fishery management plans.

Recreational Sector Separation Amendment

This amendment will consider options for managing for-hire recreational fisheries separately from other recreational fishing modes (referred to as sector separation), as well as options related to for-hire permit and reporting requirements.