Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Proposed Rule To Expand the Scallop Dredge Exemption Areas Under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan

NMFS proposes to implement modifications to the regulations implementing the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan to allow vessels issued a limited access general category individual fishing quota sea scallop permit to fish for scallops with small dredges in an expanded area. In addition, NMFS also proposes to modify open area days-at-sea trip reporting procedures for limited access scallop vessels. This action is intended to provide consistency, flexibility, and potential economic benefit to the scallop fleet. This rule notifies the public of these proposed measures and solicits comments on the potential scallop fishery management changes.