National Marine Fisheries Service

03/05/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/05/2026 15:04

Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishing Year 2025 Catch Limits

Framework 69 sets commercial and recreational management measures, including annual catch limits, for groundfish stocks for fishing year 2025, which ends April 30, 2026. Catch limits for GB cod and GOM cod were set by emergency action for fishing year 2025 and are not implemented by this rule.

The New England Fishery Management Council took final action on the revised Amendment 25 (September 2025) and Framework 72 (December 2025). Amendment 25 is focused on the transition from two stocks of cod to four stocks. Framework 72 includes specifications for groundfish stocks for fishing year 2026. Both actions are still under review by NOAA Fisheries, and have not yet been approved or implemented.

Fishing Year 2025 Catch Limits

Framework 69 sets fishing year 2025 annual catch limits for groundfish stocks. Quotas for the U.S./Canada area are shown in Table 1. The 2025 catch limits are listed in Table 2.

Based on the at-sea monitoring coverage target of 100 percent, the management uncertainty buffer has been removed from the sector sub-annual catch limits for all allocated stocks. Sector annual catch entitlements (ACE) are shown in Table 3, updating the ACEs implemented by the May 2, 2025, emergency rule. Sector and common pool quotas are based on the fishing year 2025 rosters.

Table 1. 2025 Fishing Year U.S./Canada Quotas (mt, live weight) and Percent of Quota Allocated to Each Country

Quota Eastern GB Haddock GB Yellowtail Flounder
Total Shared Quota 7,410 200
U.S. Quota

1,556

(21 percent)

96

(48 percent)

Canadian Quota

5,854

(79 percent)

104

(52 percent)

Table 2. Fishing Year 2025 Catch Limits (mt, live weight)

Stock Total ACL Groundfish sub-ACL Final Sector sub-ACL Final Common Pool sub-ACL Recreational sub-ACL Midwater Trawl Fishery Scallop Fishery Small-Mesh Fisheries State Waters sub- component Other sub-component
A to H A+B+C A B C D E F G H
GB Cod* 194 147 142 5 16 31
GOM Cod* 336 306 178 7 120 30 0.0
GB Haddock 2,175 2,123 2,077 46 41 0 10.9
GOM Haddock 3,324 3,258 2,129 54 1,075 32 34 0.0
GB Yellowtail Flounder 95 79 74 5.0 14.9 1.8 0.0 0.0
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder 40 35 26 9.0 2.7 0.2 2.0
CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder 913 848 801 48 28 37
American Plaice 8,684 8,640 8,385 255 0 44
Witch Flounder 1,523 1,477 1,424 54 7.6 38
GB Winter Flounder 1,488 1,473 1,402 71 0 15
GOM Winter Flounder 799 634 541 93 153 12.1
SNE/MA Winter Flounder 624 461 395 66 19 144
Redfish 8,268 8,268 8,170 98 0 0
White Hake 1,920 1,910 1,889 21 0 10
Pollock 12,727 11,263 11,145 117 764 700
N. Windowpane Flounder 127 94 na 94 27 0.0 6.8
S. Windowpane Flounder 205 30 na 30 71 6.4 98
Ocean Pout 83 49 na 49 0 34
Atlantic Halibut 34 23 na 23 9.1 1.6
Atlantic Wolffish 87 87 na 87 0 0

na: not allocated to sectors. ACL = annual catch limit, GB = Georges Bank, GOM = Gulf of Maine, SNE/MA = Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic, CC/GOM = Cape Cod/Gulf of Maine, N = northern, S = southern.

* Specifications for GB cod and GOM cod were set by emergency action and are not implemented by this rule. They are included here for a complete view of allocations based on final 2025 rosters.

Table 3. ACE (in 1,000 lb), by stock, for each sector for fishing year 2025*#

Sector Name GB Cod East ^ GB Cod West ^ GOM Cod ^ GB Haddock East GB Haddock West GOM Haddock GB Yellowtail Flounder SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder CC/GOM Yellowtail Flounder Plaice Witch Flounder GB Winter Flounder GOM Winter Flounder SNE/MA Winter Flounder Redfish White Hake Pollock
Fixed Gear Sector 19 15 3 45 16 8 0 0 29 86 35 1 25 10 88 42 655
Maine Coast Community Sector 4 3 66 113 41 588 3 2 118 2,972 403 26 109 23 1,678 583 3,156
Maine Permit Bank 0 0 5 2 1 54 0 0 6 223 24 0 6 0 150 70 421
Mooncusser Sector 21 17 30 125 46 183 1 1 73 182 71 2 55 19 868 456 2,711
NEFS 2 18 14 105 532 195 1,209 12 6 495 3,029 688 165 377 61 4,022 560 4,478
NEFS 4 16 12 46 208 76 427 4 2 120 1,801 288 23 105 11 1,221 349 1,805
NEFS 5 1 1 1 15 5 5 1 8 17 43 13 6 12 71 2 1 16
NEFS 6 1 1 1 19 7 7 0 0 0 168 16 3 1 0 203 22 79
NEFS 8 62 50 26 1,451 531 912 84 15 368 4,187 696 2,050 71 445 4,830 812 4,694
NEFS 10 0 0 7 4 1 35 0 0 58 57 20 0 80 4 2 1 18
NEFS 11 1 1 43 1 0 128 0 0 40 273 47 0 27 0 339 167 2,106
NEFS 12 2 1 16 27 10 68 2 1 180 356 67 13 175 7 107 39 350
NEFS 13 14 11 1 432 158 33 43 16 75 909 165 417 16 108 278 40 250
New Hampshire Permit Bank 0 0 5 0 0 2 0 0 0 5 0 0 1 0 4 3 28
Sustainable Harvest Sector 1 9 7 18 231 85 442 4 1 87 2,130 284 215 72 31 2,059 516 1,409
Sustainable Harvest Sector 2 2 2 5 69 25 194 1 2 40 399 76 12 29 23 760 120 676
Sustainable Harvest Sector 3 5 4 16 80 29 398 7 3 59 1,666 245 159 34 56 1,402 385 1,718
Common Pool 6 4 15 79 23 120 11 20 105 562 119 156 206 145 215 46 259
Sector Total 175 139 393 3,352 1,227 4,693 162 57 1,766 18,487 3,139 3,091 1,193 870 18,013 4,165 24,571

* The data in this table are based on fishing year 2025 sector rosters, and represent the total allocations to each sector.

# Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand pounds. In some cases, this table shows an allocation of 0, but that sector may be allocated a small amount of that stock in tens or hundreds pounds.

^ Specifications for GB cod and GOM cod were set by emergency action. They are included here for a complete view of all allocations based on final 2025 rosters and the removal of the management uncertainty buffer for sectors.

Sectors

This final rule approves all previously approved 15 sector operations plans for fishing years 2025-2026. No additional sectors are approved to operate in fishing year 2025.

For fishing years 2025 and 2026, sectors did not request any novel exemptions. This rule approves all 18 previously approved exemptions for fishing years 2025 and 2026.

Common Pool

Framework 69 includes the following fishing year 2025 common pool trip limits for all groundfish stocks:

Table 4. 2025 Common Pool Daily and Trip Possession Limits

Stock 2025 Common Pool Daily and Trip Possession Limits
DAS permits Handgear A Handgear B Small Vessel Category
GOM Cod 25 lb (11.3 kg) per DAS, up to 50 lb (22.7 kg) per trip 25 lb (11.3 kg) per trip 25 lb (11.3 kg) per trip 25 lb (11.3 kg) per trip
GB Cod 0 lb (0 kg) per trip; possession prohibited
GB Haddock 1,000 lb (454 kg) per DAS, up to 2,000 lb (907 kg) per trip 1,000 lb (454 kg) per trip 300 lb (136.1 kg) per trip
GOM Haddock 1,000 lb (454 kg) per DAS, up to 2,000 lb (907 kg) per trip 1,000 lb (454 kg) per trip 300 lb (136.1 kg) per trip
GB Yellowtail Flounder 100 lb (45.4 kg) per trip
SNE/MA Yellowtail Flounder 200 lb (90.7 kg) per DAS, up to 400 lb (181 kg) per trip 200 lb (90.7 kg) per trip
Cape Cod (CC)/GOM Yellowtail Flounder 1,500 lb (680 kg) per DAS, up to 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) per trip 1,500 lb (680 kg) per trip 300 lb (136.1 kg) per trip
American Plaice 3,000 lb per (1,361 kg) DAS, up to 6,000 lb (2,722 kg) per trip 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) per trip
Witch Flounder 1,500 lb (680 kg) per trip
GB Winter Flounder 500 lb (227 kg) per trip
GOM Winter Flounder 2,000 lb (907 kg) per trip
SNE/MA Winter Flounder 2,000 lb (907 kg) per DAS, up to 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) per trip 2,000 lb (907 kg) per trip
Redfish No Limit
White Hake 1,000 lb (454 kg) per trip
Pollock No Limit
Atlantic Halibut 1 fish per trip
Windowpane Flounder Possession Prohibited
Ocean Pout
Atlantic Wolffish

Recreational Management Measures

Framework 69 includes the fishing year 2025 recreational measures for GOM haddock and GOM cod. GB cod recreational measures were not set by this action are remain unchanged (possession prohibited).

Table 5: GOM haddock and cod recreational measures.

Stock

Possession Limit

(For Hire and Private)

Minimum Size

in Inches (centimeters)

Open Season
GOM Haddock 15 17 (43.2) May 1 - February 28/29 and April 1 - 30
GOM Cod 1 23 (58.4) September 1 - October 31

Scallop Fishery Accountability Measures

Framework 69 modifies the catch threshold for implementing the scallop fishery's accountability measures for GB yellowtail flounder and northern windowpane flounder, so that the accountability measures for either of these two stocks would only be implemented if scallop fishery catch exceeds its sub-annual catch limit by any amount and the total accountability measures is also exceeded.

This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.

National Marine Fisheries Service published this content on March 05, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 05, 2026 at 21:04 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]