The Council is proposing to take action through Amendment 10 to address spatial and temporal allocation and management of Atlantic herring at the management unit level to minimize user conflicts, contribute to optimum yield, and support rebuilding of the resource.
STATUS UPDATE:
December 2025: The Council considered resuming work on Amendment 10 (A10) during its annual priority setting at the December 2025 meeting (see April 2025 below). The Council shifted the river herring and shad aspects of A10 into a new action (see 2026 Council Priority HE1 and HE3) which is currently under development in 2026.
The new action would set specifications for Atlantic herring fishing years 2027-2031, modify other management measures (i.e., specifications process and carryover), and enhance river herring (alewife and blueback herring) and shad (American shad and hickory shad) avoidance and other catch reduction measures to better support ongoing coastwide restoration efforts for those species. The new action may be an amendment or framework adjustment, depending on the range of alternatives.
April 2025: The Council paused development of A10 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. This decision was made at the April 2025 meeting. A10 continues to be a multi-year Council priority.
For background on this decision please see:
- Memo from the Executive Director to the Council on 2025 Council Priorities Modification
- Update from the Atlantic Herring Plan Development Team on Committee and Council tasking motions at the January 2025 meeting
The Council conducted six public scoping meetings in March and April 2024 to gather stakeholder input on the full range of issues to be considered in Amendment 10.
Atlantic Herring Amendment 10 Scoping Meeting Notice
Atlantic Herring Amendment 10 Scoping Document
The following documents summarize all oral and written comments received during the scoping process:
Summary of Public Scoping Comments Compiled by Atlantic Herring Plan Development Team
Written Comments Submitted to the Council by April 30
Written Comments Received After the April 30 Deadline
Atlantic Herring Amendment 10 Scoping Meeting Summaries
- Scoping Meeting Summary – March 1, 2024, Rockport, ME
- Scoping Meeting Summary – March 4, 2024, Portsmouth, NH
- Scoping Meeting Summary – March 19, 2024, South Kingstown, RI
- Scoping Meeting Summary – March 27, 2024, Buzzards Bay, MA
- Scoping Meeting Summary – April 17, 2024, Mystic, CT & Webinar
- Scoping Meeting Summary – April 22, 2024, Webinar
Dozens of participants attended the Atlantic Herring Amendment 10 scoping meeting held on March 1, 2024 in Rockport, Maine in conjunction with the annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum.