Vessel Baselines Restrictions Evaluation 

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.

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.