(a) Mid-Atlantic forage species. Unless otherwise prohibited in §648.80, a vessel issued a valid commercial permit in accordance with §648.4 may fish for, possess, and land up to 1,700 lb (771.11 kg) of all Mid-Atlantic forage species combined per trip in or from the EEZ portion of the Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit, as defined in paragraph (c) of this section. A vessel not issued a permit in accordance with §648.4 that is fishing exclusively in state waters is exempt from the possession limits specified in this section.
(b) Atlantic chub mackerel. Effective through December 31, 2020, a vessel issued a valid commercial permit in accordance with §648.4 may fish for, possess, and land an unlimited amount of Atlantic chub mackerel from the Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit, as defined in paragraph (c) of this section, provided the Atlantic chub mackerel annual landing limit has not been harvested. Once the Atlantic chub mackerel annual landing limit has been harvested, as specified in §648.350, a vessel may fish for, possess, and land up to 40,000 lb (18.14 mt) of Atlantic chub mackerel per trip in or from the Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit for the remainder of the fishing year (until December 31). A vessel not issued a permit in accordance with §648.4 that is fishing exclusively in state waters is exempt from the possession limits specified in this section.
(c) Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit. The Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit is the area of the Atlantic Ocean that is bounded on the southeast by the outer limit of the U.S. EEZ; bounded on the south by 35°15.3′ N. lat. (the approximate latitude of Cape Hatteras, NC); bounded on the west and north by the coastline of the United States; and bounded on the northeast by the following points, connected in the order listed by straight lines:
| Point | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40°59.32′ N. | 73°39.62′ W. |
| 2 | 40°59.02′ N. | 73°39.41′ W. |
| 3 | 40°57.05′ N. | 73°36.78′ W. |
| 4 | 40°57.87′ N. | 73°32.85′ W. |
| 5 | 40°59.78′ N. | 73°23.70′ W. |
| 6 | 41°1.57′ N. | 73°15.00′ W. |
| 7 | 41°3.40′ N. | 73°6.10′ W. |
| 8 | 41°4.65′ N. | 73°0.00′ W. |
| 9 | 41°6.67′ N. | 72°50.00′ W. |
| 10 | 41°8.69′ N. | 72°40.00′ W. |
| 11 | 41°10.79′ N. | 72°29.45′ W. |
| 12 | 41°12.22′ N. | 72°22.25′ W. |
| 13 | 41°13.57′ N. | 72°15.38′ W. |
| 14 | 41°14.94′ N. | 72°8.35′ W. |
| 15 | 41°15.52′ N. | 72°5.41′ W. |
| 16 | 41°17.43′ N. | 72°1.18′ W. |
| 17 | 41°18.62′ N. | 71°55.80′ W. |
| 18 | 41°18.27′ N. | 71°54.47′ W. |
| 19 | 41°10.31′ N. | 71°46.44′ W. |
| 20 | 41°2.35′ N. | 71°38.43′ W. |
| 21 | 40°54.37′ N. | 71°30.45′ W. |
| 22 | 40°46.39′ N. | 71°22.51′ W. |
| 23 | 40°38.39′ N. | 71°14.60′ W. |
| 24 | 40°30.39′ N. | 71°6.72′ W. |
| 25 | 40°22.38′ N. | 70°58.87′ W. |
| 26 | 40°14.36′ N. | 70°51.05′ W. |
| 27 | 40°6.33′ N. | 70°43.27′ W. |
| 28 | 39°58.29′ N. | 70°35.51′ W. |
| 29 | 39°50.24′ N. | 70°27.78′ W. |
| 30 | 39°42.18′ N. | 70°20.09′ W. |
| 31 | 39°34.11′ N. | 70°12.42′ W. |
| 32 | 39°26.04′ N. | 70°4.78′ W. |
| 33 | 39°17.96′ N. | 69°57.18′ W. |
| 34 | 39°9.86′ N. | 69°49.6′ W. |
| 35 | 39°1.77′ N. | 69°42.05′ W. |
| 36 | 38°53.66′ N. | 69°34.53′ W. |
| 37 | 38°45.54′ N. | 69°27.03′ W. |
| 38 | 38°37.42′ N. | 69°19.57′ W. |
| 39 | 38°29.29′ N. | 69°12.13′ W. |
| 40 | 38°21.15′ N. | 69°4.73′ W. |
| 41 | 38°13.00′ N. | 68°57.35′ W. |
| 42 | 38°4.84′ N. | 68°49.99′ W. |
| 43* | 38°2.21′ N. | 68°47.62′ W. |
*Point 43 falls on the U.S. EEZ.
(d) Transiting. Any vessel issued a valid permit in accordance with §648.4 may transit the Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit, as defined in paragraph (c) of this section, with an amount of Mid-Atlantic forage species or Atlantic chub mackerel on board that exceeds the possession limits specified in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, respectively, to land in a port in a state that is outside of the Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit, provided that those species were harvested outside of the Mid-Atlantic Forage Species Management Unit and that all gear is stowed and not available for immediate use as defined in §648.2. The transitting provisions specified in this paragraph (d) for a vessel possessing Atlantic chub mackerel are effective through December 31, 2020.
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