On Friday, April 18, NOAA Fisheries will publish specifications for the 2003 spiny dogfish fishery in the Federal Register. This final rule implements a commercial quota and possession limits for the ‘03 fishing year.

The 2003 final specifications are effective from May 1, 2003, through April 30, 2004, and consist of a commercial quota of 4 million pounds for the 2003 fishing year that is allocated on a semi-annual basis as follows: Quota Period 1 (May 1-October 31) is allocated 57.9 percent of the 4 million pound quota, or 2,316,000 pounds, and Quota Period 2 (November 1-April 30) is allocated 42.1 percent of the 4-million pound quota, or 1,684,000 pounds.

This final rule also maintains the existing possession limits of 600 pounds and 300 pounds for Quota Period 1 and Quota Period 2, respectively, to allow for the retention of spiny dogfish caught incidentally while fishing for other species throughout the entire fishing year.