The East Coast mackerel fishery will face new restrictions because fishermen have exceeded their limit for two other species.

Fishermen bring Atlantic mackerel to shore from Maine to North Carolina. The fishermen are given a limit to the amount of river herring and shad they are also allowed to catch.

Commercial fishermen will be prohibited from fishing more than 20,000 pounds of Atlantic mackerel per trip for the remainder of the calendar year.
Commercial fishermen will be prohibited from fishing more than 20,000 pounds of Atlantic mackerel per trip for the remainder of the calendar year. Staff photo by Derek Davis

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says mackerel fishermen are close enough to that limit that restrictions are kicking in. The fishermen will be prohibited from fishing more than 20,000 pounds of Atlantic mackerel per trip for the remainder of the calendar year.

The restrictions go into effect on Tuesday morning.

Fishermen have caught more than 10 million pounds of Atlantic mackerel per year in 18 of the last 20 years. Most of the catch comes to docks in Massachusetts.

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