Commercial trip limits are limits on the amount of the applicable species that may be possessed on board or landed, purchased, or sold from a vessel per day. A person who fishes in the EEZ may not combine a trip limit specified in this section with any trip or possession limit applicable to state waters. Except for Atlantic migratory group Spanish mackerel harvested by gillnet, as specified in § 622.377(b)(2)(vi), a species subject to a trip limit specified in this section taken in the EEZ may not be transferred at sea, regardless of where such transfer takes place, and such species may not be transferred in the EEZ. Commercial trip limits apply as follows (all weights are round or eviscerated weights unless specified otherwise):
(a) King mackerel -
(1) Atlantic migratory group. The following trip limits apply to vessels for which commercial permits for king mackerel have been issued, as required under § 622.370(a)(1):
(i) North of 29°25′ N. lat., which is a line directly east from the Flagler/Volusia County, FL, boundary, king mackerel in or from the EEZ may not be possessed on board or landed from a vessel in a day in amounts exceeding 3,500 lb (1,588 kg).
(ii) In the area between 29°25′ N lat., which is a line directly east from the Flagler/Volusia County, FL, boundary, and 28°47′48” N lat., which is a line directly east from the Volusia/Brevard County, FL, boundary, king mackerel in or from the EEZ may not be possessed on board or landed from a vessel in a day in amounts not to exceed:
(A) From March 1 through March 31 - 75 fish.
(B) From April 1 through September 30 - 3,500 lb (1,588 kg).
(C) From October 1 through the end of February - 100 fish.
(iii) In the area between 28°47′48” N lat., which is a line directly east from the Volusia/Brevard County, FL, boundary, and 25°20′24” N lat., which is a line directly east from the Miami-Dade/Monroe County, FL, boundary, king mackerel in or from the EEZ may not be possessed on board or landed from a vessel in a day in amounts not to exceed:
(A) From March 1 through March 31 - 75 fish.
(B) From April 1 through September 30 - 75 fish, unless NMFS determines that 75 percent or more of the quota specified in § 622.384(b)(2)(ii)(A) has been landed, then, 50 fish.
(C) From October 1 through the end of February - 100 fish.
(2) Gulf migratory group. Commercial trip limits are established in the southern, northern, and western zones as follows. (See § 622.369(a) for descriptions of the southern, northern, and western zones.)
(i) Southern zone -
(A) Gillnet gear.
(1) King mackerel in or from the EEZ may be possessed on board or landed from a vessel for which a commercial vessel permit for king mackerel and a king mackerel gillnet permit have been issued, as required under § 622.370(a)(2), in amounts not exceeding 45,000 lb (20,411 kg) per day.
(2) King mackerel in or from the EEZ may be possessed on board or landed from a vessel that uses or has on board a run-around gillnet on a trip only when such vessel has on board a commercial vessel permit for king mackerel and a king mackerel gillnet permit.
(3) King mackerel from the southern zone landed by a vessel for which a commercial vessel permit for king mackerel and a king mackerel gillnet permit have been issued will be counted against the run-around gillnet quota specified in § 622.384(b)(1)(iii)(B).
(4) King mackerel in or from the EEZ harvested with gear other than run-around gillnet may not be retained on board a vessel for which a commercial vessel permit for king mackerel and a king mackerel gillnet permit have been issued.
(B) Hook-and-line gear. King mackerel in or from the EEZ may be possessed on board or landed from a vessel with a commercial permit for king mackerel, as required by § 622.370(a)(1), and operating under the hook-and-line gear quotas in § 622.384(b)(1)(iii)(A) in amounts not exceeding 1,250 lb (567 kg) per day.
(ii) Northern zone. King mackerel in or from the EEZ may be possessed on board or landed from a vessel for which a commercial permit for king mackerel has been issued, as required under § 622.370(a)(1), in amounts not exceeding 1,250 lb (567 kg) per day.
(iii) Western zone. King mackerel in or from the EEZ may be possessed on board or landed from a vessel for which a commercial permit for king mackerel has been issued, as required under § 622.370(a)(1), in amounts not exceeding 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) per day.
(b) Spanish mackerel -
(1) Atlantic migratory group. The following trip limits apply to vessels for which commercial permits for Spanish mackerel have been issued, as required under § 622.370(a)(3).
(i) Northern zone. Spanish mackerel in or from the EEZ may not be possessed on board or landed in a day from a vessel for which a permit for Spanish mackerel has been issued, as required under § 622.370(a)(3), in amounts exceeding 3,500 lb (1,588 kg).
(ii) Southern zone. Spanish mackerel in or from the EEZ may not be possessed on board or landed in a day from a vessel for which a permit for Spanish mackerel has been issued, as required under § 622.370(a)(3) -
(A) From March 1 until 75 percent of the adjusted quota for the southern zone has been reached or is projected to be reached, in amounts exceeding 3,500 lb (1,588 kg).
(B) After 75 percent of the adjusted quota for the southern zone has been reached or is projected to be reached, in amounts exceeding 1,500 lb (680 kg).
(C) After 100 percent of the adjusted quota for the southern zone has been reached or is projected to be reached, and until the end of the fishing year or the southern zone's quota has been reached or is projected to be reached, in amounts exceeding 500 lb (227 kg). See § 622.384(e) for limitations regarding Atlantic migratory group Spanish mackerel after the southern zone's quota is reached.
(2) For the purpose of paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section, the adjusted quota for the southern zone is 2,417,330 lb (1,096,482 kg). The adjusted quota for the southern zone is the quota for the Atlantic migratory group Spanish mackerel southern zone reduced by an amount calculated to allow continued harvest of Atlantic migratory group Spanish mackerel at the rate of 500 lb (227 kg) per vessel per day for the remainder of the fishing year after the adjusted quota is reached. Total commercial harvest in the southern zone is still subject to the southern zone quota and accountability measures. By filing a notification with the Office of the Federal Register, the Assistant Administrator will announce when 75 percent and 100 percent of the adjusted quota are reached or are projected to be reached.
(3) For the purpose of paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section, a day starts at 6 a.m., local time, and extends for 24 hours. If a vessel terminates a trip prior to 6 a.m., but retains Spanish mackerel on board after that time, the Spanish mackerel retained on board will not be considered in possession during the succeeding day, provided the vessel is not underway between 6 a.m. and the time such Spanish mackerel are unloaded, and provided such Spanish mackerel are unloaded prior to 6 p.m.
[78 FR 22952, Apr. 17, 2013, as amended at 79 FR 68805, Nov. 19, 2014; 79 FR 69090, Nov. 20, 2014; 80 FR 4222, Jan. 27, 2014; 80 FR 40937, July 14, 2015; 80 FR 78675, Dec. 17, 2015; 82 FR 36347, Aug. 4, 2017; 84 FR 4736, Feb. 19, 2019; 84 FR 47904, Sept. 11, 2019; 84 FR 51438, Sept. 30, 2019; 85 FR 55594, Sept. 9, 2020]