Spiny Dogfish

Atlantic Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias)

The Atlantic spiny dogfish fishery is jointly managed in state and federal waters by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (lead) and the New England Fishery Management Council. NOAA Fisheries serves as the implementing body for rules and regulations within the fishery. The ASMFC coordinates state management, including regional or state quotas.

The Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for spiny dogfish was implemented in 2000. The management unit includes all federal East Coast waters. Harvest is primarily controlled through daily trip limits and an annual quota that closes the fishery in federal waters if the quota is reached. Quotas are set based on the current science and Council’s risk policy to avoid overfishing and rebuild stocks if/when necessary.

Staff Contacts

Related Pages

Regulations

Additional information about the management and status of the spiny dogfish fishery, including current quotas and fishing regulations, is available on the NOAA Fisheries Spiny Dogfish page.

Additional Resources


Actions Under Development

The section below lists any FMP frameworks or amendments currently under development. See the current year's Implementation Plan for details on upcoming specifications and other actions that may affect this FMP.

Fishery Performance Reports and Information Documents

Fishery Management Plan and Amendments

2000: The Original Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan established management of Atlantic spiny dogfish fisheries and initiated stock rebuilding. Final Rule - 1/11/2000.

2006Framework 1 created a mechanism for specification of multi-year management measures. Final Rule - 1/19/2006.

2007Amendment 1 was an omnibus amendment that implemented a Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology (SBRM). Final Rule - 1/28/2008.

2009Framework 2 built flexibility into process to define and update status determination criteria. Final Rule - 6/24/2009.

2011Amendment 2 was an omnibus amendment that implemented Acceptable Biological Catches (ABCs) and Annual Catch Limits (ACLs) to avoid overfishing and ensure accountability. Final Rule - 9/29/2011.

2014Amendment 3 added the spiny dogfish fishery to the Research Set‐Aside (RSA) program, updated Essential Fish Habitat definitions, established provisions to maintain existing management measures (including quota) in the event of delayed rulemaking, and eliminated seasonal allocation of the coast wide commercial quota. Final Rule - 7/15/2014.

2015Amendment 4 was an omnibus amendment that implemented a new Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology to address a legal challenge. Final Rule - 6/30/2015.

2017Amendment 5 - Unmanaged Forage Omnibus Amendment was an omnibus amendment that implemented management measures to prevent the development of new, and the expansion of existing, commercial fisheries on certain forage species in the Mid-Atlantic. See the Unmanaged Forage Amendment page for more information about this action. Final Rule - 8/28/2017.

2018: Framework 3 - Omnibus Acceptable Biological Catch Framework established a process for setting constant multi-year Acceptable Biological Catch (ABCs) and clarified the process for setting ABCs for each of the four types of ABC control rules. Final Rule - 4/11/2018.

2020: Framework 4 – Omnibus Commercial Electronic Reporting Framework established a requirement for commercial vessels with federal permits for all species managed by the Mid-Atlantic and New England Councils to submit vessel trip reports electronically within 48 hours after entering port at the conclusion of a trip. Final Rule - 11/10/20.

2020: Framework 5 – Omnibus Acceptable Biological Catch and Risk Policy Framework modified the Council’s ABC control rule and risk policy. The revised risk policy is intended to reduce the probability of overfishing as stock size falls below the target biomass while allowing for increased risk and greater economic benefit under higher stock biomass conditions. This action also removed the typical/atypical species distinction currently included in the risk policy. Final Rule - 12/15/20.

2024: Framework 6 - Sturgeon Bycatch Framework implemented area-based gear restrictions to reduce bycatch of Atlantic sturgeon in the spiny dogfish gillnet fishery. Final Rule - 12/18/24.


Upcoming Meetings

Any upcoming meetings will be displayed below. Click here to view past spiny dogfish meetings.