NOAA Reminds Summer Flounder Trawlers of Small Mesh Exemption Changes Starting Nov. 1

NOAA Fisheries is reminding summer flounder permit holders that changes to the Small Mesh Exemption Program (SMEP) take effect with the season that opens Nov. 1.

The program lets vessels with a summer flounder commercial moratorium permit and a Letter of Authorization (LOA) fish below the minimum mesh size in a designated area from Nov. 1 through April 30. A final rule published April 28, 2026, on the recommendation of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, expanded the program area, revised its annual review and shortened the minimum LOA period. The minimum enrollment is now one day.

Part of the area's western boundary south of Long Island Sound moved about five miles west. Where the SMEP area overlaps the Frank R. Lautenberg Deep Sea Coral Protection Area, the coral area's limits on bottom-tending gear still apply to every vessel.

NOAA's Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office has also launched a paperless pilot, letting permit holders enroll, withdraw or cancel through Fish Online with automatic processing. Requests take effect the next day at the earliest.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: NOAA Fisheries: Reminder of Changes to the Summer Flounder Small Mesh Exemption Program (Oct. 30, 2026).