WASHINGTON, DC In an effort to help protect New Englands scallop fishery and ensure that stocks remain available for Rhode Island fishermen, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) announced that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will support the request of the New England Fishery Management Council and Rhode Island fishermen to change regulations on scallop fishing in the Elephant Trunk Access Area (ETAA). In November of 2006, Reed sent a letter to the NMFS requesting that it support the New England Fishery Management Councils request to take interim action to protect the scallop fishery in the ETAA by reducing the number of allocated trips by scallop fishing vessels from five to three, delaying access by fishing vessels to the ETAA from January 1, 2007 to March 1, 2007, and prohibiting vessels from leaving the ETAA with more than 50 bushels on unshucked scallops. The ETAA, located off the coast of New Jersey, has been closed to fishing since 2004 to allow scallops in the area to grow to a harvestable size. Fishermen in Rhode Island requested that action be taken on fishing regulations in the ETAA due to a prediction by the Scallop Plan Development Team (PDT) who, upon completing fishery and resource status projections, found that without changes, the scallop fishery in the ETAA would be designated overfished in 2007. Reed stated, This is good news for scallop fishermen in Rhode Island. Preventing overfishing is essential for the protection of our fish species and for the fishing industry that is so crucial to Rhode Islands economy. I am pleased that the National Marine Fisheries Service has taken this important action to support our fishermen who have long requested these conservation measures. In December of 2006, the NMFS announced that it would implement an interim rule with the changes requested by the New England Management Council. Jim O'Malley, Executive Director of the East Coast Fisheries Federation, said, "The fishermen saw the need to protect that area and husband it over several years. They took the lead in giving this area the protection it needs. The two-month delay will take advantage of the very fast rate of growth of scallops, and waiting until the winter is over will be safer for the fleet. Not harvesting so much this year will help the resource last much longer, and prohibiting loading the deck with scallops in the shell will not only make fishing safer, but prevent the waste of scallops that might otherwise be discarded. We appreciate the support of Senator Reed, the help of the New England Fishery Council, and the fast and appropriate action of the National Marine Fisheries Service."