The New England Fishery Management Council voted to establish a control date for Limited Access General Category (LAGC) permit category changes into the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) Atlantic Sea Scallop fishery. LAGC vessels have the ability to change their permit category and access the NGOM scallop fishery. In recent years, both scallop biomass and the number of vessels participating in the NGOM fishery have increased. The Council is concerned that the number of potential vessels that could switch permit categories and participate in the NGOM is large compared to the number of vessels historically active in the fishery. The control date enables the Council to inform the industry that it is considering a future action to limit LAGC permit category changes into the NGOM fishery. Any LAGC permit that switches categories after the control date will not be assured future access, should a management regime that limits LAGC category switches be prepared and implemented. The control date will be the date the ANPR publishes in the Federal Register. This ANPR is intended to: notify the public and stakeholders of possible rulemaking; alert interested parties of potential eligibility criteria for future access; and discourage speculative entry into and/or investment in the NGOM scallop fishery while the Council considers if and how LAGC permit changes should be controlled.