Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This final rule approves sector operations plans and contracts, including 18 regulatory exemptions for fishing years 2023 and 2024. This final rule also allocates Northeast multispecies annual catch entitlements to approved groundfish sectors for fishing year 2023; this includes default specifications for nine stocks. This action is intended to allow limited access permit holders to continue to operate sectors, as authorized under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, and to exempt sectors from certain effort control regulations to improve the efficiency and economics of sector vessels. Approval of sector operations plans and contracts is necessary to allocate annual catch entitlements to the sectors in order for sectors to operate.
Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 648 [Docket No. 230425-0113] RTID 0648-XC579 AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: This final rule approves sector operations plans and contracts, including 18 regulatory exemptions for fishing years 2023 and 2024. This final rule also allocates Northeast multispecies annual catch entitlements to approved groundfish sectors for fishing year 2023; this includes default specifications for nine stocks. This action is intended to allow limited access permit holders to continue to operate sectors, as authorized under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, and to exempt sectors from certain effort control regulations to improve the efficiency and economics of sector vessels. Approval of sector operations plans and contracts is necessary to allocate annual catch entitlements to the sectors in order for sectors to operate. DATES: Sector operations plans and regulatory exemptions are effective May 1, 2023, through April 30, 2025. Northeast multispecies annual catch entitlements for sectors are effective May 1, 2023, through April 30, 2024. Default catch limits are effective May 1, 2023, through October 31, 2023, or until the final rule for Framework 65 is implemented, if that final rule is implemented prior to October 31, 2023. If Framework 65 is not implemented on or before October 31…
Citation: 88 FR 26502
