Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reapportionment of Halibut Prohibited Species Catch Limits in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area

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 679 [Docket No. 260305-0066; RTID 0648-XF877] AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Temporary rule; reallocation. SUMMARY: NMFS is reapportioning the unused amounts of the Pacific cod Trawl Cooperative (PCTC) Program halibut prohibited species catch (PSC) limit to the Pacific cod trawl limited access catcher vessel sector C season in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). DATES: Effective August 7, 2026, through 2400 hours, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), November 1, 2026. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Olson, 907-586-7228. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the groundfish fishery in the BSAI according to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (FMP) prepared and recommended by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council under authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). Regulations governing fishing by U.S. vessels in accordance with the FMP appear at subpart H of 50 CFR part 600 and 50 CFR part 679 . The 2026 Pacific cod fishery halibut PSC limits specified for the PCTC Program A and B seasons (January 20-June 10) is 220 metric tons (mt) and for the trawl catcher vessel C season (June 10-November 1) it is 15 mt as established by the final 2026 and 2027 harvest specifi…