Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Exchange of Flatfish 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-XG085] AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Temporary rule; reallocation. ( printed page 62342) SUMMARY: NMFS is exchanging unused yellowfin sole and flathead sole Community Development Quota (CDQ) for rock sole CDQ acceptable biological catch (ABC) reserves in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) management area. This action is necessary to allow the CDQ fishery to optimize their total rock sole harvest in the BSAI. DATES: Effective October 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Whitney, 907-586-7228. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages the groundfish fishery in the BSAI according to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the BSAI 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 flathead sole, rock sole, and yellowfin sole CDQ allocations of the TACs specified for these species in the BSAI are 3,852 metric tons (mt), 8,025 mt, and 15,515 mt, respectively, as established by the final 2026 and 2027 harvest specifications for groundf…