Pacific Halibut Fisheries; Catch Sharing Plan; Modify Pacific Halibut Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Vessel Use Caps in IFQ Regulatory Areas 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E

What it does

NMFS proposes regulations to modify the Pacific halibut (halibut) Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program to revise vessel harvest limitations for IFQ halibut harvested in IFQ regulatory Areas (Areas) 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E by establishing a vessel harvest limit of five percent of the total annual commercial catch limit across Areas 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E. This action would also exclude IFQ halibut harvest derived from quota held by a Community Quota Entity (CQE) in Area 4B from accruing under the proposed five percent vessel harvest limit across Areas 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E. This action would provide additional flexibility for halibut IFQ Program fishery participants in Areas 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E, where fishery conditions continue to be challenging. This action would promote the goals and objectives of the IFQ Program, the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 (Halibut Act), and other applicable laws.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What it would change

1 part of Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

50 CFR 679

Before this

No earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 0648-BO24 since Jan. 1, 2025.

What happens next and when

Submit comments on or before October 5, 2026.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Docket NOAA-NMFS-2026-1025 on Regulations.gov
• Title 50 on eCFR

The record as published

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register