Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Amendment 128 to the FMP for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area and Amendment 116 to the FMP for the Groundfish Fisheries of the Gulf of Alaska; Small Sablefish Release

Open for public comment until Jan. 5, 2027. Comment on Regulations.gov

What it does

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) submitted amendment 128 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI FMP) and amendment 116 to the FMP for Groundfish fisheries of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA FMP) to the Secretary of Commerce for review. If approved, these amendments would increase operational flexibility to allow vessels fishing for sablefish with fixed gear under the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program or Western Alaska Community Development (CDQ) Program to release sablefish and would revise the annual allocation process to account for sablefish discards. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the BSAI and GOA FMPs, 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-BO62 since Jan. 1, 2025.

What happens next and when

Submit comments on or before January 5, 2027.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Docket NOAA-NMFS-2026-2542 on Regulations.gov
• Title 50 on eCFR

The record as published

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