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The Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan specifies a procedure for approval of additional selective gear. At the request of the New England Fishery Management Council, the Regional Administrator may authorize additional gear if, based upon an experiment, the gear satisfies regulatory standards. On June 8, 2015, the Council sent a letter to NMFS requesting that it authorize the proposed trawl gear for use in the small-mesh fishery in the event that the accountability measure is triggered for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder. The intent is to provide more flexibility in the use of an additional trawl gear that minimizes bycatch of stocks of concern, in a manner consistent with the objectives of the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, when fishing under the small-mesh fishery accountability measure.