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The National Marine Fisheries Service proposes regulations to expand the Fisheries Finance Program's authority to provide fisheries loans. The new authority was provided by the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015, and would allow the Fisheries Finance Program to finance the purchase and transfer of harvesting rights in limited access fisheries that are under Federal management. This new authority would not affect the current Individual Fishing Quota lending program, which is limited to Halibut/Sablefish and Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab at present. The new authority would open up any federally-issued harvesting rights in limited access fisheries to being financed through the Fisheries Finance Program. The new authority is provided within the existing, authorized lending authority, with $59 million in lending set aside for the Fisheries Finance Program's traditional purposes, i.e., financing vessels, facilities, or aquaculture.